Look What The Lord Has Done

I cannot tell you how many times this week I have listened to a Charity Gayle medley on YouTube (check it out here ). It starts with the song “Cleansed”, then “Nothing But the Blood” and after a praise break ends with some good old “Look What The Lord Has Done”. I have been drawn to this over and over again since I found it one day last week.

I confided in a dear friend of mine. I have had this nagging, sometimes excruciating headache for almost two weeks. It is not a migraine…I know all about those but I was healed. PRAISE THE LORD! My husband and I both calculated it was a combination of dehydration and all that vitamin and mineral deficiency stuff we dealt with a couple weeks ago with the doctor. This is just a process.

I confessed to my friend that I believed it was stress. I have come to realize the job I took a year ago was more likely a diversion and not God opening a door. I had to be honest and look at things from a Biblical perspective. Some time ago I heard Ted Shuttleworth Jr. share a message about making decisions and he quoted Isaiah 55:12, “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;” I went out in joy toward this job, but I had little peace about it. I was so convinced it would be this impressive opportunity and it has become a much deeper pit than the one I thought I was crawling out of. It is not a reflection of the people I work for, but of the systems not in place. I need some degree of order, process is comforting to me…we have very little of that where I am.

I have been praying for something else to open up. I have had an interview that went well, but no response yet. We have been praying for almost two years for a new job or a better situation for my husband’s job. We sometimes slip into the “what are we doing wrong” mindset. Last week, Pastor Will addressed this “what about me” or “when is it my time” in the Wednesday night service. God is working for each of us, but it is in His time, not ours. Since that message, I have been trying to be more diligent in focusing on God and not our circumstances.

Last week when the headache woke me from my sleep, I tried to pray. My words were jumbled and I was certainly not praying in authority. At one point I simply prayed for God to help me pray. Through tears the words were not coming but my thoughts were clear, “I am a child of God. Healing is mine. Jesus took every curse, every disease…this is not mine.” It took a few minutes and breathing became more normal. The pain eased and I was able to pray and then go back to sleep.

There have been several moments in these two weeks where when I tried to pray I felt like my words were jumbled, almost incoherent. I just could not focus. The list of names before me, the specific requests, everything seems so unfocused. I know that means focusing more on God. When everything spins in your head or in your world, focus on God. Why were my attempts failing?

Pastor Luke spoke of waking up ahead of his household and praising the Lord. Taking time just to thank the Lord each morning in the quiet of the day. When he spoke of this I nodded because I start my day praying, praising, and in the Word of God. My friend shared that she had been struggling and Pastor Luke’s statement resonated with her. She too prays and praises, but she said she made a concentrated effort to thank God for specific things he has done, big and small. She told me how things began to open back up for her, she was able to focus and get much more from God’s Word.

I only fully fasted a few days of our corporate fast at church, but the entire time frame I made it a point to write out the prayer points and scriptures each day. Then I started adding the scriptures from our daily devotions. Now my sermon notes are in the same book. Yesterday, I started adding notes from sermons I listen to and even a book I am reading. I am working to be more intentional about my time in the Word, in every capacity. Where else do I need to be intentional?

Back to the song in my head, “Look What the Lord Has Done”. Since the message from my friend this morning I have been compiling a mental list of what God has done for me. Before it was vague, thanking Him for his mercy and grace. Do not get me wrong, we need to be thankful for that but how has it been displayed to you, in your life. What does grace and mercy look like for each of us? Perhaps we all get a little stalled in our worship because we are not specific enough. How can I look at what the Lord has done, if I am being so vague in my worship and praise? Just as we have to be intentional with putting the Word of God first, we have to be intentional about our praise.

So take a few minutes and make a quick list of what God has done for you. If you are willing share a few things in the comment section. Faith grows by hearing and the things you are praising God for are your testimony. I’ll even get you started: I am thankful that God put friends in my life who love God. Friends that grow with me and sharpen me day after day.