Heavenly Father...

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for showing up when I needed You so badly. I truly believe if our faith in Your love for us is strong, we would never doubt that You're always with us no matter what we're going through. But lately, my good fortune has been so much on the down swing that I had begun to question where You and I stand. But when You showed up and performed that miracle, immediately my faith came rushing back. It was proof that You heard me and You're still with me. You're a very present help in trouble.

When the three Hebrew boys were thrown into the fiery furnace, there was a fourth image in there... King Nebuchadnezzar said the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. I love that sermon that Bishop Talbert Swan preached that talks about You starting at the end of our lives and backing up... seeing that we would need a deliverance and putting it in there and backed up further and saw that we would need a way out of no way and putting it in there, till You arrived at the beginning of our life and kicked off our start. You know everything that we will face in our lives, and none of it is a surprise to You. You see the deliverance because You already designed it. We, however, don't have a clue. I thought I was following the path out in front of me and it led to a dead end road and that was confusing for me. As I turned around and headed back in the other direction, I was scratching my head wondering where did I go wrong. How did I miss Your voice telling me where to turn?

I was reminded of the time when the Apostle Paul, after he was converted, and began preaching Christ in the synagogues, the Jews plotted to kill him and they watched the city gates day and night to capture him when he left the city. When he got wind of it, the believers let him down through the city wall in a large basket and he escaped. And when Paul and Silas had been severely beaten with rods and thrown in jail, they sang and prayed and worshiped You instead of being offended with You. They were smack dab in Your will and yet they endured trouble anyway.

Paul said they were troubled on every side in Macedonia, by many conflicts, but You comforted their downcast spirit by sending Titus to boost their spirits with good news. You have a way of turning Winter into Spring and making something beautiful from all our suffering. Nothing is too hard for You.

Yesterday, You took my downcast spirit and gave it a boost. I was in need of resurrection and today I feel life-like again.

Thank You for allowing me to enter Your throne room today... in Your Son's name I pray. Amen.