Ordered Steps

23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. (Psalms 37:23)

Ordered steps....I can't say I have really thought about this topic until recently.

 And that is where the blog I started last Tuesday ended. I tried multiple times to write it...knew it was the word God was speaking, but couldn't ever finish it. I took it as God didn't want it finished just yet. After the Stronger retreat, I can finish it now. So on to the rest of the post ;-) 

The verse at the top of this post was a verse God spoke to my Spirit at the end of June. I was seeking healing of some feelings about a particular day and ready to move on. I was eager to begin to see that day through His eyes instead of my own.  I had spent far too long looking at through my own eyes at something and I desperately needed His perspective. I am quickly learning with His perspective comes healing, and with healing comes victory, and with victory comes purpose, and with purpose comes walking forward. We are stuck and not moving when we don't give Him the mess that we feel and trust Him with it. Trusting Him with it means not picking it back up again. So I tried to write the blog before the Stronger retreat and it just wouldn't come. I couldn't understand...I knew this was word was from God and usually that means writing time. God however needed me to go to Pigeon Forge and wrap this healing up. God wanted me to wait on the typing because He wasn't finished with it just yet. 

Maybe you are looking at this and going what in the world is she talking about. I'll try to recap very quickly. July 1, 2010 I was on the bus when the Bowling Family had their wreck. If you want to know more about that day, Google it. It was truly life changing. I came home a few days after the wreck and went back to normal(or so I thought). God was working though that day and using it for His glory. I however got busy quickly so it took me quite awhile longer to get my victory over this  Fast forward to November of last year. I saw Kelly and Mike in concert and to hear them speak about that day....it was something I wanted. God knows our hearts and He knows when our desire for more is inline with what He has planned for our lives. If we are faithful to seek Him, we will find Him. Fast forward to April and the Stronger Retreat was announced. At first I wasn't going, I came up with every excuse in my mind that I could because I didn't want to feel my way through that day. Anxiety was strong and I knew it would be even worse that day. The day the retreat was announced I had the WORST day ever at work. I remember driving home and going okay God what did I miss...where did I take a wrong turn. He brought to mind the retreat. I grabbed my card and registered as fast as I could. God knows our hearts and how long the process will take. He started my journey after registering for the retreat....with the help of some wise counsel. The week before the retreat I woke up with this word in my Spirit. I finally could look at that day through His eyes. This girl about had her a shouting fit. Five years after the wreck along with 160 women, we gathered on the mountains for the Stronger Retreat. Tears of thankfulness flowed....tears of gratefulness, tears of healing...Kelly shared more about the wreck with everyone and preached an on time word that God is still using to minister to me. It was out of Ezekiel 47 and was called A river runs through it. That will be a blog later when He finishes it. Kelly said something that night though that was confirmation. She talked about the steps being ordered that day. I was like okay God....I get it. So as the tears flowed, the healing came. Healing to look at a day that rocked our world and know God was in the middle of it even when we couldn't see it at the time. I will never look at the aerial shot of the bus on the bridge the same way again....for God had a river running through it even then. 

Maybe you are stuck in the middle of some feelings about a time in your past. I don't know what it is, I don't have to...but God knows. Healing comes when you tell God how you feel and trust Him to take those feelings and give you His. His word is always true and He promised that things will work out for your good. Give it to Him with open hands and trust Him to give you back more than you could have ever imagined. 

There will be more blogs soon. God's stirring up some things and writing more than I could have imagined.  The last few days with precious friends has truly been amazing. His presence was there and lives were changed.   I'm watching Restoring Hope via Periscope right now...and Pastor Aaron just used the same verse that I mentioned above. My, my....whew if that doesn't make you want to shout. So thankful He knows what we need when we need it and how many times we need it. 

Stronger because of Him,
~Melissa