Hey, you lovely things! This morning early I got a very touching text from someone that made me start reflecting on so many ways that God seems to go out of His way (if that were possible) to make sure we know He’s got our backs. You know what I’m talking about. Ways that He whispers in your ear or maybe reverberates from the mountaintops that He’s aware of what you’re battling and where you’re hurting. Ways He tells you He has NOT forgotten. Ways He assures you that your prayers are not just hitting the ceiling. That He’s on it and that your life has not for the merest instant been swallowed up in a black hole. That in your WAIT He is at WORK.
So I tweeted these two statements this morning, one right after the other:
First one:
Sit up slack-jawed over all the ways God lets you know He’s got your back. He’ll tell people to pray for you who have no earthly notion why.
Second one:
Per last tweet, I’m glad God can tell people to pray without telling them why. Sometimes I want people in my burden but not in my business.
The responses that almost instantly flew up on my phone exhilarated me and built me up in my faith as numerous people told me that they’d experienced the same gorgeous phenomenon. The one bad (and sometimes GOOD!) thing about Twitter is that the space is too limited to get super specific. Now that my curiosity is piqued, I want to hear some testimonies! Tell your sisters here in this community one way God has done this kind of thing for you. Tell us a specific incident or sight or encounter or correspondence He used to make sure you knew that He was with you, intimately aware of your situation. Girlfriend, you ARE very much on His radar.
Let’s testify about some ways God leaves you thinking something like,
“You hem me in, behind and before, and You lay Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high; I cannot attain it…How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!” Psalm 139:5-6,17
In other words…
Can’t wait to hear! Just so you know that no one was posing as your own Siesta Mama in that picture…
And that bleached blond right there loves you.
Thank you for the reminder.
I’m needing a little reminder but love hearing of others! They are always so encouraging and exciting!
Without getting overly wordy – have been in a season of research/writing lately – and this aspect of having my back – and going before me – and popping up on the page right in front of me has marked this season – where, literally, I’ve yelped (my husband loves to lurk around a corner and jump out to surprise me – and in a kind of weird, funny way, God has done this too, but on the page). Where I’ll ask Him a question or wonder something, and then just seconds later – or sometimes hours later, or the next day; there will be the answer – just jumping off the page – couldn’t be more specific. I love it when this happens. It lets me know He’s as excited about the conversation as I am. Sometimes He makes me so happy I have to jump up and high-five the air (I try to limit the times I do this in public) : )
God always amazes me with His perfect timing! I won a free book and the book came in the mail at the very perfect moment! When I felt sooo beside myself, God reminded me that He was working on the situation! He used the book to show me that He loves me and to trust in Him. He has has done so many perfect timing things for me in the past few months!! I am utterly astounded by His ways!! And continue to keep that in mind so I don’t trust in my own way!! 🙂
Thanks Beth for reminding me how good He has been to me!! I will see you in 2 weeks!!! I cannot wait!!! I love you!! 🙂
Hah! He did it again!!! I just got my Passion cd in the mail!! I am listening to it right now!!! He is soooo good to me!!! 🙂
I went through a really dark season a couple of years ago when the man I thought I would marry ended up walking away from our relationship. During that season, God was so faithful even when I questioned His faithfulness ever so boldly.
Last year He blew my mind with a whirlwind romance that culminated in a beautiful sunset beach wedding on December 2. And in every step of the relationship, He has unveiled to me the ways in which He had my back in the darkness. Those revelations have strengthened my faith in amazing ways. So thankful for our love story!
http://bekahsbits.blogspot.com/p/our-love-story.html
I teach a class in a middle school one day a week. There’s a student who is well-behaved and quiet and always flies low under the radar. And one day I felt it put upon me to pray for him. Every day for two weeks, I felt the urge several times a day to pray for this kid. I didn’t have a clue as to why. I was obedient. It was eerie how reminders came to me. I went to my classroom one day, and the kid’s photo was on my desk, no doubt dropped there by a janitor. I still don’t know why my prayers were needed. I didn’t feel it my business to ask. I just know God was really at work there.
God showed me He had my back last week. I was late (gasp!) on my Breaking Free homework and the two days I was catching up on spoke so loudly to the current situation I was in. If I had done the two days in a timely fashion, I would not have been in the same situation and they would not have meant as much to me.
I took my first trip to Africa last September and the country we were visiting, Benin, is said to be the birthplace of voodoo. At the time we were there it was in the middle of the annual voodoo festival. As a middle aged, suburban woman, I had not been out of my comfort zone for quite awhile-if ever! We were working in an orphanage and had to be inside by 9 every night for our safety and during our stay we were “locked in” for 48 hours due to a special time of celebration for the voodoo festival. (does anyone else see the irony in “voodoo celebration/festival”?) I testify to how much I trust God in my comfort zone (in the USA, my home, neighborhood, etc.) but could I really trust God in this strange land?
