Point Taken

God's been doing a lot with us lately, and many times when God is stretching you and teaching you and refining you, it hurts. So, for the first two thirds of this particular process, both J and I were FINE. "Ok, God, whatever you want.... I trust You!! I have faith in You!..." And then we faced the last two weeks.... (Yes, I've been hiding for those two weeks in case anyone noticed my absence and wondered where I was.) The questioning started. The faith faltered. We began to sweat and squirm and ask God if He remembered us. Through a variety of circumstances and people, God assured us that, yes, He remembers and, yes, He hears and, yes, He answers. I have found myself over the last week reminding God of all of His promises to us, almost on a continual basis. Even after I stopped sweating and squirming and got back to the submitting part, I still went around the house praising, thanking and reminding. This morning it occurred to me that He knows EXACTLY what He has promised my family. He knows EXACTLY when He is going to fufill those promises and He knows the work that still needs to be done in me before I can find myself in what He has promised. I don't need to remind Him. I realized that I had stopped just seeking Him first and praising Him just for who He is and was focusing on, "God, You SAID...." Now, don't get me wrong, there is nothing at all wrong with standing on His promises and His Word, but that should not be the main FOCUS of my relationship or conversations with Him. And as I was realizing this and begin to apologize to God for this, I opened my email for today and this is what it said:

So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:31-34 NIV

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He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered:
the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.

He hath given meat unto them that fear him:
he will ever be mindful of his covenant.

He hath shewed his people the power of his works,
that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.

Psalm 111:4-6 KJV

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"You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied
And praise the name of the LORD your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you;

Then My people will never be put to shame.
Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel,
And that I am the LORD your God,
And there is no other;
And My people will never be put to shame."

Joel 2:26,27 NASB

I like that. :) God knows. I don't have to remind Him. I just have to seek Him and put Him first. When I put my focus on Him and what He wants, everything else will line up. How awesome is that!