Planning Ahead

Something that continues to amaze me ~ and fills my heart with thanksgiving ~ is that God not only knows the future, but works to prepare the way for us. I was forcibly reminded of this just recently.

In December 2010, after a very long and tiring 6 years, I graduated with my Bachelors in Computer Science. Then there were 5 weeks of bliss in which I lived a close to normal life and tried to catch up a little on the many hours of sleep I had lost, especially over the last year. In late January, I jumped on a plane and took the first of three trips to Kuwait. Three weeks into the second trip I crashed emotionally.

The demands of the job had me going 12-14 hours a day. The team I worked with had all returned home while I stayed in country. Thousands of miles away from home, I was really feeling the separations from my friends, family, and church. The people I normally depended on were all unavailable.

One evening, after a particularly difficult phone call, I wept as I walked back to my room. I had reached the end of my strength and despair was knocking on my door. The next morning I felt like I couldn't face the day. I don't remember when I have felt so alone.

But God!

That afternoon, during the Sunday service, God began to shine a light through my darkness as He wrapped His arms around me. A few days later, I was talking to one of the soldiers I had met through work and discovered he knew Jesus Christ. He had walked this road before, so understood what I was facing. Over the next few weeks, that soldier became such a source of encouragement to me! He prayed for me, gave me pointers, and put a smile back on my face. And then I learned he wasn't even supposed to be there.

His deployment had been schedule to end about the time I crashed, but for some "unknown" reason, he was extended for 3 additional months.

"I really wanted to go home", he said, "but I know God has a reason for me to stay. I don't know what it is, but I'm good with it. "

With my heart overflowing, I looked at him and said, "It was me. God had you stay for me. I'm so sorry you had to extend! But God knew that I needed you here."

"Then I'm good", he replied with a smile that lit up his face.

As I share this story, tears come to my eyes and my heart is overwhelmed once again at the amazing love of God! He knew I had pushed my body as far as it would go. He knew how dark it would become. And He knew I would need somebody there to touch my life. So God found a willing heart, rearranged deployment schedules, and orchestrated workflows so that someone would be in place to lift up my weary hands.

I serve an amazing God! How thankful I am that "He see the way that I take" and plans ahead for my arrival. His love for us is so great ~ vast beyond all measure!!

Illustrate God's Love

Over the years, I have found Jesus Christ to be a very close and personal Friend ~ and never more so than when I set out to travel to various places around the world. He is not a god that stands afar off, but is a faithful Companion who gets involved in my everyday life.

He guides, protects, and loves me as I walk – and sometimes blunder – through life. He laughs with me over the crazy things that happen and rejoices when my heart overflows with joy. He carries me when I feel overwhelmed and weeps when my heart is broken.

I have found there to be no greater adventure than to walk the path that He has laid out before me and to do so with all my heart. His plans for me truly are good! I don’t always understand them, for His ways are far above my own. But I know with absolute certainty that I can trust them because I know the Planner. He never makes a mistake and, best of all, there is no one who will ever love me more completely!

My prayer as I start this blog is that Jesus Christ will use the God-moments in my life to illustrate His great love for you. May you experientially know His abundant love for you as I have in my own life.