called
My husband and I had been talking about going home to see my family, and introduce my family to where I grew up- Iowa. I shared with the kids that while there are things that may look very similar, some things will stark differences! Everyone seemed excited, but there were lots of logistics we had to figure out: the drive (because flying wasn't an option), where we'd stay and for how long. It took a lot to get myself to a place mentally that I was excited about the trip, but I knew it was important. Gravely important.
I can't recall the exact day, but I know it was a Wednesday... a Wednesday God was eager to unfold for me.
After discussing a LOT of trip-hypotheticals, and looking at costs, I went out to run errands, then go to church. I was especially looking forward to church tonight because I really wanted to hear God. This trip was going to be hard because there was a LOT of tension in my family at that time, I would be facing old trauma, and I'd likely be seeing my gram for the last time this side of Heaven. I'd also talk to my dad about salvation. (It takes a lot to scare me, but this was making me shake in my boots.)
Well, we get to church, worship was powerful as usual, and Pastor Chuck came out to give the message, in Joshua 3.
"Great! Nice and easy after an emotional day! I could use a break!" (I bet God chuckled here...)
As he was teaching, he started talking about a story with his dad: their relationship, how he viewed church, and ultimately how he shared the Gospel with him, and how he eventually came to know the Lord. OOF.
Well, if that wasn't enough to confirm I needed to book this trip, God sent me a "Billy-Mays-moment": WAIT! THERE'S MORE!!
To really show me this was Him telling me to get over my selfish fears and go...
I felt my wrist vibrate. My dad was calling. It had been approximately 6 months since he had last called, yet here he was calling minutes after Chuck shared his testimony. Me crying at church isn't a rare event. (What can I say? God is so good to me!)
The verse I'm talking about is Joshua 3:13, but going to the end of chapter 3 just drives it home.
"As soon as their feet touch the water..."
As the priests and the rest of the Israelites approached the Jordan River, the water would still be flowing. It would still be deep- maybe even dangerous. It wasn't until their feet touched the water that the waters would stop flowing and stand up like a wall.
That hit me like a ton of bricks for so many reasons.
How often do we pray and cry out to God to "part" or "remove the waters" - obstacles- in our life, SO THAT we can proceed?? I do anyway. Putting it in terms of the Israelites- I'd want to be a good ¼ or ½ mile away from the Jordan when I started to see those waters receding! Not standing right there- toe in water before things started to move!
It comes down to trust.
God could have parted the waters ahead of time, easing all of their minds and spirits, but how LITTLE faith is required for that??
Back to my story!
After the service, there was the usual call for prayer. This time I went up. I knew God was telling me to go home and talk to my dad, but I was terrified. PJ prayed for me and gave me elaboration on the message as well as encouragement. Got home, and we started booking the trip.
The trip home went as God intended, and I faced my fears and planted seeds. It didn't look how I PLANNED, but it looked how God planned, and I have immense peace about that.
God's Word is a LIVING BOOK... I cannot stress that enough. If you don't know what that means, or haven't experienced that for yourself (God speaking directly to YOU about a live situation), I strongly encourage you to pray before reading or listening to His Word. Ask God to speak to you, and ask Him to remove the noise and your own thoughts/ideas/plans so you can hear Him...
As we go about our days or weeks, may we see the areas we could increase our trust in our Lord. Whether it be at work or school, with a stranger or loved one; may we have FAITH AND TRUST that we just need to go where we're called, and God will remove the obstacles in our path in His Good and perfect timing.
YOU are the 1 He left the 99 for. It's time to touch your toe to the water and TRUST.
(to illustrate JUST HOW COOL God is, I pulled up Joshua 3 to listen to. I'm writing this well after my trip, and couldn't *quite* remember which part of Joshua 3 that really hit me and tied this all together. I was typing and listening, but when I paused and really focused on what was being read to me, the EXACT VERSE was up. It was no mistake. Just like that, God tied everything together. Once again.)