Join Pamela for this Friday unplugged devotional on God’s grace.

Because of God’s grace, I am ridiculously blessed, I am highly favored, I am fully equipped, I am supernaturally strong, I am divinely guided, and I am radically different!

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Statistics show over 40 million adults in the US currently struggle with anxiety. Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread and uneasiness. It is a general worry over something, anything, and nothing, all at once. And did you know, the cure for this is literally in your Bible? For real, there’s a section in my Bible in Matthew chapter 6 titled “The Cure For Anxiety.” Even better, these words are direct quotes from Jesus! Wow … we should probably read that, shouldn’t we?

But not just read it … Receive it … Believe it. Jesus does not want you to go through your life worried! Matthew 6: 25, Jesus says, “Do not worry about your life.” The verses that follow are a shift in mindset from worry and anxiety to peace and confidence.

In a study called the Legacy Project, 1,200 senior citizens were interviewed and asked about the meaning of life. And get this, the overall theme from people who have lived longer than me are saying as they near the end of their lives they share the same regret. They wish they hadn’t spend much of their lifetime worrying. Wasted time on worry was their biggest regret.

Can’t you and I who have life and breath and purpose today learn from their regrets? Their advice was simple and direct: Worry is an enormous waste of your precious and limited lifetime.

That’s true for all of us, but especially for a girl who loves and trusts Jesus. For someone who is told time and time again in scripture of their value and worth. We look at the birds in the sky who aren’t freaking out because their heavenly father feeds them, and aren’t we much more valuable than the birds? Don’t you think God will take care of you too? Look at how God cares for the wildflowers in the fields dressing them in such beauty, don’t you know he will do the same and more for you?

Matthew 6: 34 MSG “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Could this be the cure for anxiety?

A person who went through much more in life than I have said, “Think of the beauty still left around you and be happy.” Who said that? That was Anne Frank. A young girl who’s family lived during the holocaust under the most extreme conditions. if Anne Frank could think of the beauty still left around her and be happy, don’t you believe you can take a look at your world today and see what you have left and choose to be happy too?

But instead, what we often do is we look at what we have left and we worry. We worry when that too will fall apart. We worry if it will come to an end. We worry if something will go wrong. And ultimately we miss the beauty still left all around us and instead of being happy, we are worried.

Are you spending the precious days of your beautiful life worried?

You have a God who loves you wildly. His care for you is unlimited and his power is unfathomable. He has the ability to take care of any situation you are worried about today and he has the care for you personally to actually show up and do it.

What are you worried about? Why are you wasting your precious lifetime worrying about these things? Are they guaranteed to happen anyway? Will it even matter in 5 years? Is your worrying making it any better at all?

Here’s what God is doing today. He’s showing up right in the middle of your mess, in the middle of your worry and he is saying, HEY GIVE YOUR ATTENTION TO ME TODAY. Look at me. Look at the beauty still left around you, I put it there. I’m doing something in the middle of this mess. I’m working. Won’t you watch me work instead of getting worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. I’ve already gone before you.

In Deuteronomy 31:8 we are given a promise, “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

You don’t know what may or may not happen tomorrow, but you don’t have to worry about it, God has already gone before you. And he will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. But today God says, look at me, I want your attention. Stop worrying, it’s a waste of the very breath he gave you. I will cure your anxiety.

Not everyone received this gift of Thursday, May 16th, but you did, now don’t waste it. Trust God. Trust what he is doing. Trust he sees it all and he cares about you.

The God who has numbered the hairs on your head because of his wild love for you is making a way for you now. He’s paving the way. Every detail is coming into alignment. Every thing that has happened to you and everything that has not happened for you is now being used for your good. And your worry only creates delay.

Yes, your worry creates delay. It’s a bad habit that isn’t adding a single day to your life and only sucking the joy out of the days you do have.

You are valuable to God, you are his masterpiece, his daughter, his treasure and he will provide for you. Hear Jesus right now as he speaks to you personally, “My girl, do not worry, I’ve got this.”

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God is referred to as the Great I Am. Meaning all things begin and end with him. All power is in him. Mountains crumble and demons run in fear at the name of the Great I Am. All of creation is the result of first the thought and then the word of him. Your entire world is in his mighty hand. And this Great I Am is relentlessly pursuing you, writing the story of your life, paving the way for you, and preparing all eternity for you.

He has created you.
He has chosen you.
His name is I Am.
Not I Was.
Not I Might Be.
Not I May.
Not I Will
No, I Am … the Great I Am.

In Exodus we read of God choosing Moses for a mission. Moses lacked confidence and had a stuttering problem, so when God told him to go speak to a powerful group of people, this was Moses’ worst fear. Surely God had gotten this wrong, there had to be somebody better than Moses to speak for God.

Isn’t that just the way our God works … he chooses to display his power in our weakness. Isn’t this what scripture means when it says “my power is made perfect in weakness.” We try to run away from our areas of struggle, hide our insecurities, and God says NO THIS IS WHERE I WORK BEST. This is exactly where he wants to show himself in your life. In your weakness is where his power is made perfect.

So God chose the man who stuttered, whose tongue got tied and words got tangled to deliver his message. Moses, filled with doubt in himself, argues with God saying “God, there’s got to be a better choice. Please choose someone else. I’m not your guy.”

And God doesn’t back down.

