Heard from God...

Since telling the story last week about God speaking to me, I have been reminded of one of the other times I so, so clearly heard His voice.  It was 1999, and Tom had decided to run for judge.  We had kids in elementary, middle, high school and college.  His father had died and his mother had Alzheimer’s.  We had only been married five years or so, and life was busy.  I had gone to a women’s retreat in Nashville with a group of ladies, and we were in this huge coliseum, hearing incredible speakers and experiencing powerful praise and worship, 5000 voices lifted in praise to the Lord.  I began to think of the scripture “If two or more are gathered,” and thinking about all these women in one place, in one accord, imagine what we could accomplish!
 The theme of the conference was “For such a time as this,” and all the speakers spoke on Esther, in one form or another, each of them seemingly better than the last.  I had been really struggling with how our next year was going to play out, with all these kids, all these responsibilities, and then to add a four-county hotly-contested race to that mix.  I love people, and I figured I would love meeting new people and going to all the events that make up a campaign, but I kept wondering how I needed to act, was I going to be required to not be myself, but instead pretend that I was “judge’s wife material,” whatever in the world that would be….
 As I was at this retreat, praying and seeking God, the message began to really challenge me – was I being prepared for a “such a time as this?”  Did God have a work for me to do, something that might be encountered on the campaign trail?  All my worries over what I would wear, how I should act, where I should go, began to fade away as God spoke so clearly over my heart that He had prepared me for such a time as this, and I was just to take Him with me everywhere I went, and all would work out in His timing and a result of His plan.  And no, He did not assure me that Tom would win – He just assured me, clear as a bell, that He was with me, and I should be who I am, no pretense, no sanitized version, just all-out real and honest, and He would take care of the rest.
We had a ball on the campaign trail, exhausting as it was, and it was one of the best times of my life.  And little did I know that my husband would be saved one month before we began campaigning, and he would be the one to constantly share his faith, telling random strangers that “I got saved – it’s changed my life!”  That sweet, sweet whisper of God’s voice over my soul that weekend gave me the confidence to be real, be honest and put it all in His hands.  I wonder for you, are you being prepared “for such a time as this?”  Perhaps something seemingly small – a new job, a new marriage, going to school, working on saving a relationship?  There is NOTHING too small for God to handle, and there is NOTHING He will not prepare you for.  Get out your Bible and read the story of Esther – it is probably my favorite book of the Bible in some respects – phenomenal story with life-changing lessons. 
 Whatever it is you are going through, God promises to be there with you “for such a time as this”…..