Sunday morning was the first time in 10 years for me and in over 40 years for Ross that we’ve gone to church as church goers rather than preaching/teaching pastor and his wife. It felt oddly refreshing … to go and be poured into with worship music that points to Him and sound preaching of the Word … deep and meaningful and biblically accurate. We visited with no responsibilities, no one to lead, and no challenges to oversee.

I couldn’t help but remember my boys asking, “Mom, can’t you just marry a Christian? Does he have to be the pastor?”

I understood their concern after the 13 years of destruction caused by the false shepherd I’d allowed into my life. So here I am 10 years later, and I’m in that place they wanted me to be all those years ago. And honestly, it felt good.

As the pastor preached on the spiritual discipline of prayer and encouraged us to pray for those who have mistreated us, despitefully used us, and insulted us, I couldn’t help but remember a recent devotional from Tozer on The Almighty God.

The entry was based on Psalm 57:5 where David declared “Be Exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”

David immediately put God between him and his enemies. David knew that he must have the victory, but he knew if he was to have anything like permanent victory, he couldn’t ask God to exalt him.

So, he didn’t say, “Oh God, I am Your king, to be successor to Saul, the sinning king. Now God, I want You to come to my rescue and crush these enemies under my feet.”

He knew better than that. So, he prayed … “Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth” (Ps. 57:5).

He was saying, “Whatever happens to me, God, be exalted. Whatever these men with sharp teeth and claws and spears and arrows do to me, God, let Your glory be over all the earth. My heart is fixed on this, O God, and I will sing praise because I want You to be exalted above the heavens and Your glory over all the earth.”

When I read this devotion 10 days ago, I was still reeling from the events I mentioned last week. Ross’s sudden resignation and the unexpected Amazon returns along with a host of other challenges. I took David’s lead and cried out to God, “Be exalted, O God, over the journey we are on, all the unknowns and twists and turns. Let Your glory be over every aspect of our individual lives, our marriage, our family, our finances, our future, our ministry, our business, our town, our nation.”

As I did, I began to watch God bring good out of the challenges I faced with the Amazon returns. God used that shocking loss to move me into discovering ways to protect our authors from future excessive returns by Amazon, adjustments to our recommendations, and clarity amid the chaos. It really has been surreal to watch God glorify Himself in it all.

So, change is hard, and new things can seem awkward at first, but then as we see God speak to us through the new, we realize He had a better plan all along. It’s there we can praise Him… even if there are still questions about how it’s all going to go.

I am still on the journey to complete this season in full circle… but the journey has begun. So much of what is happening in my personal life and business world is in process. Even still, we are seeking the face of God to direct us, so that His glory will be seen through it all.

Each day we move forward with steps of obedience and prayers of faith knowing as we continue around the bend, He will work ALL THINGS together for His good.

Where are you in the circle of your journey? The path will lead to Him when you trust and walk in obedience. Let’s pray together for our next full circle. And I’d love to hear specifically how I can pray for you!

Thanks for spending time with me today!
Athena