No Moses, it is you. I am certain of my choice, it is you. Your inability is not beyond my ability. Your struggle is not beyond my strength. I am not limited by your insecurity.

So Moses says, well when I get to where you want me to go, and I stand before the people you want me to talk to, what do you want me to say? Who should I say sent me?

And God says in Exodus 3:14 “I am who i am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”

I Am. This is how God names himself and describes himself. I Am. God is the beginning and the end. He is the all in all. How do you describe God? And so, in the greatest form of powerful simplicity, God simply says “I Am.”

The Great I Am went with Moses on his mission and empowered him to do mighty works. Impossible things were done in the name of the I Am.

And understand right here, right now, this same great power is working in you. This same great I Am has chosen you! He has called you out and given you a mission. A mission that likely stares down your struggle and your insecurity and says YOU CAN’T DO THIS, BUT I AM!

I am likely the least qualified girl to lead you in a devotional. Imposter Syndrome tells me if you really knew how ordinary and simple I am, you would never want to listen. But God tells me that exactly why he chose me. His power works perfectly through my ordinary simplicity. I’m just an empty vessel for his power, and crazy enough to believe if I will show up every morning, he will speak through me. And he does! I know he does! It’s not me, it’s the I AM!

Why would we ever believe the almighty powerful I Am would be limited in any way by our ability? It is not your ability that limits God, it is your willingness that limits his power you will see at work in you.

God gave us each free will. We get to choose how much of his power we see at work in our lives and through our lives, as a result of our willingness. Moses could have chosen not to go. He could have sat in his insecurities, rehearsing all the ways he would surely screw things up and be made fun of. And he would have missed out on the miracles God had planned for him. He would have missed out on his role in destiny.

I have to wonder where I have missed out on my role in destiny. Where have I sat it out with my lame excuses and list of insecurities, when God was calling me to more?

Where have you played little? Where have you stayed stuck in your head instead of moving forward in your life? Where have you dismissed yourself from being a vessel for the great I Am because you didn’t feel good enough?

God is speaking to me and to you today, and he’s saying I HAVEN’T GIVEN UP ON YOU. I am here again inviting you into the life I have planned for you. Won’t you trust that I AM working? I AM in control. I AM for you. I AM with you.

I AM. Not I once was. Not I might be. Not maybe when I get around to it. NO, I AM. I am working in you right now!!!! I am speaking to you right now. I am calling you right now. I am.

The Great I Am is here today reminding you, I AM OVER EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE. I AM aware of your struggles. I AM seeing this. I AM hearing you. And I AM moving. I AM in action for you.

And this is all I need. Just knowing the Great I Am, the one who always was and always will be, the one who’s power is unlimited, the one who sought me out like a lost sheep and brought me home, yes THE I AM is right here, right now with me, well that’s all I need.

And he is with you! He is strengthening you. He is guiding you. He is preparing you. He is working in you. He is clearing the way for you. He is unleashing his power in your weakness. AND IT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.

He is saying to you, Daughter, I AM.

What have you been praying over? What have you been seeking God for? What have you been searching scripture and crying out to God for? His answer to you today is “I AM”. I am in control. I am in the middle of this. I am working all these things together for good. I am moving. TRUST ME.

The I AM has chosen you. He is calling you. He is strengthening you. He is working through your disappointment to bring you to your destiny. Through your mess to give you his message. Through your problem to give you purpose.

When you ask God today, hear his answer: I AM!

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What if it’s not your circumstances that are defeating you, it’s what you tell yourself about your circumstances. What if the thing that harms you the most isn’t what anyone else does to you, but what you do to you. You defeat you. You harm you. You dismiss you. And you do it by disbelieving who you really are.

Listen to me, my sister, this isn’t about you showing up perfect and proving you can. This isn’t about you always getting it right. This isn’t about you knowing precisely what you’re doing and doing it without a flaw. If it is, you will fail. Over and over again, you’re going to screw this up.

Instead, this is about the power of God dwelling within you. This is about showing up where God has placed you, to do what God has called you to do. This is about battles that are bigger than you, being won through your faith. This is about believing God’s promises and boldly walking in those promises like he’s making you good enough.

But the greatest battle we fight is inside of us. Within our mind, we win or we lose. We either believe God’s unstoppable power is working within us, or we believe we carry the weight on our shoulders and we’re simply not strong enough. When you choose to believe it’s all you, overwhelm quickly sets in and you back down. But, my sister, what if you’ve been backing down from battles you’re already guaranteed to win? What if doors have already been opened, but you’ve been dismissing yourself from even walking down the hallways to see them?

God wants to work on your mindset. What do you believe about you? How do you see yourself? What are the stories you tell yourself. There’s one thing for sure, those stories you tell yourself have been impacting your life far more than your actual circumstances. You’ve done more harm to you than anyone else, and you did it all in your head. But God loves you entirely too much to sit back and watch you continue to dismiss yourself from your destiny.

Scripture tells us a story of 12 men sent into the land of Canaan by Moses. These 12 men were spies, sent to scout out this beautiful and bountiful land Moses and the Israelites desired. They left the wilderness where they had been hiding, and snuck into Canaan. What they found there was everything they were lacking in their desert wilderness. Food growing. Water flowing. Animals roaming. People thriving. It was a paradise. And this paradise was meant for them!

