Thanks to a steroid shot on Monday for relief from really bad seasonal allergies this spring, I have not been able to sleep more than 3-4 hours a night. Last night I slept about 3 hours; I was awake until midnight (trying to get to sleep for at least an hour) and woke up at 3:00 am. Wide awake. I still laid there though, trying to go back to sleep for 3 hours. I finally gave up at 6:00 and got up. I'm hoping I can return to normal (for me, anyway) sleep patterns soon, and also hoping when the newly prescribed Flonase kicks in it won't cause insomnia, too. I already struggle with that as it is.
So I took my meds, made coffee, grabbed my morning devotional supplies and headed out to the patio. Of course, God met me there. Why do I fight this? I should know by now that He works in the low moments, the ones that frustrate us. Those moments that we see as a terrible roadblock in our plan. He meets us right where we are, in our most annoyed and disappointing times if we sit still long enough.
I'm reading a Max Lucado book that I've owned for 19 years; it was first published in 2004. It's titled Come Thirsty. I am using it as a devotional book, reading one chapter a day. I can't quote it here because of copyright laws, but if you have access to that book, check out chapter 14. It's all about abiding, and God used it to speak into my heart about something I've been praying about.
So sometimes what we perceive as a bad thing, God uses to show us the answer we've been asking Him for. Would I have still received this written word in the same way if I had read it from inside the house in my chair by the window? Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows? I just felt drawn to the patio this morning at 6:20 am when it was a brisk 57 degrees.
I think we have to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in things like this.
Be blessed, my friends. God really, truly does love you. Always.
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." John 15:7 NASB
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| 6:24 am coffee with steam |
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| sun creeping to top of trees |
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| from porch-here comes the sun |
