Reflecting upon this past year their have been lots of changes from stepping out of my comfort zone in starting this blog to starting a new work path. However, it has been good changes with many blessings and joys. For instance one blessing is finding my way back to a church home that is home and that encourages me to stay grounded in the truth. And that brings joy, but it also challenges me to grow within my faith as well. Another blessing within this year was having the opportunity to go to a woman’s conference this past February that changed my life, because God awakened something in my heart. God awakened a new love for writing that I didn’t quite understand or realize. But he also awakened it through intimacy with him by journaling my faith journey by writing it out with complete transparency and honesty. He lit a fire of passion to write about His love. He illuminated something I could not see or realize before. Yet one of the most important things that I have learned throughout this year is that, it is okay to ask God questions, but there is a fine line of questioning God or questioning even his goodness. And this journey of faith is filled with questions. It is a quest filled with unanswered questions that may not be answered right away but then again they could. Moreover, in reflecting upon this past year and looking through my notes from this conference is that God’s word does not come back empty. God keeps his promises and He does speak to us through His word, and in His still small voice. If we slow down to listen to His still small voice, it is not so quiet but loud enough to hear. He will make Himself known and heard. In Isaiah it says, “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth, it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”(Isaiah 55:11ESV). This is exciting that God’s word does not come back empty that it accomplishes what he purposes. And God’s promise’s that he makes will not return empty either. God is good and He is good to us. And it is exciting because it will succeed in which he purposes too. Somehow that puts me in awe of how powerful God is and how powerful His spoken word is. It puts me in awe because, He can be trusted. It means that He is completely faithful and that what he has spoken to me or even what he speaks to anyone in secret will manifest. The point is secrets manifest, prayers prayed in secret will get answered. Now when or how they are answered is not always how we imagine them nor do they always look like we envision them. Yet it also means if we pray for heart’s desires and if they align with God’s word then he will bless us. Obviously within this past year I have been learning how trustworthy God is and he can be trusted with what is even near and dear to my heart. And that He can be trusted with my hearts desires. Furthermore, in looking at this past year, I have found that we must press into God that we have to fight for the ground within our walk of faith, and that we must not give up. But also that we must seek and ask God in this journey of faith, even if we have lots of questions God is not scared by our questions, because he asks questions of us too. In Matthew 9 it says, “And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, Have mercy on us, son of David. When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, Yes Lord, Then he touched their eyes saying, According to your faith be it done to you. And their eyes were opened, And Jesus sternly warned them, see that no one knows about it. But they went away and spread his fame through all the district.”(Matt9:27-31ESV). This passage of scripture has become one of my favorite, because it displays great faith a child like faith that is innocent and untainted by this world. I want to have that kind of faith and I want others to be able to have that kind of faith. However, I want to also believe and not lose sight of how God speaks to me and how his word never returns empty. Also I am reminded that God’s voice cannot be silenced and he is always able to break through the barriers that I try to build. There is a quote by Beth Moore, that I want to share she says that, “You can chain up every Christian on the planet but God’s word cannot be chained. You can mute your TV, your phone, and your laptop but you cannot mute God. Build a wall-He’ll walk right through it. Pour a moat and He’ll walk on top of it. Block Him with a mountain and He’ll command it to move.”(Moore, 2016, pg.91). This brings me back to my point God will make Himself heard and he speaks to us in love as well. And when he speaks he will awaken our hearts to a fire lit with passion to share his love with others. When God speaks he makes himself known. Another point is we cannot hide from God because he invites us in to join him on a quest filled with many questions but also with many joys. The question is, are we willing to join in? Are we willing to say yes? Which brings me to something else I’ve realized this year, if someone asks me a question or to do something for them they better want a yes, because I am more then likely going to jump in with both feet and say yes, because serving is one of the ways I love to serve God. Anyway, back to my original points if God speaks to us are we willing to say yes? References English Standard Study Bible (2008) Crossway Publishing, Wheaton IL, Moore, Beth (2016) Entrusted, A Study of 2 Timothy, LifeWay Press, Nashville Tennessee,
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