Have you ever seen something so good, you wondered if it could possibly be meant for you? Have you ever wanted something better, but questioned if you were good enough to claim it? Have you noticed the little voice that talks to you when there’s more right in front of you? What does that voice say? That voice has been stealing your promises for years, it’s time you take notice.

The 12 spies return from visiting the bountiful and blessed land of Canaan, and give their report. In Numbers 13: 31-33, ten of the spies spread negativity and fear saying, “We can’t attack the people because they are stronger than we are! The land we passed through to explore is one that devours its inhabitants (they’re exaggerating), and all the people we saw in it are men of great size. To ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and we must have seemed the same to them.” Then the whole community broke into loud cries and the people wept that night.

This is a classic case of what you tell yourself about your circumstances being worse than your actual circumstances. Yes, exaggerating the negative creating dreadful overwhelm. The truth was, this land was wonderful. It wasn’t a land that devoured people. That was in their heads! They weren’t like tiny grasshoppers either, that was also in their head. And because they didn’t check the stories in their head with the promises of God, their fears became greater than their faith. And their fears spread to the people, making everyone cry.

Sister, your fears aren’t just affecting you. They are creating fear in those around you too. You’re infecting others with the nonsense stories you’ve allowed to grow in your head.

Maybe you’re living a life of fear that didn’t even originate with you. Someone else’s fears were handed down to you, now those fears fill your thoughts. Are you going to just let that continue? Are you going to let your mama’s negative, fear filled thoughts steal your promises? Maybe it wasn’t your mama, maybe it was your negative friend, your fear filled husband, or the garbage you hear on TV. Are you going to continue to pass that down in your family? Is that the legacy you want?

Here’s the question: Are you willing to miss what God has available for you because of your own misguided beliefs about yourself?

Moses and the Israelites were not grasshoppers. These were people who had miraculously walked through a parted Red Sea. These were people who had been divinely guided by a pillar of clouds by day and a pillar of fire by night. These were chosen and rescued people. People with promises over their destiny. But 10 men who came back with fear filled negativity caused them to give up on their journey.

This is what a grasshopper mindset does to us. Believing you are stuck and incapable of change does nothing but dig your hole deeper. Talking about your insecurities and accepting them as your truth does nothing but teach others to do the same. Then we’re just a bunch of stuck girls, living in deep holes of despair, missing out on the promises God has for us. Is that what we’re going to settle for? Is that okay with you?

I say NO! No, we are not grasshoppers. We are not tiny, inferior, incapable girls stuck in the wilderness of nowhere. We are on our way! The way may not be easy, but dang it, we’re moving forward! We’re carrying the power of God within us, and we don’t have to back down to anything! We will go where God says we can go. We will do what God says we can do. We will live how God says we can live. And no giants will stand in our way or discourage us!

Of the 12 spies who witnessed the promised land of Canaan, 10 spread reports of fear and negativity from their grasshopper mindset. But 2 … well 2 came back with a different report. 2 saw themselves as chosen champions in the battle ahead. Those 2 were Joshua and Caleb. When they saw the Israelites backing down in fear, they said in Numbers 13: 7-9, “The land we passed through and explored is an extremely good land. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and give it to us. Only don’t rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land, for we will devour them. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us. Don’t be afraid of them!”

Now, let me tell you the end of the story … The people listened to the 10 negative reports over the 2 positive, so they stayed stuck in their wilderness and lived in fear. They didn’t move forward. For 40 years, they were stuck because they stopped. Stopped when God said go. Stopped when the way had been made. Stopped because of the stories they believed over the promises they had received. There were only 2 of this entire generation that were granted the blessing of living in the promised land of Canaan. Guess what 2 it was? Joshua and Caleb. The 2 who believed God’s promises. The 2 who fought for God’s promises. The 2 who refused the offering of the grasshopper mindset. The 2 who wouldn’t settle for less because it was easier.

Numbers 14: 37-38, “Those men who spread the negative report about the land were struck down by the Lord. Only Joshua and Caleb remained alive of those who went to scout the land.”

The difference between these 2 and the other 10 was simply the stories they believed about themselves. They believed if God was for them, then nothing could be against them. They believed they could do anything through the power of God. They believed if God promised it, God would deliver it. AND THEY WERE RIGHT!

You are right to believe God is for you in this. You are right to believe God is bigger than this. You are right to believe God’s power is within you and strengthens you to do what you could never do on your own. You are right to believe every one of God’s promises are for you. You are right to believe God will do it!

Now, God is asking you what stories you will believe. He’s asking you what report you will share.

I’ve decided I will be like Joshua and Caleb, and tell you this:

Where God is leading us is extremely good. If we trust him, if we follow him, if we remain faithful, he will graciously strengthen us for every battle and pour out his blessings on us. We have absolutely nothing to be afraid of! God is with us and we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength!

And “all” includes this! You can do this today! Move forward!

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Millions of people witnessed something magnificent this past weekend. The Northern Lights coloring the night sky! Yes, in the Midwest. In the South. In the East. My friends in Missouri, in Colorado, in Illinois, in Kentucky, in Florida, in North Carolina … all sent me photos of the Northern Lights in their sky.

