What’s God doing right now?
During the 2008-2010 Great Recession, the scripture Matthew 6:34 kept me going. It was my ‘go to’ and it was a permanent part of my email signature line. It resonated with people who noticed it and I received many return emails to simply thank me for leaving it there for them to read.
I believe this verse is again perfect for this season.
Matthew 6:34 says:
Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
As I was praying about what to write, I felt a nudge to get your stories. I feel led to share the stories about God’s wonders in your life. Stories to encourage others. And I know there are some because I feel certain that God positioned you right where you are for such a time as this.
Wouldn’t you LOVE to have a play by play from a bird’s eye view of God sometimes?
I would love to have seen God’s process the weeks leading up to this pandemic. I visualize him moving things into place for each of us to ensure we are ready. He knew our lives would completely change overnight.
To be able to see him moving things around and adjusting things for the sole purpose of taking care of His kids. Can you see it too?
- Not answering prayers in the way we were asking because He knew it wouldn’t benefit us right now.
- Or making things happen which seemed completely bizarre at the time.
And I hope you’d be willing to share the story with me so I can share it with others for encouragement. I will make the story anonymous if you prefer.
Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:
We’ve had our house on the market for around 9 months. My prayers were very clear.
“God, please bring a buyer.”
We purchased the house in 2015 with the intent to sell after we made improvements. We’ve been ready to get it sold and find our next home where we can settle in.
In the previous nine months, the house hardly had any showings. We live in a beautiful neighborhood. Our house is lake front. It’s newly remodeled and incredibly comfortable.
It. Has. All. The. Things.
So….why no interest? Why have we hardly had any showings?
Here’s why He didn’t answer my prayer to bring a buyer…..
Because he knew we would need to be living here right now. He knew that as someone who fits into the category of ‘vulnerable’ (I don’t have a spleen), I’d be confined to the house and neighborhood. Today is day 22 for me and I have until April 30th or until it’s relatively safe to be in public (whenever that will be).
I feel like God didn’t bring a buyer because he wanted us to endure this season ‘in this house’.
Fast forward to now……..
I tell God every day, multiple times a day, just how grateful I am for this house. As I sit here writing, my view is a gorgeous lake with ducks and geese. There’s an occasional Blue Heron hunting for fish. The turtles pop their heads up. The squirrels run amuck.
God knew.
He knew that these things would help me stay peaceful so I can help others stay peaceful.
So……
For the next few weeks, I’d love to share your stories. I’d love to hear about the weeks leading up to March. What happened in terms of unanswered prayers or odd happenings that made no sense at the time, but makes perfect sense now?
I believe that now, more than ever, we have to keep our focus on what God is doing today.
……….and today only.
Please reply to this email and share the things that make sense now which made no sense prior to now. It doesn’t matter how small or large your business is. It doesn’t matter how small or large the subject. Your story matters. It matters to me as your friend and it matters to those who read my blog.
I can’t wait to hear from you. I can’t wait for your stories to make a difference for your fellow Christian Business Owners.
Very Humbly Yours,
Jennifer Edwards
Content Homeowner