Timely Intrusions

Melissa and I were having a decent morning. All week long we had many conversations regarding our future: where to live, where to work, and what to do with ourselves. These conversations have some moments of fun and excitement (and silliness), but they were also stressful and left us seeking the Lord, hoping that He would just spell it out so clearly for us. That particular morning, we decided to leave a few minutes early to drop her off at Virginia Tech and stop at Starbucks to take advantage of her wonderful discount as an employee. When we walked in to Starbucks, the pastor from the church we are attending was sitting there with another pastor. His name is not important to the story, but for the record, he is a leader in our denomination and one of the leaders that I have always respected and appreciated. Melissa and I said hello and went outside to read our devotional. (Now remember that we have been praying for the Lord to speak to us. We are asking Him to make it so clear that we can’t possibly mess it up.)

We begin reading our devotion and the message is talking about walking through the fire and how the Lord is there with us through the flames.

Isaiah 48:10

See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

The writings also spoke about the flames changing and reshaping us into looking more like our Lord. As Melissa and I talked and tried to apply this wonderful and yet painful truth, the visiting pastor came out and asked if he could share something with us. Of course we said, “NO!” Ok, not really. We invited in the intrusion and allowed him to speak into our lives. The words of wisdom, the vision, and encouragement he shared with us were exactly what we had just read. After he left, we had to laugh (that is after we stopped crying) because the Lord’s message was as clear and concise as it possibly could be.

Do you need the Lord to speak into your situation? Or do you just want reaffirmation that He is still present and cares that you are alive?

Here are some of the many ways that the Lord has intruded into my life to speak His words of encouragement…

1. The Bible
2. My times of solitude
3. My wife
4. My children
5. Friends & Family
6. Strangers passing by
7. Movies
8. Books
9. Dreams
10. Music
11. Beauty of Nature
12. Preachers
13. Worship
14. Prayer Times
15. Breathing

I hope you are beginning to get the picture that is being painted! The Lord will use everyone and everything to remind you of His love. He will actually meet you and intersect your life just how you need. The stories going through your mind of solitude and abandonment are pure lies. It is too easy to allow the depravity of circumstances, the world and its broken advice, and the twisted lies of Satan to convince us that the Lord is not near and that He does not even care. The Lord has done all that He can do to get your attention, and now it is up to you and I to step beyond the story that is being told and look for God’s fingerprints.

What is it about life’s storms that cause us to want to stop, stare and begin to run from every truth and promise? One of the most amazing parts of the Lord is how He has a way of getting our attention even when we do not know how to stop staring at the storm.

In closing, prepare your heart, as the Lord loves you so much that He has already planned how to intrude into your well laid out life this week and make Himself known once more.

By the way, the message that the Lord gave that day was for us to be patient and wait for Him. He was not done melting us down. This message from the Lord is not what I wanted to hear. But it is funny that it doesn’t upset me to continue sitting in the fire when I know He is there with me. I guess that is what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo must have felt (Daniel 3)…  

Will you take a moment and tell me how the Lord has intruded into your life and made Himself known? I would love to hear a testimony out of your daily life.