I’ve always dreamed of hosting a Northern Lights Retreat … there’s only one problem with that. The Northern Lights are typically in Alaska between the months of August and April. Do you know what that season is there? That’s WINTER. Y’all, I don’t do winter. I have no intentions of owning a parka. So, God brought those beautiful Northern Lights right to us this past weekend at our BIG Life Mountain Retreat in Virginia! What? The Northern Lights in Virginia?!!!!!!

Do you remember Friday’s devotional? It was titled “God Did That”. Living in an awareness of all God does in our every day life that makes the sheer act of waking up a gift! How fitting, we stood on top of a mountain on Friday night, gathered with BIG Life sisters, in total awe of the hot pink and green in our sky, and said, “GOD DID THAT!”

The night sky in full color. I’ve never seen anything like that.

It all reminds me of the viral videos of someone who is color blind putting on those magical glasses and seeing color for the first time. Without fail, they erupt in a flood of emotions, moved to tears over the sheer beauty of the world around them in this new dimension of full color. (Watch here: https://youtu.be/1ZcK-Eima-w?si=fjkQ-RwXKdbaC8IU ). My favorite is a man who puts the glasses on, seeing red and green and blue and purple and yellow for the first time in his life, and through the tears he said “I’ve been missing so much.”

I’ve been missing so much. I see life in full color, but I too have been missing so much.

I fail to see life as God sees it. What God sees and what we see is the difference between black and white and full color. And my sister, you’ve been missing so much. The moment you get a glimpse of your life the way God sees it, it will all make sense. It will all be more beautiful than you imagined. And much like those videos that make me cry every darn time, we’ll be in awe over it all.

God sees our life from the very beginning with the end in complete view. Proverbs 5:21 says “For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths.”

He not only sees where you’ve been and where you are right now, but God knows exactly where your life is going. He knows the end of the story. Everything is in his full view. Because he knows the end of your story, he can guide you in writing each chapter with a full awareness of how it ends. And not to spoil the story or anything for you sister, but it all works out pretty darn well for you.

But today you woke up in the middle of your story where all you see is all you’ve been through and all that exists today. You have a limited view of your life. You do not see what God sees. And so the things that happen, the twists and turns and ups and downs today, this week, this year don’t really make sense to you. But you’re missing so much. If you could only see the full story. You’re seeing in black and white, while God sees it all in full color. It all fits together perfectly in God’s view. It all makes sense when you know the end … but you don’t know the end, you just have to trust it. You just have to trust the dull gray you see today is actually the most brilliant color your eyes will ever behold. You just don’t get to see it quite yet.

Kinda like those Northern Lights that showed up in skies we weren’t expecting!

But even more than your story, God sees YOU different. You don’t see yourself as God sees you. There is this person you think you are. This person who wakes up tired, this person who struggles to stay out of the darn pantry all afternoon long, this person who thinks really random bad thoughts and goes down these crazy rabbit holes in her mind. This person who gets a little wrapped up in her own world, makes a big deal out of stupid crap, and kinda misses the boat with some important stuff. This person who occasionally gets it right and knocks it out of the park, but then wonders what everyone else is thinking. Yes, this is the person you see. But this is NOT who God sees.

You think you are this scattered, faulted, struggling person … and then there is the person God knows you are. The person God knows you are is who he sees. This is the person he created you to be. The woman who has reached her full potential in all she can become through Christ Jesus. And this is who God sees when he looks at you. He’s not limited by time or space. You may not be her yet, you may still be licking yesterday’s Cheetos stains from your fingers, but you are becoming her. You are evolving into exactly who God created you to be. Yes, he sees where you are, but more importantly he sees where you’re going. He knows your destiny. He is fully aware of your purpose. And this is what he sees when he looks at you.

It’s the drastic difference between seeing yourself in black and white and seeing yourself in full color. You simply don’t see what God sees. But when you do … when you finally begin to see yourself as the magnificent creation in process which God has designed, you’ll be left saying “I’ve been missing so much.”

God sees you now as you will be in the future. He knows exactly what he is doing. And guess what, he will stop at nothing to bring you to this place of wholeness and complete beauty. That’s why the process may get a little hairy. He’s willing to go through those dark times. He’s willing to lead you through the valleys and head towards the hard climb because he’s seen the mountaintop … and he knows it’s worth it! He knows you’re worth it.

So today, may you see a little more of what God sees. May you get a glimpse of all you have been missing. May your world be a little more colored than it was before. May you stand in awe of the beauty of your journey and fully trust you’ll get there, and it will be worth it. May you be filled with confidence knowing your God has seen the end of your story from the very beginning and today you’re one step closer to being exactly who he created you to be. May you trust the process. And may the gray areas in your life be a little more colorful.

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Unplugged Friday bible study…

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You know what makes me uncomfortable in a conversation? Pauses. Moments of silence. I fumble to fill those pauses with words. It’s as if I have a personal mission to never allow silence when I’m in a conversation. Do you do this as well? Are you uncomfortable in those moments of dead air? I suppose it makes me a really good podcast host because I always have something to say. You know, now that I think about it, you’ve never once spoken a word back to me here … I do all the talking. Yeah, that’s because I’m a space filler.

I often do the same with my conversations with God. I talk, then I pause for his response and I get nothing. When I get nothing, I’ll start rambling on again. I imagine God must be exhausted after hearing my prayers.

I confess, I struggle with the pauses. But isn’t that where God dwells? Isn’t that where he moves? Isn’t that where he works.

In those empty, blank spaces.

