Yesterday in church,  a sweet lady came to me and said, “Stacey, have you been doing alright this week?”

It caught me a bit off guard but of course, I’ve been just fine. 

She went on to tell me that I’d been on her heart and she has been praying for me. 

That so touched me and I am thankful for that.

Today, those words have taken on a whole new meaning for me.

Last night, as my family was sleeping, the oil filled heater we keep in the kitchen was knocked loose from the outlet.  Our happy-go-lucky little chihuahua loves to snuggle up close to it and must have knocked the cord.  With one prong in and one prong out, the outlet shorted and caught fire.  This is evidenced in the melted lamp cord and plastic.  Thankfully nothing else caught fire!  

When John woke me to tell me just before he left for work, all I could do was thank and praise God! 

Later today, at work, I got a phone call from my husband that as he was driving into work this morning, the hood on our car unlatched and smashed into the windshield.  All of this at 45 miles an hour! 

The hood will need replaced but thankfully, my husband is just fine!

Does God not deserve the glory?  Oh. yes. He. does! Yes sir!

Again, as I was sitting at my desk, the precious words of the  lady who spoke with me yesterday came to my remembrance. 

Immediately I picked up the phone to call her and to thank her for her prayers!  Yesterday, none of this made sense but today is a much different story and I had to share that with her.

When I reached her, she said, “Well, I thought maybe there was something I was missing.  God woke me up several times this past week in the middle of the night and I just could not sleep.  That’s not like me at all.  So, I went to prayer for the church and all of the people there.  And God put you very strongly on my heart each and every time and your husband.”

Miracles. 

Every word spoken. 

Prayers uttered.   

Miracles.

Thank you Lord for every prayer and every answer. 

If there were anyone who was certain that they were doing God’s will, it should have been Mary. She was literally carrying the will of God in her womb and could feel it move. Yet when it came time to birth…there was no room…

There is a reality of God’s will in the womb of every one of us. Something that God has spoken and Holy Spirit has hovered over until it was conceived in us and the days will inevitably be “accomplished” when it should be delivered.

What then, when there is seemingly no room for it?

Physically.

Financially.

Relationally.

Circumstancially.

What then?

Or perhaps I should say, “What now?” because the truth of the matter is, that’s the juncture I’ve come to.

The birthing will not wait for me.

The contractions are setting in and the beautiful gift that God has given me this year, is the knowing.

For He that is mighty has done to me great things; and Holy is His name.

If God will bring forth His only Son, into a place where there was no room, no acceptance…for all of mankind…

He will do the same again for me, to accomplish His will.

His plans will be fulfilled, His Word carried out.

It’s time to take up the unapparent…unbecoming…uncommon… and birth.

Mary wasn’t looking for that place, was she?

She was carrying the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords in her very womb.  Surely God would put her in the Hilton, with room service, right?  Breakfast in bed, a robe and slippers and a chocolate on her pillow…

No.

Those were just things.

Mary wasn’t looking for the place.

She wasn’t looking for the amenities of life.

She was looking for Him.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these things shall be added unto you.  Matthew 6:33

I’m looking for Him.

When the Roman soldiers would march, they would do so with a determination and a perseverance. They would move forward with marching orders that if anyone tried to interfere or hinder them, they were to keep walking. Even innocent bi-standers, who might fall into their path, were not to be pitied. They stopped for nothing.

Worse yet, the Roman soldiers had spikes on their feet, meant to secure their step on all terrain…ground breakers.

If you got in their way…you were as good as dead. You would be struck down and trampled…without mercy.

Within the past two years, specific prophesy has come concerning “March”. As much as I have perceived it to be “seasonal” or time specific, I believe it to be more of an attitude we are to take in this hour. God is giving “marching orders” to those who are willing and to those who have shod their feet with the preparation with the gospel of peace.

Not only is it our responsibility to dress for engagement…but we must actually engage. (Ephesians 6)

You see, Jesus has already crushed the head of the enemy. Satan is defeated!

We are simply taking sure steps…treading in a path well laid by our Savior. He has ordered our steps. (Psalm 37:23)

The God of peace does not expect us to be doormats..to lay down so that  there can be peace.

Peace is not our defense. Peace is the offense.

Peace is direct…instinctive…deliberate.

Peace bears the sword.

Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.

In light of this, I can’t help but be struck by what I’ve discovered in Matthew 9:26, And the fame of it went abroad throughout all of the land.

The word fame here literally means rumor.

We’re all familiar with the terminology, “There’s a rumor going ’round…” or “Rumor has it…”

Unfortunately, we have all been on both the giving and receiving end of such an exchange.

Slandering, gossip and falsities are nothing more than distraction from the true virtue and integrity intended for the body of Christ and the church.  

While we’re busy destroying one another…we’re assassinating  the fame of our Lord! 

Our arsenal wielded against righteousness  and carnal weapons…an enemy of God.

As we allow the counterfeit to take root in our relationships with one another, His fame is diminished!    

It’s time for the church to start spreading some rumors.

Rumors of the God kind.

The church should be the greatest rumor mill around.

Is Jesus Christ not worthy of our talk?

His is our Bright Fame!

While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.

And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.

Jesus is not interested in our noise.

Our uproar means nothing.

I can read this and pretend this doesn’t apply to me.

But it does.

How often do I make noise, thinking that it will get God’s attention?

How often do I join others in their noise making?

There’s a lot of noise going on in our world today.

A lot of noise on the internet and on the television.

And yes, there is noise in the church and behind the closed doors of our homes.

Rather than make noise over “dead” things…it’s time to give place.

Because what looks dead is really sleeping.

And all the noise in the world won’t wake it.

In the silence and the stillness, room is made for Jesus.

Resurrection power inhabits what noise cannot.

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord!

The obvious meaning of thanks is gratitude or praise.

Taking a deeper look at the meaning of thanks…

it means to be well off, to fare well, and to prosper.

When we give thanks, we are declaring that we are well off! With our mouth we are determining how we fare in this life, in the circumstance, in the moment. Prosperity is on our tongue!

Thanksgiving is a direct result of remembrance. I’ve read this passage time and again. There have even been occasions when someone has addressed me this way, in a card or a loving word.

Upon every remembrance…

At the very mention of a name.

What would it be, if when a name comes up that we stop and say thank you for one another?

What would it look like to truly appreciate one another to such a degree that our gratitude enters into every conversation?

Thanksgiving has no lack of opportunity.

This month we are cultivating thanksgiving but by next year at this time, if we will determine to be thankful and be intentional …wouldn’t it be interesting to see just what thanksgiving has cultivated in our lives?

In cultivating a heart of thankfulness, this thought may seem a bit morbid, I know.  But the truth of the matter is, life is too short to be unthankful.  Every day we are given opportunity to remember our Great God. 

I believe that remembrance and thankfulness are relative to one another.  In giving thanks, God knows that we have remembered Him.  In thanksgiving we have acknowledged not only His goodness but Him personally.  

 Thanksgiving is for the living!  As long as we are breathing…there is a reason to be thankful!

And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Does God?

Will God? 

Can God?

All the woulds…

And shoulds…

And coulds…

They are endless.

The who…

The what…

The when…

The where…

The how…

They remain to be seen.

But this. 

This says it all.

In everything, give thanks. This is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 

Do you  know that this is the ONLY place in the word of God where you will find those words that each of us so long to have a revelation of?

This is the will of God…

 God wants us thankful!

All the who, what, when, where, why and how’s are secondary to this. 

Thankfulness doesn’t wait for the “would, should, could, does, will, can” of life.