We have entered a season where the goodness of God is seen powerfully before the eyes of both believers of Jesus Christ and those who are still to be believers.  I haven’t experienced yet this much of a revelation of Who He is until lately.  They may be not so spectacular moments but surely they are heart-overwhelming ones.  What matters most is no matter how small the encounter is, its effect on people’s hearts is beyond words.

I for one witnessed this in my own life.  Travel has always been an integral part of me.  It is something that I am intertwined with.  For 17 years I was a flight attendant but when it was time for me to resign, the Lord made sure that my hopping in and out of an aircraft will not cease.  Not just in airplanes but buses and boats, too.  But this time, travel is no longer my job for me to earn a living.  It has now a different purpose attached to it.  When the purpose if fulfilled, such travel is made complete that satisfies my very being.

For the third time this year, I have been invited to an event that entailed road tripping.  The funny thing is that, for the third time, one way has always been with me taking a bus while the other way in a private car.  Also, for the third time I didn’t say yes to the invitation right away.  It took me quite sometime to digest in my system how I needed to take a bus and the time involved in it, when I could just be sitting in the luxury of my own home over the weekend and rest.  But somehow, at the last minute, “yes” won.

Oh how He orders our steps and puts the desires in our hearts when He wants us to be where He wants us to be.  Oh how He paves and makes the way possible at every given time.  When I said, “yes”, He never showed me the purpose of my travel right away.  I just went with the flow until I got to the place.  Sometimes the door will just open where I  found myself doing what He called me to do at that given time.   But at other times, He had invited me to ask Him why I was in such place at that point in time.

Come to think of it, He desires our intimate relationship with Him that we will not just automatically assume to do what we have done the last time.  He desires for us to ASK, SEEK and KNOCK and move as He leads us.

If you look at how God parted the Red Sea with Moses, it was different from how He parted the Jordan river with Joshua.

“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.  So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.” (Exodus 14:21-22)

 ^“So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people,  and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest),  that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho.  Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.”  (Joshua 3:14-17)

God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours.  He has countless means of moving in our lives for it to be an exciting adventure to explore what He has in store for us next.  I just wonder, what if Joshua didn’t seek and listen to what the Lord instructed him and just automatically did what Moses did?  I doubt it very much if they were able to cross the Jordan river gloriously.  No wonder Moses told Joshua not to let the Book of the Law depart from his mouth, for it shall make his way prosperous, he shall deal wisely and he will have good success (Joshua 1:8). This is an amazing lesson for us to learn as to how we are to seek Him, hear His voice and obey Him.

I was invited to a Hawaiian Birthday Beach Party four hours away from where I live.  Considering my work, distance, way of travelling and time, I initially said “no”.  My heart was at rest and thought I made the right decision.   The celebrant was asking me to reconsider and make an effort for me to attend, but my decision stood.

Two days before the event, another friend of mine asked me if I would go.  My answer was the same until she offered me a better way of going.  Then my decision started to sway a little bit until I finally decided to go.  I knew very well that by the time we get to the venue, the program must be almost over, yet we still pursued.

One thing that touched my heart was the purpose of the party.  The celebrant decided beforehand not to take any birthday gifts.  Instead, she urged all the attendees to give either in monetary or any goods that will be given to a minority tribe residing in the mountains.  What a purposeful event indeed!

Since it was a beach party, the venue obviously was by the beach, but the weather forecast for that day was rain with thunderstorms.  They prayed and waited until the rain stopped and the sky cleared right at the time they needed.  Then the venue was set and a little later the party started.

We arrived three hours after the given time and were ushered in.  We ate and had loads of fun with friends that I haven’t seen for years.  Before I knew it, the party was about to end.  Fireworks was done!  Then, the celebrant came up to the stage and shared how the Lord moved.  Her words uttered all praises to God.  She mentioned about the weather, how it stopped just in time for the preparation, the surprises that her friends did showing their love and affection, and most of all the monetary donation that reached four times than what she expected, excluding a table full of boxes of goods.  It was such an overwhelming night for her.  For me, it became a celebration of God’s goodness.  His mighty hand was so evident that can never go unnoticed.  I was soooo touched by His move.  The Lord indeed gave her the desires of her heart.

“Delight yourself also in the Lord,  And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”   (Psalm 37:4)

I thought that was it.  But, all of a sudden, she called out my name to come up to the stage.  I was wondering at first why, yet somehow deep inside my heart something was stirring.  As I was walking towards the platform, I heard her say, “if we had an opening prayer, we will also have a closing prayer.”  She whispered to my ear for me to advise her when I’m ready and I simply said, “now, let’s pray!”  Briefly, I asked the Holy Spirit to speak through me and then I started praying.

When the party was done, someone came up to me and said, “that was the purpose why you needed to be here.”

I may have arrived late, but the Lord had an agenda in mind that I never knew beforehand.  He just made sure that I would be there before the party was over to speak His words of life over the celebrant and all of those who attended.  That made my night and made my trip worthy and complete.  Oh how He orders our steps to fulfill His glorious plans and purposes in and through us.

“The steps of the God-pursuing ones follow firmly in the footsteps of the Lord,  and God delights in every step they take to follow him.”  (Psalm 37:23 TPT)

When everything was over and the venue was packed up, the rain started to pour.  Oh how awesome is the Lord our God Who delights in giving us the desires of our hearts.  Truly He lorded over the whole event and rendered it so glorious, witnessed by many and with hearts overwhelmed by His goodness.

“The Lord has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all nations; and all the ends of the earth SHALL SEE the salvation of our God.” (Isaiah 52:10)

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank You, for ordering our steps and giving us the desire to walk in it.  Thank You for opening our eyes to see Your hand move with such power that overwhelmed all who witnessed it.  Thank You, Holy Spirit for revealing to us the power of Your love.  Indeed it’s all because of Your great love for us that You showed Your glory and goodness, so marvelous to behold.  Thank You, Jesus, that You made a way for us to be a blessing to a tribe whom You have invited to know Your goodness, until every knee will bow and every tongue confess that You are LORD.  Amen!