In those spaces we simply can’t fill.

Those spaces left so uncomfortably blank.

Filled with silence and unknown. Filled with step one but no sight of step two. An instruction to go, but no word of when we will come back. There’s just a blank space. A space we try so desperately to fill … but the only sufficiency is God. It’s his space, and he intentionally leaves it blank.

God is calling you somewhere. He’s calling you to fulfill a purpose. He’s calling you to a destiny. And here’s what we often miss … purpose and destiny don’t appear as we imagined.

Purpose look more like blank spaces than mountaintops. START CLIMBING in the blank.

Destiny looks more like an open ended question than a clearly defined plan with action steps. GO WITH QUESTIONS.

In my life it seems I’m only aware of my purpose on the other side of it. I can look back and connect the dots. Oh, now I see how God perfectly aligned that connection for that opportunity so I would be here at this time and seemingly stumble right into that. At the time it all just looked like blank spaces, but there were dots. Dots aligning and connecting. I couldn’t even imagine what God was doing, I just had to be willing to show up in the blank spaces and trust he was working to connect the dots.

Don’t you know that’s what God is doing in your life right now? He’s leading you into these empty places with blank spaces. Open ended questions of which you don’t have the answers. Mountains you don’t know how to climb. And just like those pauses in a conversation bring uncomfortable moments of silence, we must be willing to be uncomfortable. These are spaces we can’t fill on our own.

Sit in it.

Wait for it.

Trust God is doing something only he can do. He hasn’t forgotten you in this blank space where nothing seems to be happening … he’s connecting dots to your destiny.

I love the story of Abraham. His entire life is a story of blind faith where God continually led him into blank spaces, and when Abraham followed God worked. DID YOU GET THAT? WHEN ABRAHAM FOLLOWED, GOD WORKED. There’s a timely instruction for each of us. If you will just follow God, God will work.

In Genesis chapter 12 God speaks to Abraham and says “Go from your land, your realtives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” That’s how the story begins. Leave everything and everyone you know. Go. I will show you. You don’t know where you’re going right now. You don’t know how you will get there or how long it will take, but I will show you. Abraham go. Step right into this blank space of the unknown.

And in verse 4 it says “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him.”

As he is traveling, the Lord appeared to Abram and said in verse 7, “To your offspring I will give this land.”

Now here’s what’s important to know about this. Abraham was 75 years old. He and his wife were unable to have children. Abraham has no offspring. Yet as God is taking him to this unknown place, after leaving everyone he knew and everything he had, he says “hey, this land you’re walking through right now, I’m going to give all of this to your children.”

Yo wait … God, what? We don’t have kids. Where have you been the last 50 years as we’ve tried to get pregnant. It’s impossible. The time has come and gone now. Sarah’s an old woman past the childbearing years, I’m an old man and things don’t quite work the way the used to … so what do you mean ‘to your offspring I will give this land?’

Blank space. God didn’t answer that question. He left it blank. It was up to Abraham what to do with that blank space. Just as it’s up to you with your blank space. Trust God and move forward, or don’t.

Sometimes God just doesn’t make sense does he? God, you say you will make all things work together for my good, but this doesn’t look real good right now. You say you will never leave me nor forsake me, but I don’t see you anywhere in the middle of this. You say you guide me in the way I should go, but I straight up have no idea what to do next.

Blank space.

Dots you don’t see are being connected here.

At 75 God told Abraham about his children. When he was 100 his son Issac was born. Sarah was 90. That was a whole lot of blank space there. That was a whole lot of time Abraham had to trust God in the silence.

Did he always get it right? No. Remember Abraham and Sarah became inpatient and had another younger woman first bare him a child. Read the story in Genesis 16, it didn’t go so well. This was their attempt to start connecting the dots on their own. God was being silent and silence is so uncomfortable. So they filled the blank space on their own, then there was a mess to clean up.

Oh what messes we create when we fail to see God is working even in the silence. I know you’re tempted to start filling this blank space and connecting dots on your own, but Sis, that’s how messes are made.

God followed through on his promises to Abraham, even though he had messed up. God will be faithful on his promises to you as well … even though you have messed up. He hasn’t given up on you or written you off. God is still connecting the dots … even when you can’t see him.

You’re in the middle of a blank space. Find peace here. Trust God is working for you.

As you continue to show up and do all you can do, trust God is doing what only he can do. And it may not happen today … it may not even happen this year, but eventually you’ll look back and you’ll fully understand the purpose of this blank space. You’ll see God’s divine plan in it all.

Trust it. Trust the silence. Trust the unknown and uncertain. Lean into the empty spaces you don’t understand and let God guide you in his ways. Dots you cannot see are aligning to be connected in glorious ways, my friend.

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Today we’re returning to the story of the stormy sea, fearful friends, and Jesus walking on water. Yesterday, we read Matthew’s account of this intentional storm and personal encounter. We saw that Jesus insisted his friends go out on the boat that night, intentionally sending them straight into a storm. And we saw that storm was not to harm them, but to allow for a personal encounter with their Jesus that would have Peter walking on water too.

Reading this has us looking at our storms with a different perspective. The storm isn’t always against us, sometimes it’s for us. Sometimes within the storms of life we experience the power of Jesus personally, and we are changed forever.

