"How much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him?" (Matthew 7:11 NLT)
Yes, you didn’t read this wrong, I shared this verse yesterday. It’s still true today. Our Father loves to give His kids good gifts. How do I know? I’ve recently been on the receiving end.
I’m still unpacking the weekend. 🙂
In the meet and greet before our retreat got underway, I was catching up with a long-time friend. She was happily sharing about her daughter coming home from Europe after ten years serving oversees. The daughter is due to arrive in March and I asked if she was excited and she said, yes, of course, but her husband even moreso. Apparently he’s been doing some shopping, ordering a few truly fantastic gifts for a favored child. He can’t hardly wait to give them to her. This testimony blessed me deeply, thinking about a Dad plotting for his daughter’s happiness.
In that very moment, I felt the Lord drop a thought in my heart: “I have good gifts planned for you, too, Daughter.” I was taken aback; it wasn’t envy, or even wishful thinking, but a promise. I said nothing and the conversation moved on. Within a few minutes, worship began and almost immediately my heart was impressed with His presence. When we got to “Not for a minute, was I forsaken, the Lord is in this place, the Lord is in this place.” I was utterly undone. This strange season has been so full of the Spirit of God, it’s truly remarkable. I fell to my knees with the recognition and began to thank God for His nearness in this particular stretch of life. Yet another dear friend kneeled beside me, praying in perfect cadence with my overflowing soul. It was such a sweet time together!
That night in the hotel, I was a little girl at a sleepover. My roommate and I talked til the wee hours and when we finally shut the light off, my mind refused to follow. Sometimes the move of God leaves me restless, too excite to sleep. I got up before my alarm and when my phone buzzed at 6:16am, I began weeping over the gift I’d received via text message. God wasn’t letting any dust settle on His promise. In a single moment, before the sun was up or the coffee had been poured, He came through in a big and personal way. A far-flung dream of mine is coming true. My father knows His daughter’s heart and delights in fulfilling her desires.
Sometimes, we get buried in the awful of a tough season and we forget there’s a God who sees us, trudging alongside in the very same dust. He does not abandon us when the road disintegrates and we seem to lose our way, He comes closer! Even His willingness to let us face hard things cannot trump His loving nature as our Father. If He looked after Hagar and her son in the aftermath of Sarai’s wrath, He’ll look after us as well. Don’t lose hope, friend. He’s still a good Father and He continues to give good gifts.
"Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. " (Genesis 21:20 NLT)
It would seem that God loves to plant wells in unexpected places. Perhaps it’s because a well-spring in a desert is so obviously Him, no one else could take the credit? Regardless, when we find a well in a dry season, we receive the gift with gratitude and drink deeply of His goodness.
"Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow." (James 1:16 NLT)
The God who put the stars in the sky longs to put stars in our eyes, also. Just because we are in a rough patch doesn’t mean He’s refrained from plotting and planning goodness on our behalf. Come near when times are tough. Look up and listen close. Hold Him at His word. And give thanks for every good and perfect gift He sends your way.
Lord, we rarely see difficult seasons as the relational treasure trove they really are. The Israelites learned to lean on You in whole new ways in between the Red Sea and the Jordan River. May we also. Keep us from forgetting that You are loving Father, plotting and planning to delight us. Help us trust Your character but also Your love, even when the desert lasts far longer than we’d hoped. See us through and stoke our hope. Amen.