Fall is one of my most favorite seasons, and being in the south, I really love when you have a moment or two when it FEELS like fall. This morning is one of those moments, and I am savoring every second of it.
Have you ever have someone share a piece of information with you, just in conversation, and then you go back to it over and over? Has it ever made a real difference in you daily life? That happened to me a couple of weeks ago, and since it has blessed me again & again, so I thought it might bless you.
I was helping with a wedding reception for some friends when there came a bit of a frantic search for something among all of the guests. Turns out, the photographer was taking an picture of the groom's wedding ring, on top of the cork, on a bottle of champagne. The cork blew off, and the ring disappeared. (Thank goodness, the bride & groom were outside having a bite to eat and enjoying the band, so they didn't have to be in the throws of the ring search.) Shortly thereafter, the lost ring was found. Now, it was not found on the floor, or on a table...it was hidden inside the curve of the fondant bow, on the tippy top of the bride's cake! A friend had taken her camera, held it high, and took a shot to see up there, thus finding the groom's ring, nestled in his bride's cake. (They cut that particular portion to share :-)
Chatter about it abounded for a few moments. I, too, was talking about it to a friend, and he shared something profound with me. He said that he has found so many lost things, much more quickly, by praying a particular scripture. He said he couldn't remember it word for word, but it basically says the hidden things will be brought to light. He gave a couple of examples of times when he or his wife were searching for something, as soon as they would pray that scripture, they always found what they were looking for quickly. Moments before the ring was discovered, he had prayed that the hidden ring would be brought to light, and it was.
Now, I have prayed for God to help me find lost things before, and He has. But there was something that stuck with me about that moment, that conversation, and it came to me again and again over the next few days. Such a simple thing, yet not.
Prayer is indeed a powerful tool, but praying the scripture is like the best of the best! Have you ever had your child pull out some truth that you have taught him or her, at just the moment it was needed, and 'stand' on it because s/he knows it to be true? It's a beautiful thing to behold! I believe God finds us standing on His Word and grabbing hold of its truth beautiful to behold as well.
Let me give you some personal examples...I was heading out to a photo shoot, and I could not find my camera anywhere! I looked, Rick looked, we all looked. Even though a professional photographer was going to be taking the shots, I wanted to look through my lens to see the angles of the room, details of vignettes, etc. I almost got frustrated, then I remembered the conversation with Dennis and grabbed my bible. I couldn't find the verse, but as I was loading the car, I prayed anyway saying, "Lord, you know Your word says something somewhere about the hidden things being brought to light, and my camera is hidden from me now, but You know right where it is...please show me." I put my box in the back of the vehicle, then looked way under the seat and there it was.
This same kind of things happened a few times before I had the chance to actually sit down and find the actual verse. From a key, to Kathryn's shoes, to a document filed in one of those "I'll never forget where I put this places"... Each time, I would pray quicker and quicker, before I even had a chance to get frustrated. I figure God doesn't want us wasting time looking for things that He can reveal to us right away.
Finally I took the time to search the scripture and find the actual verse. It is Mark 4:22. I don't have it memorized yet, but I am working on it. The NIV says, "For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open." The NKJV says, "For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light."
This verse, or the various translations of this verse, have been ruminating with me this week. Not only for finding things that have been lost, but for matters of the heart as well. For me personally, I do want those things that are hidden in me that don't need to be there anymore brought to light and dealt with. (Truth be told, it makes me a little nervous writing the above sentence, but I do mean it, come what may.) I also want God to show me the things that my daughter may try and hide so that truth will be revealed. I know He did that for my Mother...there were things that she never should have known except for God shining His light on it for her. I wasn't so grateful then, but am immensely grateful now.
Just last night I was looking for a very small something in my rather full garage. After about 30 seconds, I spoke that scripture (to the best of my recollection), out loud, and literally the next place I turned, there my little bag was. It made me smile. Some might chalk it all up to coincidences, but I know it's much more.
Sitting and sipping my cup of Joe this morning, I was reading the October pastoral letter from Charles Simpson, and several bits of it jumped out at me with regard to all of this. In it he wrote, "There is something uniquely powerful about the spoken Word (see Psalm 29; Romans 10:14-17)" He continues with, "Sound has power, uniquely so when that sound is the voice of God, by whatever means He may use." He also states, "The Word was specific and to a specific individual. The Word of God is not vague...The Word was personal and taken personally." Actually I could keep quoting and quoting, because there is so much in his letter that is so applicable, but I'll just encourage you to read the whole thing at http://csmpublishing.org/pastoral_full.php?pastoral=150 (be sure to look up the scripture references also).
Now you may, or may not, have a relationship with the Lord where you share your day to day experiences with Him. You may, or may not be sure that He is even real. I know to the core of my being that He is real, and I would not be alive at this moment if He had not spared my life, on more than one occasion. But if you are unsure of Him or His desire to be part of even the most intricate, tiny details of your life, give it a go. Next time you are searching for something, be it a tangible thing, or a matter of your heart, or even something with your kids, ask Him to reveal what is hidden...to bring that which is concealed out into the open. It's not a test, it's just an opportunity for Him to make Himself known to you. Speak the Word out loud, let His voice ring out through yours, and watch Him reveal His unique power to you personally.
The words that we share, through stories & testimonies of God in our daily life, may not seem like a big deal at the time, but they can bring light and life to those around us. Just as a flash illuminates the dark corners and details of a room, so the Word illuminates the light of Christ in us. Thanks, Dennis, for sharing with me, and in turn, sharing with those of you who read this. Don't keep your God moments a secret--bring them out into the open and see what He'll do with them.
Mark 4:22 (the Message)
"We're not keeping secrets, we're telling them; we're not hiding things, we're bringing them out into the open."
Blessings to you, this beautiful day~may your light shine brightly! Deborah
Carlos Prieto Photography