My friend Gina sent me a message with words you too need to hear today: There’s no strength to be gained in softness, no power to be found without challenge, no wisdom to be found without searching. You have to hit that wall hard, be challenged beyond what you believe you can handle and continue to seek Him when you feel utterly lost, to truly learn what it means to fully surrender to His will. Even when you think the complete opposite is what’s right for you. Without these hard moments, we become complacent and comfortable and never become who God intends us to be.

Wow, could this be where you are? Could you be held safely in the hands of your Savior, while being allowed to go through these hard moments, so that you become the girl God intended you to be? Yes. I think this is where I am. This is the process of full surrender. This is where we gain strength and power and wisdom.

Now, let’s look at this same story through another account and see one additional statement that will no doubt rock our world.

Mark 6: 45-51: Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he said goody bye to them, he went away to the mountain to pray. Well into the night, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land. He saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Very early in the morning he came toward them walking on the sea and wanted to pass by them. When they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke with them and said, “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. They were completely astounded.

Did you see it? The 5 most confusing words in the middle of this miraculous story. Jesus saw them straining in the storm and he WANTED TO PASS BY THEM. Here comes Jesus, walking on the water in the middle of a storm while his friends are struggling, and he wanted to walk on by. Really, what’s up with that?

My friend Kelly shared this with me after yesterday’s devotional and I just can’t stop thinking about it. Why would Jesus see us struggling and want to just pass by us? My first thought was perhaps his presence should bring us peace. Shouldn’t seeing Jesus in the storm with us be enough? But sometimes we need more, don’t we? I’m so grateful my savior is willing to do so much more!

What if Jesus wanted to pass them by because he was on his way to the other shore where he intended to meet them? Wasn’t that the plan? Didn’t Jesus tell them to get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side? This meant Jesus was going to meet them there after they crossed the sea. And guess what … the plan hadn’t changed.

STORMS DO NOT CHANGE THE PLANS OF JESUS.

What if Jesus was planning to pass by them and not stop on the sea because he was certain of the fulfillment of his plan and he was moving toward the shore where he told them he would meet them. The storm didn’t change Jesus’ plans for them, so he planned to walk on by and meet them on the other side.

I don’t know what storm you’re in right now my sister, but I know this for sure … this storm has not cancelled God’s good plans for your life! He’s not flipping out in the middle of this wondering how it’s all going to work out. He already knows. He knows you’re going to make it to the other side and arrive at your destiny, just as he has always planned.

Isn’t that what we most need to know right now? God’s plans for you still stand. Everything he has promised you is still a go. These storms on the journey have cancelled absolutely nothing.

Jesus was heading to the destination of the shore, because the shore was still the destination for his friends in the boat. The storm hadn’t changed that. But, when Jesus sees they are terrified, he stops. Verse 50-51, “They all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke with them and said, ‘Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased.”

Jesus stopped. He spoke encouragement and truth. Then, Jesus GOT IN THE BOAT!

Our Jesus will get in the boat with you. When you are afraid, call out to him, and he will continue the journey to the destination with you.

While the storms haven’t cancelled the good plans for your life, if you are afraid, all you have to do is ask Jesus to come be with you through this. What Jesus doesn’t want to do is stay stuck in this with you. He doesn’t want to sit and wallow in this with you. He wants to get you to the other side because that was always the plan. You’re not supposed to stay in this storm, honey, you’re just passing through! Don’t settle for staying stuck here. Don’t assume this is just your life and this storm will always be your story. No, girl, you’re going to the other side.

If you don’t feel like Jesus is close to you in this, maybe it’s because he went ahead to the shore where he knows you will be too. Maybe it’s because he’s 100% certain his plans for you will be fulfilled and no storm can stop that. Maybe it’s because he knows this storm won’t last forever and your feet will land on that shore where he promised you would be. Maybe it’s because he’s making breakfast on the shore and he’s waiting for you there.

One of my favorite stories about Jesus is when he met some of the disciples on another shore. They had been out all night fishing with no success. Early the next morning, Jesus calls to them from the shore. John 21: 9, “When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread.” You know what Jesus had been doing while his friends were out fishing all night with no luck? He was making them breakfast on shore. He was providing for them what they were unable to catch themselves.

That’s our Jesus. The more I learn about him, the more I absolutely love him.

He’s the one who will make a good plan and fulfill that good plan. He’s the one who will meet you where he said he will take you, without fail. He’s the one who will stop and get in your boat when you are afraid. He’s the one who will calm your storms and bring you peace. He’s the one who will have breakfast waiting for you, just when you need it most.

That’s our Jesus.

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If God sends you into it, surely it will be good, right? If he guides you there it’s part of his good plans for goodness in your life, right?

And when it’s not good it must not be his will? We must have disobeyed somewhere if things got hard and we stepped into a mess. We missed a turn, we failed to see the signs. I mean surely that must be what has happened because God wouldn’t intentionally lead us into disaster, would he? He wouldn’t guide you directly to a problem like the one in your life right now.

OR WOULD HE?

Would God willingly lead you right to this place of uncertainty? Would he bring you into a chaotic mess on purpose?

You bet your butt he would! And he does.

Oh, don’t be shocked, Jesus never hid his ways. It’s always been right here in the Bible for us to see clearly and set our expectations accordingly. We just miss it.

Look at this. Matthew 14: 22-24 “Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. (Then) he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves.”

