I\u2019ve had an awful day.\u00a0 I woke up with a horrible pain in my arm that nagged me all day.\u00a0 And then our best friends\u2019 daughter decided to use a drawer in our home as a trampoline and broke it.\u00a0 But the worst of it was when my husband and I discovered that we had lost a $1500 money order.\u00a0 We spent 2 hours searching with no luck.\u00a0 And finally, during a break from our hunt, our pizza caught fire in our oven.\u00a0 It\u2019s not been a good day.\u00a0 And the whole time I was searching for that darn money order, I just kept praying that God would lead me to it.\u00a0 That He who knows all would point me in the direction.\u00a0 That He who does miracles and wonders would make it appear in the drawer I had checked six times already.\u00a0 But He didn\u2019t.\u00a0 And it made me sad.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t see God\u2019s hand in my day and it grieved my spirit a bit.<\/p>\n
And then my husband turned on a live feed from the middle school retreat my oldest son is attending this weekend.\u00a0 And I watched over 2500 middle schoolers, including my 12-year-old son, raising their hands in worship.\u00a0 Singing with abandon and passion.\u00a0 Eyes closed and hearts wide open.\u00a0 And God was moving.\u00a0\u00a0 Powerfully, profoundly, clearly.\u00a0\u00a0 Although God didn\u2019t seem to be moving in my day, I didn\u2019t have to look very far to see Him moving in ways mighty and undeniable.\u00a0 I imagine a similar phenomenon took place in the apostle Paul\u2019s life.\u00a0 Paul spent roughly 5 to 6 years in prison during the course of his ministry and I imagine that those were grueling years.\u00a0 But I wonder if the worst part of his stay was the feeling of abandonment he must\u2019ve felt at times.\u00a0 He was imprisoned for his faith in a God who did miracles.\u00a0 A God who fed thousands and healed hundreds.\u00a0 A God who raised the dead and saved souls.\u00a0 A God who could, if He so chose, shatter chains, disarm guards and throw open prison doors.\u00a0 And yet, for Paul, He didn\u2019t.\u00a0 He remained silent and unmoving in Paul\u2019s cell.\u00a0 But thank goodness for the mail!\u00a0 Letters that Paul received in jail assured him that God was moving outside those prison walls.\u00a0 That He was moving faster and farther than Paul ever could\u2019ve dreamt possible.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, when we don\u2019t see God moving in our small worlds, the very best thing to do is take a step outside.\u00a0 God is moving. God is working.\u00a0 His hand is sweeping magnificently and beautifully across canvases all around us.\u00a0 And when we witness such glorious progress, such exceptional activity, there is no response but to fall on our knees, lift our hands in the air and thank the God of wonders that stagnation and silence is not in His repertoire.\u00a0 That although He may appear silent and unmoving in our world, He is more than likely speaking clearly and moving dramatically right next door.\u00a0 And while that is often frustrating and sometimes even discouraging, I find that it is also comforting.\u00a0 It gives me great joy and solace just knowing that God does move.\u00a0 That He acts in the midst of brokenness.\u00a0 That He speaks into pain and loss even when it\u2019s not my own.\u00a0 That He prompts hearts and bends spirits beyond what I can see.\u00a0 That His hand creates brush strokes that are far broader and deeper than my own small world.\u00a0 And I am left confident that this is enough for today.\u00a0 Outside these immediate walls, my son is growing, his heart is softening and his spirit is deepening.\u00a0 And that is more than enough.<\/p>\n
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