God did indeed have my (the teams’ too!) back! As we prepared for our time with the children we were preparing to present a vbs program with the theme “Trust God”. Isn’t God good-knowing my mind and heart would be so focused on the lesson that none of the voodoo would distract me from the message he so graciously gave! That lesson has come back to me daily in my “comfort zone” life. No matter what happens, no matter where you are, or what people do to you, or how you feel TRUST GOD! *Thank you Beth for being faithful to what God has called you to!*
my church is sending a team to Nicaragua this summer. i felt led to go through prayer, through Scripture, through prayer & accountability with Christian friends. i also wanted THIS to be the year i got to visit my mom in Thailand. she is a missionary there and i have yet to go and meet the people that God has called her to love on and serve. i’ve been praying for an opportunity for 5 years and i finally was able to save up enough money to go this year. God reminded me many times through many different ways (prayer, the Word, friends, circumstances) that i need to trust in His timing and provision. i swallowed my pride and agreed to go to Nicaragua, even having a chance to share all of this with my church.
not even a week later, i got a phone call from friends that live several hours away (i know them through my church conference). they have felt called to go to Thailand and specifically that i was supposed to go with them. they bought me a plane ticket! i am going to Thailand THIS MONTH!!!
praise God!! i never imagined in my wildest dreams that God would provide in this way. and the story has been such a blessing to people my church congregation and even to this couple.
My story is not about receiving the prayers or assurance of others’ intersession, but the other side of the coin. I woke up very early one morning, but decided to read in bed rather than get up and wake the household (aka dogs, then people). Before I could read a word I almost audibly heard a voice say “Pray for (name)!” So, you can be sure I did. Got a call a couple of hours later that the woman I had felt called so urgently to pray for had said “see you later” to her husband as he went to be with the Lord early that morning.
I knew it was the Lord, because I’m just not that good, for my first waking thought to be an urgent need to pray for my sister in Christ. 🙂 Now I am ever listening for that “Pray for him/her!” voice and know to heed it immediately. What an assurance it gives me that our great God does that…how He LOVES us!!
what about the opposite when it feels like you’re just getting your teeth kicked in and everyone is walking away even when you’re asking them to have your back. Where’s God then?
Sarah, honey I have been in the valley. Actually I have been in the valley A LOT LATELY! I recently watched Beth’s webcast on garments of praise. Watch it, do it, and let God transform you. He will NOT leave you, He will NOT forsake you. He cares for you MORE than any person on earth cares for another person. I know it can be really hard to believe it when He seems so far away. Just KNOW that He’s there. He loves you, sweet sister, and will take care of you. One of my memory verses has been from Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through?” He’s got you, KNOW that, accept that, let the truth bathe over you. Dunk yourself in it. He loves you!!!!!!!!!!! So much that he would take off His godliness to put on our skin and live with us. But not just that, that He loves us enough to put up with life down here and take the punishment for my sin and your sin and die a miserable death and OVERCOME death by His RESURRECTION to give you, me, and all of us LIFE ABUNDANTLY. You are LOVED!!!
sarah, i’m sorry the “community” around you isn’t stepping up. i don’t know your situation but this is what i’ve seen in my life… sometimes life brings situations when you just have to go “ok God, it’s just you & me.” when that happens, sarah, He is enough. try not to let the failure of others become a root of bitterness in you but rather let your people off the hook for not being God to you. get in the Word & do whatever else tenders your heart toward Him (for me that’s good worship music). i’m praying now that He’ll open your eyes to see all the ways He’s saying “rest, Child, I’ve got you.”
Yesterday, the Lord reminded me through Psalms 25:7 that He won’t remember the sins of my youth and that because of His goodness, He is merciful. I am forever regretful and ashamed of my teens and young life. I had a baby at 17 (he’s 36 now and awesome of course). But the Lord was always there even when I made my bed in Hell, He was there. I am blessed beyond what I could have ever imagined for my life – all because He chose me!! Oh, bless His name and praise. How I owe such a debt, but it is paid.
I have been praying and I confess, worrying about my 26 year old son. He has lost his way and is struggling in this world. My prayer is for healing and his return to The Lord and hope he makes it back. Here is where the moment comes of assurance that God is still listening.
I was in a meeting and a man, speaking to another person said these words … ” he is still working on his testimony” ! Hit me like a ton of bricks. Thank you Jesus! I knew in my heart these words were for my hearing. God does not waste anything we go through , we all have a testimony of what He has done in our lives.
