“It’s just always something here, you know”

I wanted to join the church Sunday. Our whole family was together and we were ready to make an already established commitment public and official or whatever ‘moving your letter’ really means. We wanted to belong, and about 30 minutes before time to leave, all 5 kids dressed, all fifty toes in shoes, the whole nine, and I go out to my car to grab my makeup bag and my doors are locked. My keys are in the ignition, and we do not have a spare.

First the dishwasher broke, then the roof needed to be replaced, but while we were waiting on that estimate, the plumbing messed up, and we still needed the roof… then I manage to pull a water faucet out of the ground just trying to turn the water on because the pool needed water. Because the pool’s water was low, it messed the pump up- replaced the pump to find out it wasn’t the pump, it was the electricity to our second building. Somethings wrong with the hot water heater, after we finally got the water back on because we had to turn it off to fix that faucet… and did I mention we had five kids?

I just wanted to join the church.

Spoiler alert: we didn’t make it to service.

We spent the next 4+ hours trying to get my keys out of my car and while I wish I could tell you I did it while raising a hallelujah, it looked much more like me sitting on top of my car’s sunroof with a very messed up clothes hanger and an ugly cry.

It seems like every time one good things happen, two others go bad. I even had spoiled milk in my coffee this week that doesn’t expire until the 21st! I mean, does that happen to anyone else or is it just me?

but I didn’t show up to pout; I showed up to encourage.

I read that Satan wouldn’t bother you unless he wasn’t threatened by what God is fixing to do with you.

Maybe that’s true, maybe it’s not… but I know God, and I have experienced Satan and I want to sum up what I know about both.

We have as much access to God as we choose to, and satan wants with everything for us to believe that God is not who He says He is.

Ephesians 4:23 says, “and give no opportunity to the devil.”

There are always going to be bad days and with those comes opportunity. Satan wants us to blame God or doubt him, to be too busy for Him or too tired, to pray but not believe, or    to know of Gods power but not have faith in it.

I cried every time something broke or quit… and I even cried harder the times I tore it up myself, but I never asked God why, I never got mad, and I never doubted His provision.

I’ve learned that God wastes nothing.

Sometimes I’ve felt too tired to read, and most times I would read anyway; I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you some I didn’t… but on the days I skipped God, He didn’t skip me. Instead He made provision for what I missed and purposed it to remind me how on-time He is in everything. Like He knew and had planned on me skipping that day of reading because He knew the next day I’d need that exact verse at that exact time more than the day before. It’s why God is God, and it’s why we can have confidence that if He can plan His timing around our humanity and still manage to be on time, He’s got everything else figured out too.

Can I give you a bit of advice? My single most effective way to battle Satan? Test yourself.  If you feel like you can’t do this anymore; what does God say? If you feel like this may never end; what does God say? If you feel like you’re not worth it, and nobody likes you; what does God say? If you feel like you will never be out of debt, you’ll never get a job, you could never afford to go to school; what does God say?

Don’t give Satan opportunity, and don’t give God doubt.

Maybe Satan knew I wanted to unite with something that would only make me more dangerous to him and he won that battle… and there will be more battles, but there will also be more Sundays.

God is faithful: “The Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one” 2 Thessalonians 3:3

God is powerful: “For NOTHING is impossible with God” Luke 1:37

God is sovereign: “Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the Lord, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other” Deuteronomy 4:39

God will provide: “and my God will supply EVERY need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:19

and God has a promise:

“In Him we have obtained an inheritance having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1: 11-15

God,

I’m sorry we skip you sometimes. We fail you and take you for granted, but you never leave. You’re always waiting and in a way that makes it feel like it was always a part of your plan that we fall of course. You know we hurt, and we feel like sometimes that it is always something. Our stuff breaks, our marriages fail, and sometimes our bank balance is as low as our spirit, but you are sovereign. Help us to feel you even when we can’t see you, and to trust you even when we doubt ourselves. Give us the power to give no opportunity to the devil because in your strength that choice is ultimately ours to make. Thank you God for your faithfulness, Thank you, God, for you.

Amen

 

xoxo