The Hot Seat

 Stepping Out in RED Shoes!

- Day 132 -

God had me seated right in front of Him

so I'd hear every word He had to say!

Yesterday was Mother's Day.  First thing in the morning,
I got a text from my son in Colorado, filled with words of love and well wishes.  Around noon, I talked with my daughter in New York by phone.  She's a delight.  Her love for me has a way of bubbling all over the place in her conversation.  It puts a smile on my face every time.  My youngest, Grace, is local.  She had to work all day.  At the end of the day though, we sat together on her bed, sharing our thoughts and dreams.  She wrapped it all up in the most beautiful prayer of blessing over me.  Truly, I am loved!

That said, this Mother's Day -- like every other day -- was spent in RED shoes  with Jesus.  For a long time, the thought of such a thing didn't excite me.  Just how does one spend the day with a God they can't see? And how could that be fulfilling? -- To me it all seemed kind of empty.  But no more! -- I have learned that every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before.  He is a God of adventure.

You just never know 

what's going to happen 

when you're hanging out with God.  

You can count on this: 

 It will be unforgetable!

Not quite knowing what to do with myself after church on Mother's Day, I decided to go straight to Starbucks.  It was announced there would be a special missionary service later in the afternoon, so I didn't want to go all the way home and then come all the way back.  I had myself a chai and a bagel, watched my favorite download on YouTube, and managed to get  completely caught up on all my blogs.  When I was done, I headed back to the church a little early and prayed in the parking lot until it was time for the meeting to begin.

What I didn't know was that there was a space between the worship time and the missionary speaking.  After a nice time of singing, everyone broke up into two groups.  Most went one way into a class on the teachings of Jesus and the remaining few were a part of a pastoral leadership class hosted by the pastor.  It would be awkward to just sit there alone in the main room for an hour, so I meandered into the pastoral leadership class to observe.

As I entered the class, I was welcomed with a smile.  There, in a circle,  sat a handful of students and the pastor discussing vision.
I sat myself down in an empty seat, thinking to myself,

"What the heck am I doing here?"  

Little did I know it was all part of God's Divine Plan.  That seat was the hot seat, and God put me in it for a reason.  He seated me right in front of Him so that I'd hear every word He had to say.  The topic of vision, as you all know, is not something I'm unfamiliar with.  The pastor talked openly and frankly about how lonely it can be at times to be a visionary.  It's tough when you can see things others can't.

"Why does He show you those things?"

He asked the students with boldness.

"It's because He wants you to take ownership of them!"

I could certainly relate to the topic at hand.  Had I not just blogged on "Unwavering Faith"  and the importance of getting "All In"?   Then suddenly, the pastor raised his voice and looked right straight into my eyes...

"Hope deferred does not mean Hope denied!"

I'm not sure if he said it more than once or not, but it kept replaying over and over in mind with steadfast boldness and authority.  Oh my... God was speaking directly to me!

Just because the vision is tarrying 

does not mean it's not coming,"  

said the LORD.

"It's for a very specific moment in time.  Don't let it go!  

Pray it through, Gail!  Pray it through!"

The pastor continued his classroom discussion with example after example of how God had brought each and every vision He'd ever had to fruition.  When it came time to go back and hear the missionary speak, I smiled and thanked the pastor.  

"You spoke right to me."   I said.  

"No..."  he responded.  "God spoke to you."  

Little did he know the full of it!  Oh he probably knew God had used him, but he had no clue where I was at, or what specifically God was doing in my life.  He was just being obedient and teaching his class. --  God moved through that!

Having heard from God, I turned and stepped out of the classroom in my little RED shoes, empowered to pray forth the vision God's given me!

In the prayer closet,

Gail