BLINDSIDED

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

^1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

There are times as I serve in this ministry GOD has called me to that I get absolutely blindsided. Yesterday was one of those days.

Life in the Jeremiah Tree these days is in a word, chaotic. With our TREEHOUSE homeless shelter in full operation, there are never fewer than 12 to 14 in the house at any one time. You have lunch cooking, folks looking for work, not to mention the usual drama that goes with arbitrarily mixing a diverse group of folks into the same home. You blend that with a steady stream of community folks and need and you have a bustling place to say the least.

So yesterday was like many days. The calendar and the house were full and hopping. But what happened next was not the norm. I had a beautiful lady stop in with a little bag of bills.

I am not kidding.

She had a little gift bag and inside were several past due bills. She needed a little help with them.

Simple enough I thought. We do this 6 to 10 times a day. No brainer I thought. I already was getting out my “instruction sheet”.

So like with every client, we paused, prayed and sought the Lord’s direction for the situation and following the prayer, as always, I inquired as to how she ended up with this challenge.

What happened next was the unexpected part. What happened next went totally off the script. What happened next was the blindsided hit.

Instead of a simple explanation about her bills, she began to share a story that broke my heart. It included abuse, lots of abuse, a family that had abandoned her, and an adult child whose irresponsibility had put her in the predicament. She was full of sorrow and regret. She was confused by GOD and dealing with so much bitterness and remorse. She wanted some answers to the question; “Why GOD”.

And here I thought she was there to get some help keeping the lights and the water on.

Like I said…blindsided.

Now I sometimes get to thinking I am pretty good on my feet in situations like this, but yesterday GOD reminded me that I am not.

So I floundered around with “what to say” and trying to help, but before I got in too deep, I did what I usually do when I don’t know what to do, I prayed…again.

More accurately, I let my SPIRIT do the praying.

Romans 8:26

God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying…

I had run out of things to say but the Spirit hadn’t.

And the SPIRIT did some amazing ministering. I believe she left more hopeful. I believe the SPIRIT guided us to the TRUTH that she needed to hear. The SPIRIT, in spite of the vessel, provided much needed help!

I don’t know about you, but recently GOD has been placing me in situation after situation where I DON’T have the answers. Be it a need for provision and there is nothing in the account or be it a disenfranchised, yet valuable lady who has experienced a life I don’t understand, I believe GOD is pushing me out of my comfort zone; my self-sufficiencies and self-reliance to places where I have nowhere else to go but to HIM for the help; places where only His SPIRIT will do.

And so that is what I have been doing.

Jeremiah 33:3

Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

I share this little encounter for two reasons today.

One is to motivate you to pray for this lady. The other is to encourage you for those times when you have been blindsided or short on words or ideas like I was yesterday. I want to inspire you to pray or better yet, let your SPIRIT start praying. I want you to realize that when you to call to GOD when you are blindsided, those things that are hidden, confusing or overwhelming, answers will be revealed!

GOD WILL open a door.

GOD WILL provide a word of comfort and hope!

GOD WILL offer provision and direction!

How do I know?

He did for me after yesterdays blindside and He promised that HE will help me and you with the inevitable next one.

1 John 5:14-15

And we are sure of this, that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we really know he is listening when we talk to him and make our requests, then we can be sure that he will answer us.

Have a blessed day…

I love you all!

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney