Our Season of Joy

Over the past few months, Mike and I have been praying for God to be in direct control of our lives for His purpose and our greatest blessing, enabling us to praise Him in our lives and bless others. We have been praying for God to be overtly direct with His path for our family. Almost immediately, God began revealing His Word in new ways. God began surrounding us in Truth from Godly counsel. God began working out hardships and strengthening relationships. God began a new season for us. In response, we put aside our "Mike and Jackie's Blueprint" and handed God a blank piece of paper. God is so awesome! The more we gave to Him in complete trust, the more we experienced the overwhelming joy of watching God take complete control of our lives and mold our hearts to sincerely be more like Him. Changes we experience are now adventures ending in peace. Disappointments are now scavenger hunts for the blessings awaiting us...and others.

We were given a book last year by a sweet friend, Lorraine, in our family Bible Study that Mike and I started reading together recently. It beautifully parallels our desire for God to direct our path for His purpose. The book discusses in depth the Prayer of Jabez. This prayer, found in I Chronicles 4:10 of the Bible, is eloquently described by a recent author, who shares that the prayer focuses on "God’s miraculous power and the blessings God longs to give each of us. The life of Jabez, one of the Bible’s most overlooked heroes of the faith, bursts from unbroken pages of genealogies in an audacious, fourpart prayer that brings him an extraordinary measure of divine favor, anointing, and protection." This is the prayer we are committed to praying everyday as a family from I Chronicles 4:10,"..."Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain..."

Along the way of God revealing His will for our family, God has been also working in exciting ways in my life individually. Since January, I have been deeply blessed to be a part of our church's women's Bible Study. On Wednesday mornings, over 150 women studied the Book of Romans in small groups and worshiped Jesus Christ with great joy! It has been incredible to see God reveal Himself in my life and other women's lives! On our first morning with our groups, we were asked to share a little bit about ourselves as well as identify a street sign that best represented where we were in our walk with God. I chose the yield street sign, sharing that I really felt it was time to step back and stop trying to direct my own steps. While I had believed yielding to God's will was evident in my life, I would not say with confidence that I had demonstrated such a belief in my life as whole-heartedly until recently. As I studied Romans in my small group at church and studied God's Word with Mike at home, I began to finally yield to God for what He wants for my life! There have been tremendous areas of my life I no longer hold on to in fear. I am at a place in my life that I cannot wait to see how God is going to use me to love and encourage others for His glory.

There have been powerful Bible verses that God has brought to our attention over these past few months, which we have clung to and must share. They perfectly sum up what we have been learning and now want to proclaim -

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6