Kim, I am walking the same walk with my 26 year old son. In church on Sunday we were singing that song OVERCOME by Jeremy Camp. In that song are the word..”We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY!” At that very moment I knew those words were for my son. I started singing my sons name in place of “we”. Now I read what you wrote & wow!!!!!…BELIEVING with you sweet sister that we will see a MIGHTY testimony born in the lives of our sons! God bless you!
Just yesterday in fact – I have been going through a time of being sad & disappointed & feeling alone in it. A friend called yesterday – to see how I was – I was at work so could not freely have a personal conversation but she told me that the Lord wanted me to know He had me in His hands. Thank you Jesus!!
Hi Beth, I thank God every day for how He has Blessed me..and how He has supported me. But, on a sad morning…where I feel tired of being tested over and over and over again; where I start to think that I have been through just about all I can take, emotionally; where I’m having a tough time feeling Him there, I thank Gor for sending me a message that reminds me He is everywhere. Just like your message did for me today.
Thank you.
Just in the past 6 weeks. My DH and I had to go to Florida on a family emergency. My husband thought he had leave, he didnt. In an hours time the HR person put out a call for donated vacation hours. Within the same hour we had 120 donated. Praise God. I can still top that. People provided housing for me when my husband went home. When he arrived home a check that our small group and my Bible study ladies collected arrived at he house to cover 4 days of pay that wasn’t covered by vaca donations!! God is so good to us. And for the emergency, my daughter had been given days to 2 weeks to live, she is now entering her 8th week, alive and recovering. She still needs prayer as do we. We have been blessed, by God with such jaw dropping provisions by his truly Amazing Love.
I have a dear friend that God has put in my life that this kind of thing goes on between us all the time. We don’t get to talk every day but there will be times where we just get this PRESSING DOWN of the Holy Spirit instructing us to pray for the other and TELL the other right then that we are praying. EVERY SINGLE TIME we say to each other, “How did you know? How in the world did you know I needed that right then?”
This one time I was sitting on the couch sobbing through a devotion. Ugly Cry. You know the kind. No sooner did I croak out “God help me” then my txt went off from Jen saying she just felt like I was struggling and she was lifting me up. God knew I needed someone to know I was in pain even though I couldn’t speak of what it was.
He is so Faithful like that!
We moved to Texas a few months ago and it has been a very difficult move for me, leaving the security of best friends and a wonderful church back in SC.
A few weeks ago, our church started their evening services and we decided to attend that.
I had an exceptionally difficult sunday and came to service asking the Lord what He was going to do and if this is where He, would have us be even in the midst of my questions and struggles.
During the meet and greet time, a sweet Lady named Beth came and gave me the sweetest hug and when I told her I was one of her siestas, she took my face in her hands and just said a sweet word. I could have cried because instantly I knew the Lord had my back covered.
I sent my small group back in SC a note saying how the Lord had encouraged my fainting spirit that day because of their prayers.
Love you sweet Beth, thank you for encouraging me, even though you did not know me and know what was going on.
We serve such a mighty and good GOD who knows exactly what we need in the form of encouragement!
Have been praying about some recent events and God provided a very special conversation with a new friend at church…an answer to prayer and I thought, “How did she know that?” God is so good…thank you for the post. Psalm 139:5 is my verse for this time…”)
My dad passed away a month ago today, after an 8-month battle with cancer. Through that season, God’s faithfulness was overwhelming as He would send one person after another to bring a word of encouragement at “just the right moment” or reveal His Word in a “this is for you, daughter” kind of way. One example in particular, I received an email from a woman I met briefly a few years ago, who had married and moved to Germany. She heard from someone IN GERMANY about a family in the U.S. who was standing in faith for healing, and somehow, despite having no real reason to think of me, made the connection that the family was mine. Somehow, believers in Germany, who I didn’t know at all, were praying for my family, and I had no idea they were praying for us! But, oh, how I know it made a difference to us in the fight! It encouraged me so much! Later, a week after my dad passed away, her brother (in the US) and her father-in-law (in Germany) both passed away unexpectedly, and God was able to use our newly formed friendship to be a solid rock of encouragement for one another in a hard season. God cares, and He sees us. He is so faithful, and HE HAS OUR BACK!
Just last Friday — It was my understanding that I would be paying into Federal and getting a refund from State that would basically cancel each other out. The tax preparer had missed one item, however, so when I went to sign the papers, the good news was a refund over $1000! Much rejoicing!
Then, that evening, my not-yet-but-soon-to-be licensed driver forgot to put the car in park so it rolled into a friend’s garage door as he got out. God’s got my back about paying for the damages!! Praise Him!
When I’m needing to know God is there walking with & holding my hand even, he loves to give me hearts. Literally! Whether in a cloud, rock, rain puddle, leaf or even a water ring on my napkin. I know he has my back.