You’ve likely read that before and completely missed the fact that Jesus insisted his friends get on a boat and head out into the middle of the lake where they would encounter a mighty storm. My Bible’s translation even says, “he MADE the disciples get into the boat and go.” You think Jesus didn’t know there was a storm coming? You think he missed the weather forecast that evening?

Impossible. Jesus knew without a doubt there was a storm coming. Remember, he is the one whom the winds and waves obey. So, he not only knew his friends would encounter a storm in that boat, he arranged it.

Not all the storms in our life come through the hand of the enemy. We’re so quick to give him credit for every disturbance to our plans and every disruption on our journey, but what if the storm you’re in right now isn’t a work of your enemy, it’s under the direction of Jesus? What if he sent you right in the middle of this storm for a purpose? And what if the purpose isn’t to defeat you like you think it is?

Jesus INSISTED the disciples get into the boat and go out that night. He knew trouble would come while they were out far away from land, and he sent them anyway. In fact, I would propose he sent them FOR that purpose. He insisted they go because they had an appointment with the storm. The strong winds of resistance were for them. The pounding waves were for them. This storm was no accident.

And honey, your storm is no accident either. This resistance you feel may just be FOR YOU. The pounding you’ve been taking may just be FOR YOU. What could God possibly be doing here in this time of hardship?

Oh, he could be setting you up for an encounter with Jesus!

You may know the general power of Jesus already, but you’re about to experience the PERSONAL power of Jesus here.

The disciples had been hanging out with Jesus and had come to know him as a friend. Directly before getting on the boat that evening, do you know what they had just witnessed? They had just been on the hillside where a crowd of 5,000 men plus women and children had gathered to hear Jesus. There on that hillside Jesus decided he wanted to cater the meeting and feed them, but of course the only thing available was the lunch a boy had carried of 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. The disciples had just been part of the miraculous feeding of this massive crowd. They had just seen Jesus take what wasn’t enough and turn it into more than enough. They had just finished gathering the leftovers after feeding the crowd and counting 12 baskets full of bread and fish. They knew what Jesus started with. They knew how many people had eaten. And they knew the leftovers were much greater than what Jesus had to work with in the beginning. There was no doubt they just witnessed a miracle.

But … it was not personal to them. It was a display of the general power of Jesus. And now, here they are on a little boat in the middle of a big storm and they’re about to come face to face with the PERSONAL power of Jesus.

Maybe you’ve known God is a provider, but you’ve never known his personal provision until you had a personal need. Could that be why this deep personal need has been permitted now in your life … because here you will meet the PERSONAL power of Jesus in your own life.

Maybe you’ve known God is a healer for others, but up until now you’ve never needed his healing hand over your family in a way like you do now. Here is where you meet the PERSONAL power of Jesus in your family.

This storm isn’t to destroy you my sister. This storm isn’t punishment. And perhaps this storm isn’t even a sign that you’re on the wrong path going in the wrong direction. Some storms are delivered by the hand of God as a personal, life changing encounter with his power because a greater invitation awaits.

Scripture tells us Jesus walked out to the boat in the middle of the storm and of course the disciples were afraid. And you know how the story goes … Peter says, “hey Jesus, if that’s you, tell me to walk out on the water to you.” And Jesus responds with one word, “COME.”

After Peter walks on the water with Jesus he says, “truly you are the Son of God.”

It was an intentional storm, then a personal encounter that led Peter to KNOWING exactly who Jesus was.

I can tell you it’s the storms in my life that led to some personal encounters with Jesus that brought me to knowing exactly who he is.

Many years ago my husband and I had built a successful mortgage business in Dallas. I felt God leading us to leave everything we had built, move to El Paso and help start a church in the desert. For the first time in my life I asked God for a sign to be sure he was really leading us into this move because it could certainly mean financial disaster without him. I prayed for a white feather. Weeks later after receiving no sign, I was in our garage packing and preparing for the move, and a white feather fell from the rafters of the garage out of nowhere. It gave me the assurance we would be okay.

So, we moved, and we stepped right in the middle of a huge storm. I assumed going where God was leading would be a road paved with blessings. I was wrong. It was paved with hardship and closed doors. Everything we tried seemed to fail. We were in major trouble and God seemed to get real quiet on us for a long time.

And this is where God led us? This was his great plan for a family seeking and following him? Absolutely it was! Because here in this storm of hardship, struggle, failure and major disappointment, we would have a personal encounter with Jesus that would change everything we would ever do for the rest of our lives.

Now I KNOW who Jesus is, just like Peter knew who he was. Why? Because of an encounter. What led to the encounter? A STORM.

So this storm you’re in … this disappointing unfolding … this uncertain future … the dream that’s turned into a disaster … understand this is where God works. What if he led you here for an encounter that will leave you changed forever? Don’t run from this. Don’t wish this away. Dare to see what God is doing here.

He is working here. He is moving here. His eye is on you, it’s never left you once. Prepare for your encounter.

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This morning when I asked God what his girls needed to hear, the Holy Spirit immediately prompted me with the story of Jesus’ first miracle. Then he began showing me the depth of this miracle and how it applies precisely to YOU in the exact situation you find yourself in.

