Grateful

Two days ago it still seemed so distant. On the one hand there was my faith, shaping every part of my life, leading me to go or not to go there. On the other hand, there was no concrete manifestation, just God working behind the scenes. Any Christian will know that when it is time to surrender, the act will most likely align with the finitude of our wisdom, of our being in control having its limits, safe in the knowledge that His word always stands.

We are called to get wisdom, though it costs all we have. To love He who created us, for it is the first commandment, the greatest of deeds. To pray without ceasing. To submit ourselves to His authority. Walking in the Spirit, indeed, beats trying to work things out on our own. It is now impossible to imagine a life where He is not at the centre. Protector. Redeemer. Saviour. Provider. Everlasting God. The Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end.

It is a daily pilgrimage, from the person who is looking at you in the mirror, to the One who is looking through your soul, as the mirror itself. Morning, day and night, day after day. It is the sacrifices made to keep the peace. It is the thank yous said even when we feel lost. Yesterday I tripped. But today, Lord, will be different. Yesterday I fell short. But today, Lord, I will be lifted in Your glory.

It is a tale of new pursuits, higher goals, fresh wins. Victory upon victory quietly sounding its horn, as we are led to see the glass as being half full, when we could so easily be tempted to see no glass at all. It is the forgiveness shown for others, especially when it hurt more than words can express. It is the boasting in our sufferings, for we know this too shall pass. It is the angels, the cymbals, the breakthroughs and open doors. It is being at the right place at the right time, for only then are we in sync, with His plans and purpose for our lives.

Last week I stumbled, but Lord I did not fall. Last week was tough, but was made all the more beautiful for it.

It is the not so random encounters, in a faraway location, where an oracle, with good news, awaits. It is the you who always knew that He is the best source of energy. Two years ago I could have lost the faith, but Lord I kept on trusting. It is the you who looks ahead and can say and really mean that everything works for the good of those who love Him. It is a tale of more ups than downs. A you refined for each task, so that no lessons learned may be forgotten. Refined through a unique process, where the best of you is always inside of you, to be pulled out and drawn upon for any situation in life, where there seems to be no way out.

It is the prophecies that speak to your mind, body and soul all at once. The connections where, the only possible response as a result of these being secured, would be marvelling at the mighty Hand of God. It is the 2020 which needs not leave one speechless, if only to reflect on what it means to be alive and still have hope. It is the people that we lost, and having lost them, the life teachings we gained and will forever treasure. It is the holy days commemorated since times immemorial, the birth pains carrying promises upon promises of revival. It is your inner strength, readily activated in harmony with His word, to overcome trials, tribulations, adversity. It is the you that might have been, and risked taking you on a whole different path, where the only constant would have been lack of peace, had you not been still.

My sheep hear my voice and they follow me. Worry not, for I am watching over you. My thoughts are not your thoughts. I am the God of more than enough.

It is the mysteries solved in a blink of an eye.

The measure of the challenge will always be less than the overflow subsequently pouring in. You will be glad, my son, my daughter, to have been predestined, for Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. Let these words stick with you. Peace. Grace. Worship. In everything, let your gratitude be that which best defines you.

I wanted you to close your eyes and take a leap of faith. To worry not, for with me all things are possible. To imagine having reached the top of the mountain, the end of the tunnel, the core of the blessing. To come as you were and keep trusting in me. To not turn left or right and lean not on your own understanding.

Your training is complete. The struggle is over. It is time to reap. Now, open your eyes, and taste and see that the Lord is good.

There is just one thing I ask.

That you continue to pray as if your life depends on it. Because it does. In the last ten seconds you have given me your full attention, there have been no distractions. I dare you to find in every space, and every circumstance, your quiet place...where what matters most, is that you are speaking with me and I with you. I want you to focus on me, only then will all these things be added to you.

There are no short cuts, no quick fixes.

I want you to turn these ten seconds into a lifetime. I want prayer to be your first port of call, when the mountain seems too tall and you can just about hear Jesus’s voice. I want more of you. I want all of you. Your praises and amens, echoing in equal measure. I want your every breath, move, decision, to have purpose.

I want you filled and refilled with the Holy Spirit. I want you knowing this truth and be set free by it: There is so much room in the you that He knows, to continually be a living testimony, of my power coming through, awesomely, in the Miracle Prayer.