Can I just tell you how good my God is?

For several weeks I have been extremely distraught over a particular situation.  I had reached my melting point last week.  The situation was sensitive, and my dear friend Julie was the only one who was tortured with my continued distressed ramble.  

On our morning rides last week, I cried through the majority of the hour.  I felt awful that I was monopolizing our conversation with my woe, but she kept listening.  I was a wreck.

Then she did what a good, true, and Godly friend would do.  She gave me Biblical counsel.  She gave me the counsel that I needed to hear, and not the counsel I wanted to hear.  She asked the tough questions… like… “How much are you praying about this?”  and “Have you really given this to Him?”  She reminded me that I had no control over the situation, and I was slipping back into that sin of worry (that God has been working on me about for months).  His way is best, and He is in control.  You need to take this to God.  Pray.  Read.  Wait.

I came home mind whirling and spend some time in my Bible and prayed that God would give me the strength to lay it down.  I prayed that He would give me the perseverance to leave it there.  I thanked him for Godly friends.

Then I started to make my plans.  I was going to deal with the situation head on.  I had it in my mind that yes, I was laying it down, but I was sure that God didn’t want me to harbor it, and that it should be brought out in the open.

God told me to wait.  He even allowed things to come into my schedule that made it so I COULDN’T get that talk in on Thursday night.

Then, I was reminded THREE TIMES in the next 12 hours of the scripture from Jeremiah 29.

11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare[b] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

I knew it couldn’t be my plan.  I went to the ladies retreat the next day.  I was continually blessed and reminded of His plan for me.  I spent more time in prayer over my situation.  It still was a hurt in my heart, but I knew that I could not fix it.  He had to.

This morning, more reminders from scripture to wait on His plan.

I am not good at waiting. But I knew I had to.

This afternoon I left to do something else, and God allowed me to stop by.  The thought popped in my head that maybe today was the time *I* should bring it up.  Another gentle reminder that it was not my encounter to plan, so I went in with the resolve to not bring it up.

Wouldn’t you know…I was resolved to obey, and the topic was brought up by the OTHER person.  In fact, I was AVOIDING it, and God brought it all together in HIS time.  And the resolution of that situation was sweet.  It was freeing, and it was peaceful.

I am quite sure that if I would have gone in guns blazing and saddled with the resentful hurt, that “sweet,” “freeing,”  and “peaceful” would have been the antonyms for the the conversation.

I am so thankful.

I am so thankful that I had a Godly friend who was not afraid to give wise counsel.

I am so thankful that God had patience with me, and gave me many reminders to obey.

I am so thankful that my heart no longer aches. 

I am so thankful that I serve a God whose plan is SO MUCH better than anything I can imagine

Ephesians 3

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

That is how good my God is!