Out of the blue God threw a name on my heart yesterday–a friend from high school I have not seen or thought of in 22 years. I have no idea what she is doing or even where she is, but all I could think of was, “why else would God out her on my heart after so many years except to pray for her??” Mysterious. AMAZING. And even more amazing to me is that I KNOW he places my name in people’s hearts, too. WOW.
This very thing happended to me yesterday too!
A year ago, my mom was diagnosed with stage four stomach cancer and passed a month later (April 2012). Then, at the end of May, the Lord revealed to me that my husband had been unfaithful. During that time of loss and grieving, only a few people knew of his unfaithfulness, but a friend sent me a text that the Lord was prompting her to pray for me. Each time the spirit brought me to mind, she would cry out. She was grieving for me, but didn’t know what specifically. It wasn’t until after she reached out to me that I told her what was happening. Looking back, I’m reminded of how He is always in the midst of the mess, even if those times seem incredibly dark and lonely.
I’m sorry. I’ve been thru those exact losses even the timeframe is almost the same. Praying for you MK. God will bring you through…
Beth, when I saw your tweet my mind flashed back to this sweet message I received on FB yesterday morning: “Hey, I don’t know if it was just me, or maybe you were a little tired, but you just seemed kinda down last night. I want you to know that I’m praying for you and I hope everything is okay. You are so precious to me…” What she didn’t know was that I was terribly sick with a parasite from a trip out of the USA. After being very ill for 2 ½ days…it went away just as quickly as it came and I KNEW it was because my sweet friend prayed! God always has my back and yours too!
My husband and I have struggled with infertility for almost eight years. In this time, the Lord has blessed us with the adoption of two boys, and we are currently fostering (with the hopes of adoption) a little girl. About three years into our infertility journey and before we adopted our first son, I was feeling very depressed and down at Christmastime. I stopped by a Dollar Tree store one evening, and I was wearing a shirt that had the word “Joy” on it. Two elderly gentlemen were on the same aisle as me, and one of them stopped me and said, “Merry Christmas, Joy.” I looked at him with shock to see if I recognized him, but he was a complete stranger. What was so surprising about his words to me is that my middle name is Joy! I told him that, and he replied that he just wanted to tell me Merry Christmas. They walked away, and chills covered my entire body. I felt such a Presence, and I had needed such kindness to help lift me from the depression of being childless at Christmas once again. I felt the overwhelming sense that God was with me and that I wasn’t so sure those were actually men. Maybe they were angels. I even walked around for a few minutes, but I never saw them in the store again. I had tears streaming down my face by the time I reached my car. The story doesn’t end there. That evening at home, I was listening to some much on iTunes on my laptop. Mandisa’s song, “God Speaking” began to play. If you know the words, some of them say, “Have you ever met a stranger who already knew your name? What if it’s Him? What if it’s God speaking?” I was completely overwhelmed, awed, and humbled when she sang those words. It was a song that I’d heard before, but not one that I had memorized or anything. I could not believe that I had met a stranger just an hour or so before who KNEW MY NAME! Never in my life have I felt the presence of God like I did that night. Of course, I was on my face with my Father! So yes, I knew God had my back that very night. He always did, He still does, and He always will! It’s a joy to share this, and it’s a joy to see all that God has done in our family in the past three and a half years since He gave us children. God is so very faithful y’all! (And Beth, your Bible studies have ministered to me so much during this season as well. God uses you!)
Sunday was supposed to be church; end-of-Upwards-Basketball-Season Celebration for the boys; date-night-out (dinner and Generational Healing Prayer Service at our church)for me and my man. That last item has happened only one other time in the past 7 months. It is huge. It got messed with.
In fact, all of Sunday got messed with. No church for our family. No speaking between me and my man. Fear wagging its ugly tail and snarling its nasty growl in the hearts of a couple of family members. Momma Bear (that’s me) was fired up and trying her dangdest to wield the sword of the Spirit against these attacks. Only most of our family went to the basketball thing and I went alone to church at night. It was hard. And it kept going. Monday and Tuesday the battles continued. And I was tired.
Around 1pm Tuesday I was in a dark, despairing place and had begun to believe the many lies that honestly have hung over us our entire married lives. I felt like the many, many prayers that have been lifted for and by our family were useless. Old victories didn’t really encourage me. What was the point? We’re back here again. Discouragement and cynicism was thick. 2 of our 3 kids were down with temps and fatigue, a computer glitch had made hrs of work on a whole other project go “poof” and the stuff of life was piling up around me threatening to squash me forever.
And that’s when Melissa called. This particular Melissa has never, ever, ever just called to pray for me. She was in Costco. Right there smack in the middle of the aisle she began to intercede for me through her own tears as I wept on the other end of the phone. Wonder what the other shoppers thought!!!
