Telling Everyone - Part II

After reading Renee's blog request for the women to share what word the Lord had given them and after having a quick two-year old wing ding, I left my comment. Making sure to tell her that I hadn't gone forward for a scripture, I went on to thank her for such a wonderful teaching on Gideon and the doubts that can steal all that God has for us. After receiving the green light to send in my book proposals to publishers that very day, the doubts were already creeping in. Instead of seeing my self as blessed, loved and called, I felt unable, uneducated and inadequate. My doubts were proclaiming me the biggest fraud of all. Her teaching on doubt couldn't have come at a better time.

The very next morning I was sweetly surprised to see that Renee had commented on my blog. She asked me for my home address and told me that she knew that God had a word just for me, that she would pray and hand pick mine from the stack she still had and drop it in the mail.

That next week I was like a child awaiting grandma's birthday card. I savored opening that prayed-over note from her. It wasn't just that it was from Renee, though that was a lovely bonus, I was truly expecting God to speak to me.

And speak to me He did.

Before I move on, I have to take you back to the last day I was at She Speaks. While at a blogger's reception I spoke with Luanne Prater from P31. She asked me where I was from. When I told her California, I went on to tell her how I knew God's hand brought me there, but quite frankly I had no idea why He needed to tell me something in North Carolina that He couldn't tell me in California. And so far He hadn't told me a thing. I wanted so badly to share with her how the Lord had allowed me to win a contest from the site "Laced with Grace" and a scholarship to She Speaks, how there just happened to be a hotel room available in this sold out conference...oh and how about that my email address has been Proverbs31@comcast.net long before I'd ever heard of Proverbs 31 Ministries. But I didn't share any of that with her. She smiled, gave me a great big hug and said, "It's not an accident that you're here. We've been praying for all of you women by name for quite some time. You must go over to our prayer room and see just what it is the Lord has you here for."

So before my first publishers meeting ever, that's just where I headed.

The room was dim with soft music and candles. Some ladies were praying with a prayer partner, others were on their knees in prayer and there were even some who were just sitting by themselves speaking silently to their creator. Around the back of the room were tables in the shape of a U. As I crept closer, I saw that on these tables were the names of almost six hundred women. First and last names of so many women, these names had been typed, printed, lovingly cut out and softly scattered over the tops of these tables. From time to time there would be a much larger paper beneath, printed out with one of the many names of God. Names such as Jehovah Jireh, Adonai, Yahweh. Most names had fallen in between the laid out pages proclaiming a name of God, but on occasion some would fall on the colored paper.

Mine had fallen on the name of God, Adonai-God is my strength. Upon that page were a couple of scriptures. I fought the urge to take my name and the paper it rested upon and run right out of there. But I didn't think God would be too pleased with my stealing from His prayer room. Instead I quickly wrote the scriptures down. To tell you the truth I was almost disappointed, they really didn't speak to my heart.

Later, only one could I even remember, Habukkuk 3:19 "The Sovereign Lord is my strength, he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights." But even this scripture I'd forgotten when I returned home from my trip.

That is, until I held this note postmarked Charolotte, North Carolina in my hands.

As I now sat in my car, my engine idling, opening up the note from Renee , written in her own precious hand were these words.

"Joanne, I laid my hands over the verses (probably 50-75) and prayed that God would give me His message for you. Here is what He said...

You are ABLE."

As I'd opened up the card, fluttering into my lap was my word from God. Printed in a soft cursive font were the words to Habukkuk 3:19, the very same verse the Lord had given me in the prayer room moments before my first publishers meeting.

"The Sovereign Lord is my strength, he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights."

Behind this beautiful verse, shadowed in grey was the word ABLE.

***

Friends, what is it that the Lord has done for you? What has He told you? What has He called you to do that you are keeping silent about? Don't wait another moment longer, step out in faith and obedience today. It is in His strength that you will soar on to new heights. Where we are weak, He is strong. He wants to bless you so that you can tell everyone of His glorious works. Don't let the shadows of doubt keep you from the light of His breathtaking plan for your life. You can't dream dreams big enough for what God has for your lives.

...and remember you are ABLE because He is ABLE.

"Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does." Psalm 96:3

Telling Everyone - Part I

I had originally kept this story to myself and a few choice friends, but have felt recently that I needed to share. So... I have a teensy weensy bit more to post about the She Speaks conference and what is still happening around here. Even though I'm back home, the Lord is still speaking. Friends, God doesn't just speak in far off places. He speaks right to our hearts, if we would just take the time and be willing to stop and listen.

I am apologizing ahead of time for the length. This will be a two part post. I am going to post the first part today. It's a bit long but deservedly so.

To all three of my faithful readers, hang in there, I promise you will be blessed.

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TELLING EVERYONE

While in the word a couple of days ago, I was reading Psalm 96 when a verse struck my heart. I sat there staring at the words on the page, I didn't blink and I may have even held my breath. I knew God was speaking right to me.

Psalm 96 begins just beautifully, "Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Sing to the Lord, bless his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves."

Reading right along, I was feeling just great. "Yes Lord, I will sing a new song to you today!" How encouraging, right? But it was the next verse, verse three of Psalm 96 that pierced...

"Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does."

You see, just the day before I had been on Renee Swope's blog and made a comment that I was ashamed of. Something pretty amazing had happened that she knew about and I had left a comment telling her that I chose not to share it on my blog or with most of my friends and family.

Why, you ask? Because I thought that if I shared what God had spoken to me, then I would be held accountable by those that I love to follow through.

Silly, I know. You would think that just having God tell me something would be enough, but NOoooo I like to think I still have control over my life.

Stop laughing, us control freaks think we have this power.

While at the conference last month, on that last evening I was there, almost six hundred women gathered together to have dinner. As the evening progressed, we worshipped and listened to Renee give an anointed teaching on Gideon and the shadow of doubt. At the end of the evening as the worship team played "How Great Thou Art", women came forward for prayer for their fears, their doubts, some recommitting their lives to Jesus and His calling on their lives.

It was just beautiful.

As much as I love to take advantage of any special prayer time, I didn't feel called to go forward. Praying silently for these beautiful ladies, I sat beside my new Southern girlfriends and sang as the tears not-so-gently streamed down my face. I 'm an awful ugly cry er, but we'll just leave that for another post. The song, "How Great Thou Art" moves me to weep every single time I hear it. It was one of my mom's favorites. I don't believe it was coincidence that the last worship song played on my trip there was one of her favorites. With my mom in Heaven, whenever there is a song that I know was loved by her, it feels almost as if God has closed the gap. With my eyes closed, I can see her beautiful face and almost feel her presence. While I'm worshipping here, she's worshipping there and for a brief moment the huge chasm of my time and her eternity is closed.

Fast forward a week later. I find out from Renee's blog that the women who went forward that night were able to pick up a card with a shaded word and scripture just for them. There were hundreds of different card stock cards with different shaded words like, anointed, blessed, chosen, loved, forgiven. These cards had been prayed over, the heart of Renee and the other gals at She Speaks was that they would get into the right hands that evening. On her blog that next week, she was asking the ladies what word the Lord had given them and if they wouldn't mind sharing what God had spoken to them that night.

Being the Proverbs 31 woman that I am, the inner five year old instantly came out in me. I thought to myself, "Haaarrruuummmphhh! Doesn't that just stink. Gee Lord, why didn't I get my butt off of that comfy chair and go forward on Saturday night?!?"


***The Lord heard that heartfelt prayer of mine and used Renee to fulfill His word for me. I can't wait to share with you tomorrow just what happened.***


Part II tomorrow!