They are hovering low and thick....and they are making everything outside look a tinge grey.
It's cold.
Down here in the deep depths of Texas... forties is frigid.
The low ceiling outside, and the cool mild temps - make my mind wander to England.
But one look out my back window - where palm trees mingle with pines...I'm ushered back to the bayou here.
A few days ago - sharing with you what the Lord has been sharing with me....you buoyed around me so beautifully.
You looked at what has been tightly clenched in the center of my grip - and you handled it ever so gently.
Thank you.
Thank you for your sincere excitement and encouragement over what transpired on my weekend away.....and over what God has been revealing to us in the last few years.
Your prayers and sentiments and thrill - mean much.
Since I pushed the publish button on that post - testimony after testimony of the Lord's faithfulness over the years...has risen up in my spirit.
One.... in particular.
There must be some soul out there who needs to here the following story - because it has been so prominent in my thoughts over the last 48 hours - that I must share.
It isn't earth-shattering.....but to me....it was mountain-moving.
I certainly hope it boosts you up in some way.....
I was in my living room - five or six months pregnant with my second blonde. I was attempting to do a light workout routine under the instruction of a chirpy, fit, DVD instructor.
It was cold and dark outside - much like the today I described earlier....and I believe my first born was down for his blessed nap.
As I was doing modified lunges and leg curls - I was praying.
Fervently.
You see, for some reason - early on in my second pregnancy - I had gotten it into my head that the whole thing was going to end up in an emergency c-section.
Nothing had gone wrong thus far. The baby was growing normally. My body was responding fine. I had a fairly routine birth experience with my first - so there was no tangible reason for me to feel this way.
I just did. And I felt doomed.
It's difficult to describe - but it felt like there was some kind of hold that was over me in the spiritual realm... when it came to the impending birth of my girl.
So all I knew to do about it was pray.
I had been praying for months - praying that this baby would come into the world naturally, that there would be no complications, that whatever was telling me there would be....would vanish.
But all those months later... still...there it remained - like a pesky label stuck across my forehead.
Until....
During one grapevine exercise....I let out yet another petition asking God to please protect me and the baby from cesarean...to please release me from the negative omen I was under....
And just like that...
Before I could even get to the grapevine on the other side...
A very real, very heavy, very literal weight was pulled from my heart, mind, and shoulders - and a very sweet promise was put in it's place.....
A sudden assurance that the whole birth experience was going to be natural and normal - no c-section required.
And that was that.
Now of course, I think it strange that after all that time and all those prayers - that in that one instance I would receive something from Heaven. Why then? Why not before? Why haven't others I know received the same thing? Why not save dying babies in starving Africa before saving me from a c-section? Why? Why? Why?
I don't know.
But I do know..... that a lie very palpable, was pulled from my heavy heart that day - and a very light, loving truth was positioned firmly in it's place.
Firmly.
And the following summer - I delivered a healthy baby girl, no cesarean needed. It ended up being my easiest, quickest, most enjoyable birth out of all three.
As I've thought about this story over the last few days....
I feel like the Lord is urging us to prevail in prayer.....to persevere and persist in our petitions.
For people. Places. Injustices. Questions. Directions. Peace.
Since their is a battle raging - I feel like we have to often times pray our help, intervention, provision, healing.....here.
This is not easy or passive or cute.
Doing battle in prayer is wearing.
But worth it.
And the strong nudge to think about and share the above story - shows me that He is calling us to be stubborn and steadfast in our longing and pursuit to bring His Kingdom....to this one.
If there is a cloud of something hanging over your life right now....or if you have subjected to some lie of the enemy over your future...or if you have waned in your petitions for something or someone....or if you are continuing on bravely in years and years of prayer and perhaps are feeling dejected - I implore you to endure in the plea!
You never know....
In the middle of some ordinary exercise of life....
a lift, a breakthrough, a victory just may ensue.
********
Before I sign off this morning....I feel certain that I should pray for each sweet soul that visits this post....
Strong God,
I lay each person who's eyes will hit this - before you now. Whatever they are needing to lift up to you, whatever is hanging around haunting, whomever they are interceding for....I ask for Your mighty hand to move in each of these situations starting today! Bring light! Bring a lift! Bring progress! Bring salvation! - to each and every one. And show them that You see them, that You are present, that You are moving, and that You are love. Thank you for all the ways You show us Yourself. Let many-a-testimony arise from this, in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
