As our heavenly Father does quite often, God has been reminding me of things that I thought I had already learned some time ago. Surely, I am not the only one that He has to keep reminding of His truths found in His Word. “The steps of a good person are ordered by the Lord: and they delight in His way.” Psalm 37:23
A few months ago, I was confronted with an opportunity to re-learn this truth. As would happen, Jon and I came home from a ministry trip and the TV, the home phone, and internet were not working. Being very perturbed, I called the company that provides our service and told them that they needed to get that fixed ASAP. As the service man came to get the problem fixed, it was as though the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “now that you have a captive audience, tell him about My love.” So I shared with him God’s love, gave a gospel tract, and thanked him for listening. Suddenly it dawned on me that the scripture that says, “Give thanks in all things,” was finding its way in my heart in a very practical way. I look on break downs and broken stuff differently now.
Several weeks ago, I once again had the opportunity to experience this truth. In the middle of a seminar I was teaching at a women’s retreat, my cell phone rang. It was the airlines calling to let me know that my flight home was cancelled. At first, I was irritated; then was reminded by the Lord that my steps are all planned. So I really began to get excited to see what God had planned for me at the airport. While waiting to possibly get a later flight, I sat next to a lady who was heart sick over a major hurt that the family was having with their teenager. She needed a listening ear and an encouraging word. I was able to remind her of God’s love for the teen and her, also committed to pray for them both over the next weeks. I got an email from her the other day, saying there had been a definite change taking place in their family and thanked me for praying.
With our heavenly Father there are no “oops” just opportunities. Lord, help me to not be perturbed when things happen to disturb my day, but instead be excited for what You have in mind.
Phyllis
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Thanks, Phyllis, for your “Oops” message – it brought conviction as we recently experienced a week without phone or internet service and I too was frustrated. The Lord showed me I had a control issue in my heart – when things happened beyond my control or ability to fix, I realized I was becoming angry. Eventually, I realized the sinful state of my heart. I’m grateful for the Lord’s forgiveness. The week after that, our checking account was hacked and we had to close the account and reopen another one. Another thing out of our control. Russ’s health situation is out of my control. The Lord just wants a heart totally dependent on Him and that is my prayer. Thanks again for sharing your heart, Phyllis.