WRITTEN BY GINA LAWSON
There are times in my life that God allows me the privilege of doing something different and new to teach me more about who He is and it usually requires me to trust Him to do what only He can do in and through me. Writing is something I love to do, I have dreamed of being a writer since I was a little girl. Until now most of my writing is buried in my prayer journals that have been for an audience of one, my words have been poured out as an offering to my King. This time He wants me to share my heart with you.
A few weeks ago the Lord began to speak to my heart and used Psalm 23 to open my eyes about a tough situation that a friend of mine was going through.
Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
This is such a rich piece of scripture with so much hope but what God revealed to me was that life can get messy and difficult but the overflow does come. So does His favor, His anointing, His goodness and His mercy for all eternity! His promises are true and they never change but they do require trusting God for them when you feel the pain and brokenness that we experience in this world. We all have times when our feelings can get in the way of the abundant life that God has for us if we let them overwhelm us. But God doesn’t want that for us. He has given us special instructions to prevent this from happening. In Matthew 6:33 it says “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Let that truth sink in for a bit. Now I know there are times in my life all too often that I wait until I have reached the end of what I could do and then cried out to Him in desperation. I have to remember that I need to seek him first, if I don’t there will be a delay in what He has planned for me. The delay is caused by my choices, but it was never His plan.
So will you join me in a little exercise to seek Him first:
• Seek Him first in prayer.
• Listen and be kingdom minded.
• Trust His promises! They are always a Yes and AMEN!
• Be obedient even when it doesn’t make sense to you.
• Write it down. Journaling helps us recount the beautiful things
has done in our lives.
