Wow, where to start with this post...
As some of you may have seen from my Facebook or Instagram, I heard from God recently; I was on the bus home from a particularly difficult afternoon and wasn't expecting to hear from Him at all. What the photo didn't show, and what I didn't mention was that the one sentence I posted to social media wasn't the only thing I heard, I actually had an entire conversation with God. It was such an incredible encounter, and something that I don't think I'll ever forget.
I'm not going to repeat the conversation for various reasons, but the last thing I heard before stepping off the bus was, 'Just trust me, I've got this.' That one short, sweet sentence was so perfectly what I needed to hear. Sometimes in our most testing times we can struggle so much both with understanding why it's even happening, and with seeing God in that situation. To hear God say, 'I've got this', was such a sweet, beautiful reminder that He is there, that He has it all under control and that He will bring good out of this. I felt like I could breathe again, properly breathe, and fill my lungs with the fresh stability of Christ.
I haven't yet got to the place where I can see what the good is that He is going to bring out of this particular situation, but I am now able to cling to those words. 'I've got this.' God works ALL things for my good. It may be difficult to see how right now, but the fact that He started with 'just trust me', and said so with such reassurance, I can now cling to that. I can put the entirety of my trust in Him, because looking back at my life I realise never once has He given me reason not to trust Him, never once has He let me down or allowed something to happen that hasn't seen fruit come of it.
Jeremiah 29 has been in my mind a lot lately, and so I decided to read it afresh last night. The classic verse that people often quote is verse 11; "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." This verse alone is amazing, but reading on to the slightly less famous verses 12-14, it gets even better;
"In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. And I will be found by you," says the Lord."
I'd never read on from verse 11 before, and the great truth that was written there was starting to become numb to me as I'd heard it be said so many times, but to see the verses that came after it brought it to a whole new light. Before reading those verses I'd come to a place of 'yes You may have plans for me, but they're in the future, what about right now? Right now is when I need you God but this is talking about the future.' Reading on to those next verses made me realise that not only does He have good and hopeful future plans for me, but that He is also beside me right now. Right now are the days when I am looking for Him wholeheartedly, and He has promised me that I will find Him. And not only will I find Him, but I will find Him by me! Right by me! So close to me that our arms are brushing as He walks through this situation with me. I'm not alone in this, and will never be alone in any situation, all I need to do is cry out to God and He will make His presence known.
I'm sat here laughing aloud at how incredible this revelation is, and no doubt God is sat right beside me, laughing along with me. It's so nice to be able to have moments with God like this where I can forget everything that is going on for a few minutes, and just have fun spending time with my creator. Love you Dad.