As I sat in my favorite coffee shop one afternoon with an hour of work left to go I was starting to get tired and foggy brained. I asked God to help me pursue till the end. I had a few posts left to write and I wanted to at least get a quick draft for each.
As I began writing “Your Biggest Resource in Doing the Will of God” I overheard two older ladies make a comment about something, which at this point I don’t even remember what it was, but it made me laugh out loud. One of the ladies looked over and said something like, “Don’t mind us. We’re just having fun.”
The other lady asked if I was studying for an exam and we had a quick conversation on how I was writing about redeeming the time.
The first lady paused and asked, “You know what the only way to redeem the time is right?”
I was very curious and jumped at the opportunity to learn from the older generation. I excitedly asked her what it was and her response shocked me.
She said, “Jesus Christ” and began telling me about how God had promised her 10 years of redemption and He had fulfilled that promise to her. I became ashamed that I had not taken the opportunity to share that I was writing this from a Christian perspective, and mumbled about not wanting to say anything in case they weren’t religious.
She then walked over to me and reached out her hands and said, “I’d like to pray for you if that is alright?”
Shocked again I nodded my head and said yes.
Her prayer was the biggest blessing I think I have ever received. She prayed some things that had been on my heart for the past couple years and as I sit writing this less than a half hour after it happened I’m beginning to tear up.
God is not just good, He is faithful, caring, loving, and gives us grace to do what He wants us to do.
After having a strong desire to give up on my dream for BSR this was totally needed and touched my heart in a way that only God could have done. She blessed me in my dreams and what God had laid on my heart to accomplish. As she walked out the door shortly later, because it was so special, the thought that went through my mind was that she was an angel!
In talking about redeeming the time, which is a very important topic, God reminded me during this special meeting to not leave out Jesus, to not raise up anything higher than Christ. Redeeming the time is great, but Jesus is everything and without Him we can do nothing!!!
So I encourage you in reading this. Embrace the dream God has placed in your heart, but don’t leave out Jesus. Don’t let anything else consume your heart more than Him. Don’t allow anything to be raised up higher than Christ. He is everything. He gave you dreams and desires too big for you to bring Him glory. Ask Him to accomplish these through you so that He gets all the glory.
The morning of this story above started out cloudy and wet. I groaned at the thought but decided to embrace it. As I am writing this, the sun peaked through the clouds and it isn’t just warming me through the window but it’s warming my heart to know that God never leaves me. He is always there.
If He wants us to do something, He will make the time. Your only job is to listen to His voice, acknowledge Him in all things, and then obey His leading. Cast all your care upon Him, pray about everything, and leave it in His hands. 1 Peter 5:8, Philippians 4:6-7, and Proverbs 3:5-6
This is a moment I’ll never forget. Being in one of my favorite locations – a coffee shop at that, with the sun shining, classical hymn music playing in the background, and receiving the encouragement of a life time! I’ve got goosebumps all over and I feel like crying. It was one of the biggest blessing of my life!
Listen to episode #27 on the Be Still and Run by Alli Anne podcast using your favorite platform or by using the link below to search for it.
Love ya’ll and can’t wait to see what God does in your life in the coming years as you choose to seek His face first! Happy Running!
Up Next: Ever Said, “I don’t have time”? Try to say this instead…
#44 Missing Something? – Be Still And Run by Alli Anne
Be Still and Run 