There were another three txt messages from other friends who know what we wrestle around here and who were also praying, but Melissa’s call was like an anointing bath of Holy Spirit strength. I don’t want to mislead: heaviness was still all over this place, but it was easier to bear if that makes sense. Like His own shoulders were next to mine again.
Wednesday we got sorta snowed in around here. My man worked from home. It wasn’t until after lunch that God did SOMETHING to break down a wall in his heart and we were reconciled. Our 11yr old son was called into his office and right there my man reassured him that he is committed to me, this family, and our Lord.
Sorry this is so long… truth be told, I’m still battling off the discouragement that darkened my own heart. But my beautiful sisters-in-Christ keep sending me snippets of truth and keep lifting me to the Lord. He is faithful, even when I don’t feel it.
Siesta Momma, you don’t know how much these kinds of posts minister. Thanks.
Going through a season where I’m just really learning the true meaning of repentance and being saved by grace. I’ve been trying to “keep myself” if you know what I mean through silly self effort and self reformation. I’ve felt guilty over past sins and present and feared that I wasn’t really his daughter because of all I had done. Then, after church on Sunday I went up to the alter (where people are there to pray with you if you need it) and I told them to pray for my husband (who needs God) and it the wife and husband couple prayed with me and then the wife said ” God just wants you to know you are righteous and he’s right there, he’s right there” then the husband looked at me lovingly and said ” I feel the Holy Spirit is just impressing upon me that you keep trying to do all the work yourself, you need to let the Holy Spirit do its work in you because what your doing is dead works!” I was like WOW!!! (mind you I don’t know these people from adam) There was God calling me to himself just to let ME know that he loves me! Alot more was said and prayed for but that one moment was special because I knew it was from HIS heart. I’ve been trying to “lean” ever since. I love our Father, there is no darkness in him at all. Oh how HE loves us!!
I am just 2 days away from the first anniversary of the death of our son. I cannot even count the ways that God has gone before me to prepare me for this most difficult year of my life. Through morning devotionals, group studies, sermons, friends, family…God has show that He definitely has my back, my hand, my head, my heart. I am so blessed.
Janice –
I’m writing this Sunday night. I can’t imagine what Saturday was like for you. Wanted you to know I’m praying for your “Mother’s Heart” broken as it has been and strengthened as it has been. Don’t know where you live, but there’s a random Siesta just outside our nation’s capital praying for you tonight.
I moved back home with my parents- mother bipolar, father raising five kids while working extremely hard, and my siblings barely like one another. Yes, we love each other, but I believe many of you can attest to a family that loves each other but surely does not like more than one ounce of the other person. It wasn’t until (coincidentally) I was on my way to a Living Proof Live event in SC that I finally opened my ears to hear Jesus say, “Move back home, Kaylee.” Jump forward a few months and I am being verbally beaten with words that cut so deep in my heart and soul. So deep. I had to get out and take a prayer walk before I spit fire that I would regret. It’s evening, the sun is making its way below the visible earth. As I begin walking, each step I took, the sky turned pinker, and brighter as the sun set. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, with the sun and moon both as bright as a midnight star and the sky with swirls of cotton candy. Why does He love us so much? I will never comprehend. He knew the comforts of my heart that evening. It is when Grace shows His face like this that I fall in love so much more.
Recently I have been discouraged about a relationship
that I feel is in the grave. I have had varied despairing
thoughts of feeling that it is so hopeless. As a reminder that God has my back He so graciously led me to Ezekiel 37.
It encouraged me to know that God is definitely aware of my
situation and is willing to encourage me to never give up even in the darkest lowest valley when I want to just crawl in the nearest darkest pit and shout, “I can’t take this anymore”!! Truth is “His grace is sufficient for me”! He is in the mess and it will one day be a message. Thank you loving Father that your watchful loving eye is always upon this child.
Last weekend I attended a city-wide conference for middle schoolers in conjunction with the 8th grade girls I lead in small group discussion at youth group. It was set to go from Friday 5pm-1pm and then Saturday from 8am-4:30pm. I hope it’s ok to admit this – I did not want to go. I was tired from a long week at work, my husband was gone all that week and had big plans Saturday night with his work. All I wanted to do was stay at home with him! So I asked him to pray for me before I left. In his prayer he prayed, “God, help Alicia to be all there – in heart, mind, and body. Give her strength!”
…then during worship, amoung the loud, fun, and crazy mess that are middle schoolers, the worship leader challenged us with these words: “Students – youth leaders – God wants you to be here – not just your body but your heart and mind!” It was one of the only times they addressed the youth leaders directly that night. It gave me chills! And it was like God said, “I want you here. I’ll bring you and your stubborn heart here.” I felt known. loved. understood. and I felt strength to be “all there.” Thank you Jesus!
