Friday Blessings

When I say, “God is amazing,” I mean He is really amazing. Two things have happened lately that reaffirm this to me.

One. This past Friday, in the wee hours of a new day, God spoke to my groggy mind. He called me from my warm bed. He said He wanted to spend a little time with me. One may ask me, “Joanie, how did God speak to you.” The answer to that question is simply, “God spoke by placing a gentle nudge on my heart when I awoke from a deep sleep suddenly troubled and worried about an announcement that I was to give in church the following Sunday.” There was no burning bush, no thundery voice from heaven, just a gentle (and persistent) tug at my heart that I needed to get out of bed, go downstairs and pray and read a few passages from God’s word.

So, obediently I got out of bed and proceeded downstairs. Once I got downstairs, I was somewhat unsure of how to proceed. I decided to light a three wick candle to read my Bible by and as I lit each wick I said, “Father God, please come and join with me. Lord Jesus, please enter this place and be with me. Holy Spirit, I ask that you come and be present, lead me and guide me, give me divine understanding.” After I did this, I felt that my heart was ready for prayer as I felt such a peace wash over my countenance. I then asked that any barrier to hearing from the Lord be removed from my life, and I asked God to guide me to the words in Scripture that He wished me to read.

My prayer led me to Psalm 71. As I read the words of that Psalm, words jumped off the page at me. Thoughts flowed from my mind as I would pause to contemplate the words I had just read, and then I would reread the words once again. I was filled with marvel and wonder! The words had a melody to them. There were words of praise. There words of advice. There were words for living life – no make that they were words of life!!

I spent several hours on my knees in my living room floor and the hours felt as only minutes; precious life-giving minutes. I was given a new direction for the words I was to speak in church on Sunday morning. I was given new thoughts on how to close out a six-week Bible study class that I had been co-leading! God’s word became so active and alive for me during those early hours of Friday morning!

No, this was not the first time I have climbed out of a warm bed to meet with God during the middle of the night; but it was by far one of the most memorable times. After the refreshing that God blessed me with during this time with Him you can bet that the next time I feel God tugging at my heart to join Him, I will JUMP out of bed and run down the steps to meet Him!

Oh, and by-the way, the second amazing thing that occurred happened at the last of the six-week Bible study. When I began to read from Psalm 71 my co-leader stopped me to say, “God gave me this same passage of scripture to read on Thursday night before I went to sleep.” How cool is that? This lady and I have a connection that is so deep and God blesses both of us with the same passage of scripture within a 10-hour window of time.

Isn’t God neat?