Are you excited about the coming year? Or are you like me and wondering how in the world did we ever make it to 2024?
When I was thinking about this coming year, I started wondering how much longer the Lord is really going to tarry with the shape our world is in. Maybe that thought process is just part of growing older. I’m not sure. However, the more each day passes, the more I think about our future.
I’m sure each of you has hopes and dreams. I do! I have things that I would like to achieve before the Lord decides to take me home. Yet, I know that at any given moment, my time could come. That’s why, no matter what, I want to make sure I am ready. Ready to leave this world and make Heaven my home.
This past year started off with the Lord speaking into my spirit that this year would be hard for me physically. Now, IF I believed in the Magic 8-ball we played with as kids, I would have loved to have had one in that moment so that I could shake it and verify what I was hearing.
First shake: “Okay, God. Did You really say what I just heard?”
8-Ball response: “Without a doubt.”
Second shake: “Let’s try this again. Maybe this thing isn’t working. Are You certain that I heard You correctly?”
8-Ball response: “You may rely on it.”
Third and final shake: “Surely You mean this will be a year of prosperity.”
8-Ball response: “Outlook not so good.”
Now don’t go crucifying me. I don’t play with a Magic 8-Ball. This was just in fun. However, sometimes, when I hear something negative from the Lord, I tend to ask a whole lot of questions. I mean, who wants to hear that you’re going to have a rough year? I would prefer to hear the words, “I am going to bless you financially this year.” OR “You’re going to see the church and My people prosper this year.”
I don’t think any of us want to hear God tell us something negative.
I will say that after I heard God say what He did, I was in prayer quite frequently, asking God for clarification. I wanted to know exactly what to expect. I wanted to prepare myself for the upcoming battle. Yet, not once did God specifically tell me what He meant. I felt like He just went silent. It was almost like I needed to just trust the process.
Oh, I had so many things running through my mind about what I could possibly expect. I know things that I physically deal with. I knew that I had been making changes in my lifestyle and diet so that I could be healthier. So to hear this, I was very confused. Our church had been battling spiritually for quite some time, and I was really believing in God to answer some prayers we had been praying. As a pastor’s wife, it breaks your heart to see others suffering within your church. You wish you could go and touch each and every person and solve all of their problems. However, God’s intention this time was to do something unexpected.
You may be thinking the worst right about now. Such as cancer or some type of disease. It was neither of those things. What I ended up dealing with was mental, physical, and spiritual. I won’t go into depth about all that occurred, but I will say God was with me every step of the way, even if I never heard His voice. There were moments when I felt I would lose my mind (I still have those moments), but God would always show up right in the very moment I needed Him.
In the silence, God is still there.
My mind goes to Psalm 23:4,
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” King James Version.
See that! FOR THOU ART WITH ME…
Not another word is needed from the Lord. David knew when he wrote this that no matter what he would go through or what he was currently going through, God was with him. Oh, I know what it feels like to wonder if God is even hearing me when I pray. I know the feelings of isolation, desperation, depression, anxiety, and fear. This past year proved to me that even when I get to my lowest point, God will show up in a way I never expected.
Sometimes the way He shows up is through His silence.
Stick with me. I’m not crazy. Have you ever heard the term “silence is golden”? I’ve always used it to know that keeping my mouth shut is better than saying what is really on my mind. Yet, look at it this way: during the silent times, God is more present than ever before. He is giving you a moment to learn some very valuable lessons. Lessons that you might not learn because of all of the noise surrounding you. The silence causes us to lean in more towards God so that we can hear His still small voice.
Many times, we expect God to be some type of force in our lives. We want to see the evidence. We want it to be obvious. We basically want it given to us on a silver platter. We want clear and precise direction. Wouldn’t life be so much easier that way??? Yet, in the silence, God is so much more evident.
In the silence, there is strength.
Check out Elijah. He had to learn that the best answers come in the silence. Elijah decided to run away from his problems. Jezebel had threatened to kill him if she got her hands on him (I’m paraphrasing, people). Elijah ran and hid, leaving his servant behind! Then, while in hiding, he pouted. “Just go ahead and kill me, God!” He was desperate, alone, and exhausted from the fight.
Now I’m not trying to paint a bad picture of Elijah here. I truly feel for him. After a while of fighting spiritual battles, you get exhausted. There comes a time when you need to rest. But the “Woe is me” mentality will not get you anywhere. The Lord knew this. That is why He sent an angel down to address the real problem with Elijah. The instruction was, even though Elijah was wallowing in self-pity, to rest and eat.
Rest and eat? While I’m in the middle of fighting for my life???
Rest and eat to strengthen the body and mind. You have to stop sometimes and just rest and eat. Now, I don’t think this gives us approval to run out and grab a McDonald’s cheeseburger, fries, and a McFlurry. I think we should feed our bodies things that are healthy. This includes spiritual food.
I could go on and on about the importance of proper rest and diet. The main point I want to make right now, though, is that you cannot fight spiritually if you are not spiritually prepared. An unhealthy spirit will shrivel up into nothing and be of no use if you do not take care of it. That’s why you should have private daily devotions. Quiet time in the Lord by yourself. Time to rest and refresh. We may disagree on this one, but I believe taking care of our spiritual selves is part of taking care of our physical selves. I’m no scientist, but I personally know that it improves your mental, emotional, and physical selves.
Let’s get back to the silence before I get completely sidetracked.
I think Elijah expected God to come to him, just as we do sometimes. Through the obvious. Yet, as I pointed out above, God wanted him to rest and eat. Afterwards, God proved that His voice wasn’t in the noise but in the peace and quiet.
“And he said (the angel of the Lord), Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passes by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; butthe LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice." I Kings 19:11–12, King James Version.
I can’t hear His voice if my mind is running in a hundred different directions. I can’t hear His voice if I’m sitting on the sidelines, pouting about all the things I am going through. I can’t hear His voice if I am distracted by the cares of this world.
I have to stop, rest, and eat!
I will tell you that just when I got to the point of sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what was coming my way next this past year, God sent a minister to tell me, “Sister, there is another side to this.” Strength was given to me by the Lord that day. God had heard every prayer I had been praying this past year. It didn’t mean that things were coming to an end, but at least it gave me hope to know that there is always another side.
If this past year has taught me anything, it has been to stop, rest, and eat. Stop worrying about what the future holds. Rest my heart and mind by taking care of myself spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. And to eat from the table of the King by delving into His Word on a continual basis, filling my cup up to the brim. In doing this, I will be able to move ahead in strength and fight the battles that are in front of me. This means I will still keep moving forward and fighting, even if God decides to remain silent for another year.
With all of that being said, I want to share a goal of Makin’ Macon for this coming year. Over the next year, I plan to share more about self-care, especially within the ministry. The heart of Makin’ Macon is to provide a place for encouragement. The sole purpose of starting this blog began with a burden for other pastor’s wives. However, it has developed into so much more. It has been a way to share encouragement with everyone, recipes to inspire you to feed your family with healthy ingredients, and motivation to know that even though it seems impossible with a life as hectic as it is, you can do it.
I want God to use me to be a voice of encouragement in your life. I’m just like you. I go through trials and tests. I’m not exempt. Just because I am a pastor’s wife does not mean I have any special superpowers. I wish it worked that way, but it doesn’t. I’m human. That means, as a human, I have to set healthy boundaries in my life and ministry. I pray that each post I make inspires you in some way that will benefit you spiritually, mentally, and physically.
I am praying for you! Even if I don’t know you personally, know that I am praying for you.
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