YOU Must Be Up to Somethin' Good

I have the privelege of teaching our high school girls Sunday School class each week (and middle school the last couple weeks too) & I know each week as I plan the lesson & teach that God had planned for me to learn from it too. In fact, I perhaps learn more than my girls do! The last couple weeks we have been in Daniel...talked about staying true to your convictions, even in the midst of persecution & questioning...even in a land that is not your home (they were in captivity), Daniel & the Lion's Den, then Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego in the Fiery Furnace...then this morning we talked about Daniel's prayer in chapter 9. We talked about prayer & a creative way to pray (A.C.T.S. prayer) & why each aspect is important, that we need to pray "we" prayers, not "me" prayers...it was an awesome lesson on prayer. While I was teaching however, I thought back to the previous weeks. And in this chapter, Daniel & his friends are about to have something big, good happen...to go back home! I couldn't help but think...while God showed up huge...these boys went through much persecution, discouragement, impending death, frustration...you name it. Then Daniel prayed...because God was about to do something big.
So I told my girls my personal testimony of the fact that when I go through these times of discouragement & frustration...and I am in tune with God & in His will...it is because God must be up to something good. It's just a spiritual process the Lord takes me through now & then. Now is one of those times. Not that there are these catastrophic things going on in my life, but it's a spiritual battle & satan knows right where to target me...and he plays dirty. Whether it's in my own thought process, lies & negative thoughts about myself, busy-ness, questioning important relationships in my life, gossip, people close to me going through a hard time...I know God is more powerful than any of those circumstances & He HAS overcome them. But history shows that these things also mean that MY GOD is up to somethin' good! I don't know if this will be a personal, spiritual victory or if it will be more corporate...I have some ideas of areas God is going to prove to, of course, be huge & amazing...but not certian yet. I am more than willing to persevere & wait to see. In the meantime, I will take on Daniel's example & PRAY. And then pray harder. I will seek His face. And I will look to & anticipate the answers!

"For we do not present our pleas before You because of our righteousness, but because of Your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention & act. Delay not, for Your own sake, O my God." Daniel 9:18-19