In a Word
I smiled in that moment of prayer and responded, “and you don’t think that is hard?”
At the beginning of each year, for the past 14 years, I have purposefully prayed for the Lord’s blessing over the coming year and for his specific direction on what my heart should focus on.
In 2017, my word was “anticipation”. I found new ways to watch for and wait for and know that God was there in each place. It was a year of learning to anticipate the best rather than just the good. It was also the year I learned that my anticipation was often much smaller than what God had. My anticipation was usually for only things that I could control, know or do … at that moment. Anticipation became an altar in my life.
In 2018, the word I heard was Discover. I discovered old things made new, some things that had to die, new love and acceptance in Him, forgiveness toward myself and acceptance of all of me rather than just the “dressed up” part of me.
And now I have entered the time when I pray over what I should open myself to in 2019. I have been praying since the beginning of November. Over the Thanksgiving season, my niece shared with me how she has a “word” for each year and shared what the word for the coming year was going to be for her. I started to tell her of my past several years with this process and the Holy Spirit checked me. Up until now this has been a private conversation between me and the Lord.
Early the next morning, I awoke with the word COURAGE ringing in my ears. Courage…courage! Oh dear Father! My first response was fear. Why should my word be courage? What hard things did I have to face this year that I would need courage for?
The most repeated commandment in all of scripture is—
“Do not fear.”
I did not get an answer that morning. So each morning I asked Him … what? … why? Finally, after he had held my attention to a fine point with His silence, He whispered it was not a hard thing, but rather the courage to now do what I have learned to “Anticipate” and “Discover” … about Him … about myself … about my place in His kingdom here!
I think I smiled in that moment of prayer and responded, “and you don’t think that is hard?”
That day, I “stumbled” across this clip from Bill Johnson! Sealed in my heart is my commitment to COURAGE in this year, 2019.
So I ask you. What is He calling you to? What is your word … your call … your path for this coming year? Who are you “becoming”, rather than who are you?
He has good things always for His children! He is always coming after us! Be reminded once more how much He loves us! We do not need to fear!