“But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.” (Psalm 77:11-12/NLT)

Wait, God! I thought You wanted me to… I thought You said… ??

Have you been there before? Wondering why God seemed to be changing His plans and seemingly closing doors?

The LORD sent me the following devotional (below) six days before I would learn the reason for the severe pain in my lower and upper back. I also had constant pain in my neck, which was causing ongoing headaches. I had completed (barely) a series of three consecutive MRIs nine days before. The process lasted two hours. I panicked and had them pull me out, not knowing I only had four minutes left to go. I’m extremely claustrophobic. Fortunately, I had not messed up any of the process, and after a breather, I was sent back in for the remaining minutes. The orthopedic department had not called or emailed me, providing an explanation in layman’s terms about the results. I only received the technical report, which seemed like jargon to me.

God prompted me to send a message to my rheumatologist to ask her whether the MRI results indicated any reason for my right hand locking up. She emailed me to say that she had not received the results, which are usually sent to her by all my specialists. I made several phone calls before I reached someone to quickly send the results to my rheumatologist.

The doctor immediately called me. My condition was severe, with a compression fracture in my lumbar spine and a herniated disc in my neck. I’ve been in pain for over thirty years, and severe pain off and on for the past four years. I still do manual labor. It is in my genetics. My ancestors were impoverished potato farmers from Ireland who immigrated to the United States, where they worked in woolen mills and as house cleaners. I have always known the importance and value of hard work. Throughout my life, I have worked intensely and diligently. If I had not learned about the condition of my back, I would have been overexerting myself in things I usually do.

Because of God’s prompting, I realized that I needed to rest. The doctor kindly called in some prednisone and some muscle relaxers. I am grateful to God for this specialist who carefully monitors my other conditions and went above and beyond, contacting me and ordering medication to help since my orthopedic doctor was gone on vacation.

But what about the plans that God gave me that I had been moving forward on?

If you watch and listen closely, God will speak to you through His word, others, and circumstances. He is not changing His mind; His promises and word are always true (Hebrews 13:8). Sometimes, He gives us delays for reasons we may not understand. Although we may try to bulldoze our way through, we should take only one step at a time. There is always a significant reason behind it. God’s timing is always, ALWAYS perfect.

He Constantly Abides (C. H. Spurgeon) from Faith’s Checkbook.

The LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people. (1 Samuel 12:22)

God’s choice of His people is the reason for His abiding by them and not forsaking them. He chose them for His love, and He loves them for His choice. It would dishonor His great name for Him to forsake them; since it would either show that He made an error in His choice or that He was fickle in His love. God’s love has this glory, that it never changes; and this glory He will never tarnish. 

By all memories of the Lord’s former lovingkindnesses, let us rest assured that He will not forsake us. He, who has gone so far as to make us His people, will not undo the creations of His grace. He has not wrought such wonders for us that He might leave us after all. Our Lord Jesus is no changeable Lover. Having loved His own, He loves them to the end.

What severe circumstances are you experiencing currently? Illness? Cancer? Loss of income? Disgruntled family issues? Are you completely lost and confused about what’s happening in your life? Trust me… if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, He will never leave you or forsake you. The next time a plan you’ve been working on, feeling led by God, seems closed, remain in prayer… continue to listen… and wait. Don’t be discouraged or frustrated. It may not be a stop sign, but only a yield sign.

Sailing Winds (writing) side note:

I received the manuscript back from the editor. Yikes! No, she was reassuring that all first-time writers have a load of work to learn and do, and that even editors need editing! She encouraged me that what I had written was good. It just needs a little (or a lot) of tweaking with more effective words to have a greater impact on others. Please pray that, due to my current condition, I will use appropriate times for sitting and writing, as well as standing and walking, when needed. Thanks! More updates on gratitude to come!