Answers Named Dewey

Do you ever feel like your head is literally spinning? Like life keeps going by and you can’t figure out wether you’re coming or going? These past few months I feel disoriented. In waiting for a response about my husbands job applications, I find myself to be torn between the present and the ongoing stress that hangs over my husband and I as we continue to wait. Waiting is by far one of the most challenging things that we as humans have to do. Wether you’re waiting for a test result, career news, or food at a restaurant it can feel incredibly difficult. The Bible calls us to be patient in all things, look here in Romans chapter 12

“Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times.
(Romans 12:12)

God doesn’t only call us to be patient, He calls us to remain hopeful and joyful! This goes back to the ideal that we are to thank God before the answer comes, anticipating His goodness. Yet it’s easy to flow in and out of hopefulness. To feel that depletion of joy when your bank accounts are lacking and that test result just wasn’t what you where anticipating. So how do we remain joyful and encouraged when our life seemingly takes a turn we didn’t anticipate? I find the answer in Jeremiah 3

“Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the LORD, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the LORD.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. 3:15-16”

I recommend you read Jeremiah 3 in its full context, but in reference to this passage we can see God’s faithfulness to His people. How a generation so lost, so torn, so broken is still capable of rising above the ashes and falling into God’s grace. God doesn’t just forgive, He covenants His people promising to “Shepard” them in knowledge and understanding. Now we know God doesn’t change and He communicates to us today the same way He did back than. In life’s circumstances it can feel like God is silent and there is no “sheparding,” so to speak to be found. That’s usually when God really shows up! We all have specific needs that we desire God to meet. We have promises that we want to be fulfilled and we have brokenness we want God to heal and transform into something great! To seek God we must remain in prayer.

This past week I had a situation occur,  I’ve been ebbing and flowing trying to remain hopeful. Yet with every day that passed without answers by doubt started to grow.

Every night in our family after the boys have finished getting ready for bed and brushed their teeth we read bedtime stories. Judah has become obsessed with this book we rented from our local library, “Dewey There’s a Cat in the Library” and every night for the past month he has been wishing for his own Dewey. So I started thinking that maybe this kitten idea was a good one. So I started praying about it (now God speaks to each of us individually, for me animals are my therapy. I love having new fur babies in the house, but this time I needed God to use this as a sign that He is hearing our family’s needs and that I wasn’t just going to make it happen)And in my prayer I gave a detailed list of the things I needed in order for me to know this was a sign from God, so I included: orange male kitten, looks like Dewey, from a lady’s house, preferably a rescue, shots/neutered, and free.

Now kitten season is ending and finding a male orange kitten was very difficult. Nobody had one anywhere I called a few rescues, looked online, and posted on Facebook that we where looking for an orange male kitten. Nothing. Seven days after my initial prayer and quest began I received a reply on Facebook with information of a gal that was fostering a orange male kitten. After we made contact she informed me that if we claimed him within the next three days she would not be entering him into animal outreach. She said that if we wanted him we could meet him tonight (Monday) and pick him up Wednesday after his neuter procedure. So our family went to this lady’s house to meet the kitty. He looked just like Dewey, was small and orange with white paws and he was free! God has answered my prayer over something I truly wasn’t anticipating He was going to answer. He had given me a sign when I needed one the most.

It was in this prayer request God showed me a few things. 1) I’m needy – I need God to show me signs otherwise I allow doubt to enter my heart and mind. When I feel like God is silent my trust in Him begins to waver.

2) God is faithful- even in the little things He shows up! I really got to see that play out recently with the kitten situation. I prayed for very specific things and I was able to see the blessing was from God because of my specific requests. In prayer be specific for than you shall see what is of God.

3) Everything is in His timing. We must remember that our time constraints do not matter to God! We are His and when He desires for our prayers to be met they will be. We can not rush it, force our agenda, or do anything to speed up God’s timeline.

I serve a faithful God one who is abounding in love and fulfills on His promises. This season has brought me to my knees on more than one occasion but through His goodness I am able to remain in joy and hope knowing He will never leave nor forsake me. That as I choose to remain in Him, I can bare much fruit! For He will shepard me in the ways of His own heart guiding me in knowledge and understanding!

Hugs,

Julie Black