God’s timing is awesome! Been WAITING(there’s that Word again) for an opportunity to share a very recent encounter with the Lord.:)) I have been praying for a family member of mine, and as a read a devo on 2/27 I had a vivid confirmation of the Lord being with me..He revealed Daniel 10:12. Girlfriend, I felt so humbled and loved by my Savior as I read that verse over and over and over….He went on to reveal how my prayer for this sweet one is being battled over in the Heavenly realms! God will order His angels to bring down an answer for me in His perfect time!!!
I am in the major wait of my life right now as my ministerial position was one of several eliminated at my church last year due to church finances. I’ve been applying for other ministry opportunities across the country and have not gotten an offer yet. Sometimes in the dead of night, the enemy loves to sneak up on my mind, disrupt my sleep, and try to make me question everything I know to be true. It happened this week and when I got out of bed and got my Bible, God had it open right up to Psalm 71, where he reminded me that he is “my rock of refuge to which I can always go.”
And that, he “will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.”
So thankful for God’s comforting words of reassurance!
He’s got my back. I was going through a difficult time of uncertainty with health and finances. Feeling very dispairing, I opened up the Bible to Isaiah. Specifically Isaiah 58:11
The Lord will guide you always;
He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame
You will be like a well-watered garden
like a spring whose waters never fail.
As I was reading and meditating on this verse the sun came out through the rain (literally) and came streaming through the window. This verse is always on my mind and gives me such a deep sense that He is the God who sees me.
Thank you Beth, praying for you and your family.
Love,
Heather
I’m currently studying abroad in Australia where I have yet to a meet another Christian in the program I am on. After starting to feel in over my head, out of my element and just plain defeated about it all; out of the blue, I received such a godly and encouraging e-mail from a cousin of mine that I didn’t even know was a believer. He had no idea what I was going through and yet his words and prayers for me were exactly what I needed to hear. The whole situation was such a supernatural reminder of the fact that God does indeed have our backs and has left me with inexplicable joy!
We are out of our home b/c of water damage & they are delayed so we are staying at a hotel. Unfortunately, it sound more fun that it is w/ little ones, a puppy & a budget. This morning I took the puppy out to go potty & a woodpecker was pecking along with sparrows singing. It echoed throughout the entire area. It was misty out and so beautiful. I knew that the Lord had those sweet birds there at that moment to bless me.
Oh the emotions of those moments sweep so sweetly back. One that comes to mind instantly….I was in an intense season of so much confusion and hurt and really truly felt that I had no one to tell or confide in. But I received a phone call from a former pastor’s wife (I adore(d) that woman!!) who had moved away a few years earlier and we had not kept close contact afterward. Some of her first words in that phone call were, “Are you alright? I’ve been praying for you so much lately and thinking about you alot.” The surge of God’s unfailing love that I knew at that moment melted so much confusion that I felt. I once again truly knew that my God had my back. He’s always so much aware.
Beth, you and yours have been so much in my heart and thoughts lately. Praying. Your ministry has led me again and again to the tender and compassionate heart of our Savior. Thank you for your sweet words and gentle ways.
My husband had lost his job and had gone to another city to find work. I was alone with 4 children and not enough money to cover the mortgage and food. I didn’t have a car and needed a job. A neighbor let me borrow a car that had been up on blocks and had threadbare tires. Another Christian sister helped me get a job and met me at the daycare and drove me into the city to work. When I had flat tires (and I had several.. there were no cell phones at that time) I was always in a safe place where I could use the phone. My brothers and sisters in Jesus came to my rescue. Jesus always had my back. One very frustrating day, I came home from work and my friend had cleaned my whole house and left supper warming on the stove for me. She said, “You know it was Jesus if He told me to come clean your toilets!” He is always there especially in the hard places! Just lean back. He’s got you!
I have been having a personal crisis of faith the last couple of years. Trial after trial wearing me down. Seems like God has forgotten all about me. Until the last three weeks He Has reminded me in a fresh way that He is still there. I have tried for three years to leave a job that has not been fulfilling. I have had interview after interview but never a job offer. Three weeks ago I applied for a transfer within my own company and got the job. Yesterday I learned the area I just left is being closed and the decision was just made two days ago. God still has my back even when I turned mine on Him. He knows what I need and when I need it.
Well I have just GOT to comment on this one!
My first born son (of 2) is in college on the east coast (we live in the Rocky Mountains) He is doing really well academically, but being so far from home has left him vulnerable to attacks on his faith, which he has denounce in the past 8 months. This weighs heavy on this mama’s heart. He was home for 6 weeks over Christmas break, and I was determined to love on him, and not preach to him. We had some special moments together.
