Day Seven: God Encounters

Good morning everyone.  Technically, this would be Day Eight, but I spent the bulk of yesterday driving and, when I arrived home, the people I live with were hosting a small get-together.  Needless to say, by the end of the day, and after the last couple of weeks, I was pretty much wiped out.  But, I am back home from Liberty (Lynchburg, VA) now.

Day Seven of the SOLO devotional is different than the preceding six days. On the seventh day, we are asked to review and reflect on all we read during the week and to revel in the ways we've encountered God in the past six days.

REVIEW:  This week, we have read about reconciliation in Genesis 3 and about wrestling with God until we get a blessing in Genesis 32.  Genesis 50 (verses 15-21) gave us a picture of forgiveness by looking at the story of Joseph and his brothers.  Day Four asked us to read Exodus 3 and the story about Moses and the burning bush and the holy ground.  We were challenged to pay attention to our lives in a way that might help us to notice God and His Holiness.  On Day Five, we read about the Israelites begging for meat; so, God gave them quail and manna.  This was in Exodus 16 (9-16).  Then, on Day Six, we read about God shielding Moses from the full effects of His Glory, but that God did allow Moses to see His Back, while they were on Mount Sinai (right before God wrote the Ten Commandments).  This message was from Exodus 33 and 34.

REFLECT:  As I reflect on all that's been covered this week, it's amazing to me that what I wrote and shared with you all, does not sound like it would've had anything to do with what we were asked to read.  But, then, is that not the grace and glory of God to take us places we don't realize we need to go using means that would baffle other people? 

Let me share about where God led me this week.

Every prayer is an act of faith.  If you don't believe that the entity you are praying to will answer your prayers, would you pray?  I began my period of the last 2 weeks just begging God to reveal Himself to me.  I didn't know what I needed, but I knew I needed something, and I knew that only God could provide it.  I didn't know how He would show up (or if, for that matter) but I took a leap of faith based on what I'd read in Scripture.  I figured, "if the Bible is true, He surely has to honor this request."  But to make doubly sure, I didn't miss anything He might try to say to me, I made sure that I had as quiet an atmosphere as possible for Him to work in, or speak to me.

So, without further ado, here are some of the things God showed me this past week.

1. The hardest fought battles bring the sweetest victories.

2. I CAN live a victorious life in the midst of horrific circumstances.

3. I truly must work out my salvation with fear and trembling.

4. I hear best from God when I’m writing (this is a personal revelation, not a global one.) :)

5. Nothing I put inside my body will fill a deep ache in my soul.

6. The strength God gave me is a gift  I CAN use it to overcome.  I WILL use it to overcome.  And I WILL do what He has called me to do.  Regardless of how much it hurts.

7.  There is a reason God made me strong.  There is a reason my husband keeps saying I "just keep coming."  I will never be able to move into God's perfect will for my life if I am too afraid to deal with my baggage from the past.

All this, and it's just the first week.  I can't wait to see what the rest of the year reveals.

If you worked through the devotional this week, or followed along with the passages I posted and what I was doing, and felt God was speaking to you, and would like to share, I would love to hear from you.