Have you ever felt called to do something without knowing why or where it would lead? There’s a part of you that feels a little unhinged and another part that has a lot of questions. Yet another part of you starts to grapple with self-doubt. There are so many mixed emotions, so much inner turmoil and chaos that sometimes you want to be able to peer right on through to the other side and see the end as soon as possible! I love the reminder in Psalm 103:7, “He [God] made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.” We have the same God that made his ways known to Moses! Such a powerful and meaningful reminder.

In Exodus 3:9-12 God spoke to Moses, “ And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.  So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you.”

God told Moses that he would be with him even though he questioned the call. I get it; I have felt the same way (and still do). God is still writing my story; he is not done yet. He is still writing your story too. 

Lately, the theme of faith over fear has often come up in our family. If we succumb to fear, the opportunity may be missed to be used by God and to bless others. I know I have chosen to listen to fear. I heard little lies about my worth and passed on a nudge. I could remain in the guilt zone or determine to really lean in and listen to what God is calling me to, knowing he will equip me. Without my faith, I would likely give in to fear.  

A few years ago, when I sat down to write my first book, A Mother-Daughter Devotional and Shared Journal Experience for Psalm 119, I had no idea where I was being led. I knew only that I had to have the courage to begin and be obedient to what God was laying on my heart and choose to rest in the truth that He knows the next steps. I did not desire recognition and did not intend to submit it to any award programs! But, sometime after it was published, my editor at Castle Quay Books encouraged me to enter and wait and see what unfolded. God finds ways to speak to us. Sometimes it’s through burning bushes, and sometimes it’s through friends, family, bosses, coworkers, or (in my case) editors. 

To my surprise and delight, that first book was a finalist with the International Book Awards, and in the same year, a finalist in The Word Guild and The David Mainse Best Blog of the Year Award. Soon after, I wrote and published my second book, A Devotional for Mothers and Sons: Walking in Wisdom Through Proverbs. In 2022, it was recognized as a finalist with International Book Awards and just recently recognized as a finalist again in 2023. 

I pray that these very special honours will allow others to hear about my devotionals so they, too, can connect on a deeper level with their sons and daughters as they draw closer to God. This is my ultimate hope. I did not set out to be an award winner. I set out to obey God and honour what he had called me to do. It is a joy to receive word that I was recognized as a finalist. It is a humbling, overwhelming and a very exciting reminder to keep following those nudges, even when I don’t know exactly where they’ll take me. 

 Moses didn’t know exactly where God was taking him either, but he trusted that wherever it was, he and his people were being led; it was not astray. If you feel a tug on your heart towards something, if you have an overwhelming desire to start that project or master that craft or learn that new skill or join that group, trust it’s there for a reason. In the end, He will lead you to green pastures (Psalm 23), even if it means you have to wander in the desert for a while. I encourage you to talk to someone, gather a group, and share what is bubbling inside you. It will take courage, but you won’t regret it. Further down in Exodus 3: 16-17, we read that God told Moses to gather others together, 

 “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’ “

This gathering (assembly) is a beautiful reminder of the need for others in our lives. Find and gather your people, share what God is doing, and pray. God is faithful! Remember what he says in his Word,

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning;  great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Thank you for coming alongside me on this journey! I am grateful! This song has ministered to me lately, and I trust it will also bless you!

 

Faithful Still by KingsPorch