The first miracle tells us so much about Jesus. It tells us he took time to attend a wedding and cared enough to make it a success. Let me tell you something, sister, Jesus is taking time to show up to every single situation you invite him into and he cares about your details. We often don’t invite Jesus because we assume he must be too big and too busy for our little things, but we’re wrong. Always invite Jesus. He will be right there in the middle of it. And no doubt, when Jesus is there, things just go down different.

John 2: 1-2: On the third day a wedding took place in Canan of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding as well. (Notice, Jesus was invited! That’s important. Have you remembered to invite Jesus? I’m being serious. Is Jesus invited to your family gathering, your vacation, your meeting, your commute, your appointment, your celebration, your Monday? Just in case you forgot to invite him, do it right now. For real, stop everything and invite Jesus to go with you today wherever you are going.)

Verse 3-4: When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother told him, “They don’t have any wine.” “What has this concern of yours to do with me, woman?” Jesus asked. “My hour has not yet come.” (Yes, Mary asked Jesus to get involved in a situation that really had nothing to do with him. Did you know you can do that too? Maybe the problem you’re facing isn’t Jesus’ problem, but you can still get him involved! And girl, when you get Jesus involved, everything changes! Jesussssssss, I’ve got a problem!)

Verse 5-8, Mary says to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now six stone water jars had been set there for Jewish purification. Each contained twenty or thirty gallons. “Fill the jars with water,” Jesus told them. So they filled them to the brim. Then he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the headwaiter.” And they did. (Mary is asking for Jesus to fix the problem of wine running out at the wedding. Jesus’ response was to take the jars that were available and fill them with what there was, which was water. Water wasn’t what was wanted, but water is what Jesus would use. All the servants had to do was take what was available and fill it with what there was. The rest was up to Jesus.)

I think today, Jesus is asking his girls to take what is available and fill it with what there is. It doesn’t matter if what you have seems insignificant. It doesn’t matter if what you have seems undesirable. Jesus isn’t asking you to focus on what you have, he’s asking you to focus on him and put what you have in his hands.

Verse 9-11: When the headwaiter tasted the water (after it had become wine), he did not know where it came from – though the servants who had drawn the water knew. He called the groom and told him, “Everyone sets out the fine wine first, then, after people are drunk, the inferior. But you have kept the fine wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believe in him.

Do you understand the magnitude of the miracle here? It’s literally just slipped in like an insignificant detail in parentheses (after the water had become wine). This is a big deal of impossible magnitude. Let’s do the math. There were 6 stone water jars each holding 20 or 30 gallons. Jesus had them fill each of the jars to the brim. Not just a little. Not just enough. Not half way. All the way. Oh girl, don’t you know when Jesus is invited, he goes all the way for you! He doesn’t kinda sorta, barely, maybe, do a little something for you … no, he does it big! He made 120 to 180 gallons of wine! There are 5 bottles of wine to each gallon, that means Jesus made 600 to 900 bottles of wine! Jesus offers abundance. Jesus offers overflow. Are you living in his abundant overflow, or have you settled for less and failed to ask him for more?

Jesus is not limited. Heaven’s storehouses are overflowing. Angels are awaiting their mighty command. This IS being made possible!

Think about the miracle itself, turning water to wine. Water is the most basic of all liquids. It’s clear with no flavor. It’s two hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom, with a total absence of all other things. Water does not and cannot become wine. That’s impossible. Yet, that’s precisely what Jesus did. And here’s what that tells us today: Jesus will take what you think is nothing, and he will make it into something. He will take what would require way more time than you have, and he will make it happen precisely when it needs to happen. Substance and time are not a limitation for Jesus.

You think there’s not enough time for the things you need to change to really change. Jesus says, think again! About 6 months was required for grapes to ferment and become wine. But that would have been the low quality wine. The best wine would require more time for aging. That’s the wine Jesus made … the best. And how long did it take him to make it? Only as long as it took the servants to fill the stone jars with water.

Stop dismissing the miracle you need because of the time you think it will require. Jesus holds time. He can and will do the impossible. Time will not be a limitation!

And when Jesus does the impossible for you, it will be the best of the best. It will be the finest of the fine. He will come through with greater than you ever imagined. It will be more than you hoped for!

I bet you already have an experience of Jesus coming through and giving you more than you imagined. I bet he’s already shown up in the middle of your human need and done heavenly things. He’s already proven he will get personally involved when you invite him. So, girl, just invite him!

He’s going to ask you to use what you have even when it seems insignificant. Use it. Be obedient in your faith. Your questioning is getting in the way. I know it looks like you don’t have what it will take to meet the need you’re facing, but never forget you have WHO IT WILL TAKE. This will take Jesus, and he’s right here for you!

Yes, this problem you’re facing, this issue you’re dealing with, this circumstance that hasn’t been getting any better … this takes Jesus. When you step into it today, make sure you invite Jesus to come with you. He will always accept your invitation and he will always get involved in anything you ask him to get involved in.

He cares about you. He cares about your family. He cares about the things that concern you. And he has a solution that defies science, defies time, and defies what everyone else says is possible. But you know … you know your Jesus does the impossible for you because you’re his girl!

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Join us for an unplugged bible study of John 4. REMEMBER THIS, ANYONE YOU ADMIRE WAS ORIGINALLY JUST A NOBODY! What has Jesus done for you? Talk about that! That’s your story! Why? Because there’s someone else who desperately needs that same Jesus to do that same work in their lives. And you’re the perfect […]