3/19/2020 0 Comments The Favor of GodLiving in a F.O.G.The end of February and beginning of March proved to be a very eventful time in my life. My daughter was married in a beautiful backyard ceremony on leap day. It was a remarkably warm day for the end of February and the Oklahoma wind was not screaming across the yard as they recited their vows. Warmth without wind in February isn’t a common occurrence.
After the wedding, several other fortuitous events took place. I was accepted to grad school, received a miraculous amount of money at just the right time to pay a bill and more, and I was gifted an entire regime of chiropractic treatment to treat a back issue I have had for a few decades. The chance to work on my master’s degree after thirty plus years of delay is huge. I had been so paralyzed with fear from rejection and self-doubt that I convinced myself no program would want me. I actually visualized the admissions team snickering and rejecting me immediately. I obviously have no idea how the process works. But here I am preparing to go back to school and wishing I had tried to get in a few years earlier. The money that came in was expected, but delayed until the last possible day. It appeared in my account the day the electric bill was due. No interruption in service, the bill was paid and I had money leftover for those little extras like groceries and gas. God’s perfect timing showed up once again. The third event left me in total awe of God’s goodness. Years ago, I injured my back. I remember twisting and the jolt of pain I experienced, after which I was left writhing in pain. The doctor at that time did very little to help, and the pain just became a normal part of life. I had forgotten about the injury until the my new doctor’s assistant rolled the sensor up my spine. The read out on the machine had an ominous black spike where the old injury had occurred. The explanation from the doctor made sense. To compensate for the pain, my body had pulled to one side causing other issues and more pain. I needed more than just a one time adjustment. I needed a series of treatments to fix a decades old issue. I wanted to get better, but I couldn’t afford it. I prayed that if it was God’s will for me to receive it, somehow a way would be made for me to get better. After praying and trusting God with the outcome, I was called the next morning. The receptionist informed me that the doctor was going to gift me treatment. We had talked about the work I do helping the homeless and the organization where I spent most of my time, and he felt called to do his part in helping the marginalized populations by helping me feel better! Only God could have arranged such an amazing outcome. My copay would have been over $1600, an amount that was not in my budget, and now I didn’t have to worry about it. To say I was stunned with His generosity, is an understatement. I relayed this incredible series of events to a friend of mine the next day, she told me I was walking in a fog. What? Things seemed pretty clear to me. Then she explained what living in a fog meant. I was experiencing the Favor Of God, F.O.G. Wow, what a wonderful way of explaining the way I felt. I floated to my prayer closet that afternoon and wept with thanksgiving at God’s amazing mercy and goodness. I embraced the FOG and relished the feeling of being treasured. Then I heard that still small voice stir in my heart. “Do you think this FOG is a new thing? Do you believe that the only time you experience my favor is when things are looking up?” Gulp, that was a good question. Did I really presume that good times were the only ones that contained the Favor of God? Isn’t my entire life an exercise in walking in favor? Doesn’t His grace mitigate my circumstances in bad times and fill me with a peace that passes all understanding? Isn’t that what the favor of God is all about? As God and I sat talking in my prayer closet, I realized He was right! Big surprise! My current time of good fortune was welcomed and treasured, but it didn’t mean that favor wasn’t at work in the bad times. I asked a very stupid question after that ”So does this mean something bad is going to happen?” Instead of the usual dread of impending doom that I typically feel after a season of good fortune, you know the “waiting-for-the-other-shoe-to-drop” sensation, I felt weirdly calm. God had warned and assured me simultaneously. When we received notice that my daughter was another victim to the overly litigious/sue happy society we live in, I calmly called the insurance company and began to research our options online. Quietly, catastrophizing and crawling back in bed didn’t seem like real options this time. I prayed and felt the assurance that things were going to turn out regardless of what happens. God has my family and me. We are all walking in a FOG of goodness and mercy. Every moment of every day, we choose whether we see it or not. It was only a week ago when the tragedy of a lawsuit was the biggest problem we were facing. Suddenly, it seems like every shoe in the closet has dropped and the forecast is cloudy with a chance of footwear. But the comfort I felt that day in my prayer closet hasn’t left. Despite the craziness of a world on lockdown and absurd behavior of humanity in panic, I feel that the FOG is holding me closer than ever. If ever there was a time where people needed the comfort of living in the FOG, it's now. It seems as though the world has exhaled and humanity is caught in the wake of its breath. We are being told to stay still and wait for the inevitability of an illness with no cure. Anxiety is the flavor of the day and social distancing is the newest dance craze. It would be so easy for the focus of 2020 to turn to the bleakness of what is happening, but when I look at this world through the FOG, I see hope. So many believers have felt the movement of God in recent years. We have sensed a revival of tsunamic proportions that would flood this world with a spiritual awakening. I don’t believe this virus is from God, but I know He can use it to get the world’s attention. In the past week, we have all seen the news stories of people hoarding toilet paper and pantry staples. We’ve watched as some have attempted to sell their overstock of hand-sanitizer on eBay or Amazon. And we have listened to our leaders fight and bicker when solidarity is needed. All of these things have only served to add to the underlying feelings of unease and tension, and it is easy to focus on the terror of the nightly news. However, 2020 was to be a year of focus, we just need to start focusing on the right stuff. Neighbors are meeting and sharing with those who we have lived beside for years, but never bothered to meet. There has been a resurgence in shopping local as people try to help the local restaurant owners by calling in take-out orders instead of heading to the nearest fast food chain. People are taking the time to respond to text messages and call the relatives they never had the time for before. God is working through all of this strangeness that has become our new normal. As believers, we need to press into our Father and know that we are walking in the Favor of God even when the world is a topsy-turvy mess. It’s time to pray, believe, and respond in love. Let our faith assuage the fear that is attempting to dominate our homes. Let the hope that we have resonate in our replies to those in need. Let that light that God ignited in us be the beacon that draws others to the safety of a life surrendered to Christ. It's our time to shine with the F.O.G.
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AuthorI am a Christian, a wife, a mom, and a part-time basket case who wants to be a full time writer.
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