You must know how young men eat in volumes, so I was at the store after he returned to college to restock. Everything there reminded me of my son! I was so weepy aisle after aisle! Tried to hurry through it and get home to have a full out sad party. As I got to my car, I realized I only had one glove. They were a Christmas present and my favorite pair! I rushed back into the store and started asking around. One of the cashiers came up to me with the glove, asking if it was mine. I thanked her and as soon as my feet were on the asphalt, I was full out bawling.
Oh Heavenly Father, if you can keep track of my glove in that busy super market because you know they are my favorite pair, You can surely keep track of my son, whom I love so much more than a pair of gloves.
aw this totally resonated with me! i’m not a mom, but am really involved as a youth leader at my church. i guess you can say i’m getting a taste (i realize it’s only a taste) of what it must be like to be a parent watching your grown children make poor choices. I pray God gives you the strength to keep entrusting your son to God’s more than capable hands (:
I know God’s got my back, because time after time when He shows me something new in His Word, I get excited about it and start thinking on it, and then I hear those same words come out of Beth Moore’s mouth in a Bible study. He shows me He’s there with teaching me, because Beth did her Bible study (usually) long before I’ve discovered a particular truth. It thrills me when I’m on the same page as Beth, because then I’m certain I’m on the same page as God. He is so precious to me.
Our family has been struggling with a difficult family situation in which I was confronted in my home by a family member. I remember thinking to myself, Lord I know that it’s not this person, this is all Satan and I will not respond and I will hold my tongue and keep my witness, even with the profanity and screaming that was taking place. As soon as I was alone again, I fell to floor in tears from hurt and cried out to God. I spent the rest of the afternoon with an older Christian mentor in prayer. That night, I was not able to sleep, tossing and turning and calling out to God and I remember looking at the clock and it was 2:10 AM…that was the last time I noted the clock before I fell asleep. The next morning was Sunday PTL! We’re in our small congregation of about 60 people and our pastor starts his sermon by saying this….”I have been working on a sermon for the past three weeks to give to you today, however, I woke from my sleep at 2:15 this morning and felt the Lord directing to prepare a brand new sermon for someone here today that needs to here from the Lord”. I lost it…thank you Lord for listening to me, for comforting me, for loving me. My pastor, not knowing any of this sitation that took place the day before provides us with a sermon about standing our faith, being a witness even in times of distress and to know that the Lord knows our pain and he feels our pain and will deal with it, we don’t need to do anything else and ended the sermon with Philipians 4:6, which of course pastor didn’t know was my favorite and posted all over my house. Long story short on that day, I physically felt the arms of God around me and it was the most beautiful and amazing touch I have ever felt, nor will forget. When I think of this instance, I think to myself I can not wait until we’re face to face so I can hug him back!
I was in a season of panic attacks that were keeping me up pacing the floors at night. One night I finally fell asleep about 3am. The next morning I saw my sister, who is a prayer warrior, at the gym. She asked how I was because the Lord had woke her up at 3am to pray for me. I was shocked, that was when I had finally slept for the first time is many nights. I will always remember how I felt truly watched over that night.
I love this. God surely has our backs!!! I won’t get overly wordy either (or at least try not to), but I have since I was about 13, had this strange relationship with the #3. It’s not my “lucky” number…it’s my “I know God is there and reminding me He is here” number. Any time I am having a rough time, hard circumstance, feel like life just can’t get any worse and feel like I’m going to lose my mind—there’s a 3. Often, there are THREE 3s. …. Numbers are numbers and people have tried to explain probability to me, but, my response is “well, that may be true, but that person’s license plate in front of me happened to have three 3s in it, or gas jumped or went down to $3.33 at JUST the right moment when I needed to see that simple–maybe even silly–but certainly from Lord Himself reminder!” God has our backs. And if we’re willing to see it, He reminds us of His steadfast love and faithfulness! And isn’t it wonderful to know He reminds us all in our own little ways? Happy Thursday and blessings to all!!!
(One concrete and very cool example: While out of town, my mom and I were in a minor but scary enough car accident and when we pulled back into the driveway at our rental in our rental car—the rental car was at 32,033 miles (THREE 3s…it was just what I needed to know that God had our backs, He had protected us and was there with us, the whole time and wasn’t leaving us!)
