Once again.. “God Showed Up……”

  “I’ve got a story…”.  Anyone who has ever attending a Bible Study that I have led, knows I say this periodically.  I just want my sweet ladies there to know, our God is real and if I can tell them how real the Lord can be to them, I will.

We have been studying the book of Exodus  this year.  I have learned just how wonderful the Old Testament  gives us glimpses into what the Lord has in store for us.  It can speak right to our hearts and we can see the New Testament jump out from the pages.

Exodus 17:9, begins with Moses telling Joshua to choose men to go out and fight against the Amalekites.  

(Wait, let me say right here, this is my own interpretation, my own thoughts and of course, “just my opinion”). 

Ok, continuing, Moses then would station himself on top of a hill.  Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill and as long as Moses held up his hands, Israel would prevail, but when Moses let his hands down,  the Amalekites would previal.

In continuing in verse 12, Moses hands were heavy, so they took a stone and put it under him.  This struck me as the first symbol, not of the New Testament, but a symbol, nonetheless.  II Samuel 22:2 says, “The Lord is my Rock, and Fortress,”  That “rock” supported Moses.  Psalm 19:14, “my Rock and my Redeemer.”  Verse 12 continues, “Aaron and Hur supported his hands one on one side and one on the other.  ”His hands were steady until the sun set”.  Ok, this really hit me…Galatians 6:2, the Lord tells us to “bear one another’s burdens and thereby fulfill the Law of Christ.  My mind went immediately to our own Pastor Phil.  He not only is a great guy that we have known for over 25 years, but an excellent preacher and teacher.  Since our very own, “Generous Mr. Lovewell”, Pastor Jim went home to be with the Lord this summer, Phil has been missing that  “burden bearer”.  He was Phil’s “iron sharpens iron” .  Pastor Jim was the hospital going, marriage councelor, dispute negogiator kinda guy.  Our congregation has grown rapidly from approximately 200 to approximately 550.  Phil needs an Aaron and a Hur.  This started my little group of ladies to decide to pray for this help; a man of God’s choosing for Phil.  I am comforted that God will provide this for him.

Then I thought about myself.  How can I help? What can I do to “bear one another’s burdens’?  That very morning I was browsing my Facebook News.  There was that familiar “Generous Mr.Lovewell”  post reminding me to do something and “lovewell”.  So, once again, I mentioned that to my ladies and challenged them to “love someone well”  this week before Thanksgiving.

After Bible Study, Mike and I went to WalMart to shop for Thanksgiving.  There in front of us at the check-out, was a cute couple, a little older than Mike and I.  In their cart, I saw (okay, I am always curious when some people buy the things they do, nosey, I know).  In their cart, were “Apple Jacks”, Cocoa Krispies, popcorn, Junior Mint’s, and I thought, “that has to be for their grandkids”.  I wanted to ask, but I found a better way, (just incase they really did eat all those things).  As it were, they were expecting their grands from out of town– Idaho and Modesto.  For a minute,  I felt sorry for myself, since I will not be able to see my TN kids or grands for the holidays.  Then….God showed up !  As I spoke with them, I became really happy for them.  I could feel it, I knew it was the Lord, because I am way too selfish.  They went on their way.  The cashier asked, “Wow, how many people are you cooking for?”  We had 2 carts, (I know ridiculous).  I asked her if she was cooking and she told me she had never cooked a turkey before, her exhusband had always cooked it and he was gone now.  She told me her son was going to his girlfriends and she had to work until 12:30 p.m.  Well, guess where God showed up now….yep, my mouth.  Out He came.  “Come to our house” and I started writing my address and phone number down for her.   She looked so surprised, but happy and said, “really?”    “Yep”, and I hugged her and we left.  Now I had had no time to think about it, or ask Mike about it.  He asked me on the way out what all that was about.  I told him my story of that morning.  He agreed, he usually does.  I realized whether my new friend, “Donna” shows up or not, that God used me to “lovewell” and we are grateful.  We are privileged to be used by an Almighty Good, who “shows up” to do His work anytime, anywhere He chooses.

We are grateful.  Thank you, Lord.

Advertisement