Serving 9000 miles away from my family is not always easy. Especially when 3rd world health issues take you down. Yet, in the past 3 weeks as I’ve recovered from parasites both in my foot and stomach, I have been lovingly cared for and tenderly embraced by my Heavenly Father, daily, hourly and often minute by minute. Whats so amazing about our Heavenly Father is just how much He cares for us. Often I find myself with a smile coming to my face and a tenderness coming to my heart and with all my understanding, which I know is limited in knowing ALL of this Father we all share, I know I am His. I know that He not only has my back, He knows the intricate details of every second of my life, going ahead of me before I know my own needs. What a joy to receive a message from someone who has no idea of the details in my life, and the message will be….the Lord brought you strongly to my mind and all I knew to do was pray. Then sometimes its the other way around. He will wake me in the middle of the night and burden my heart for someone, although I have no idea whats happening in their lives. This love relationship we are blessed to have is truly the greatest love ever. He has and always will have my back…I am His and He is mine
I love that The Lord speaks to me through the different devotionals I read thoughout my day. That He would care enough to surround me with other sisters going down the path or those already through. And that he gives me opportunity alone with Him just when I need it. Renewing and refreshing.
Mama Beth, First, I wanted to thank you for the livestream, a few days ago. It reaffirmed something which I think, God was already speaking.
And we are praying.
Right now, we are in a season, a hard, stormy season in which it seems, everywhere we turn and every aspect of our lives is in scary upheavel. Almost a tiny “Job”-like, season.
God has been using SUPER physical reminders of who He is and what He can do. I am soooo thankful that He is letting me know HE’S GOT MY BACK! Even though, I think sometimes, it is a daily struggle, right now, for me to remember that ~ He is definitely reminding me!!!
I guess one of the first things He did was use our “baby girl” (our short-haired border collie/pound puppy). Through really crazy circumstances, we still have our Christmas tree up. AND, our “baby girl” has taken to laying up underneath it, on top of the Nativity. LITERALLY, on top of just the baby Jesus. And God spoke to me instantly, the first day I saw her do it. I don’t know if I can articulate it, but while we are going through this stormy season, I felt like He said directly to me to just lay on Jesus. Lay it ALL on Jesus. If we could just crawl up, lay in Our Heavenly Father’s lap, resting, while trusting Him to take care of it all.
(there’s quite more to this story, if you all would like to know, if it would encourage…let me know, I would be glad to share more with you! :0)
OK…I can’t pass up this opportunity!!! 🙂 Going to try and make this as short as possible, but it’s not my fault God does so much and I want to share it.
I’m a white-knuckle airplane traveller. TERRIFIED! I felt God calling me to travel to a conference for some writing/speaking training, but it was in the States and I’m in Canada. Yes, I could drive, but it was a long way, and I strongly believed God was telling me to face my fear of flying and book a flight. I stepped out in faith and God gave me this promise: “I will watch over your coming and going both now and forever more.” (Psalm 121:8)
Armed with 31 pages of typed out Scripture promises I sat at the airport waiting to board the plane. Moments before the boarding call was given I saw a girl walk by who looked familiar. Yes, I had gone to school with her back in Grades 7 & 8. She was a beautiful Christian gal who I hadn’t seen in over 30 years. It turned out she was heading down to the same conference and would be traveling on the same flight. But wait…that’s not it.
As we stood to board the plane I asked her where she was sitting for the flight. She said that was the strangest thing. She had booked her seat on-line before leaving home, but when she arrived at the airport they had changed her seat. She had no idea why as our small plane, of only 100 seats, was only about half filled. She pulled out her boarding pass and guess where her seat had been moved, just minutes prior to our boarding? You guessed it….right next to me!!!!
Could God have asked me to travel alone? He most certainly could have. But He saw my fear. He saw my steps of faith. He saw my obedience in my fear, and out of His great compassion He surprised me with the physical presence of a friend for my flight. (And she was a seasoned traveller.)
Does God have my back? No question. I could share story after story like this. Praising the Lord for His constant care and love for me.
Thanks for giving us opportunity to share His greatness!
Blessings,
Joy
I had been going through a really rough time, my marriage was ending, a child in terrible trouble and addicted to drugs, my heart was aching. I was very attached to a song by Jake Hamilton at the time (still am) called Embrace, in the lyrics he sings “It’s all gonna be OK, It’s all gonna be OK…” It’s an amazing song! Anyway one day I had a co-worker come up to me and he seemed a little reluctant to say what was on his mind but finally he spit it out, he said “Judy, last night while I was praying I feel like I heard God tell me to tell you that everything was going to be OK”, I smiled really big and told him thank you so much, that those were lyrics to my favorite song and it made me know that God was listening to me and was reassuring me. I really thought that’s what it was until about an hour later when I got a phone call from my Dad who told me my mom had just been diagnosed with Lung Cancer… my brain spun out of control and I all but broke down – and then I cried out to the only One that could help, and He did, He wrapped my heart in His hands and whispered the words into my soul – “Remember, I told you, It’s all gonna be OK”…
How I love Him…