Jackson...here we come!!!

Well, we head to Jackson tomorrow to stay the night and go for the delivery of Selah on Monday! We are not sure what to expect...excited but nervous. We are just praying that it is evident God's hand is at work. I have had some anxiety about the uncertainty but I am trying to get rid of those thoughts. I had a friend share some scripture with me not long ago and God spoke to me about our story through it. It is in 2 Chronicles 20:1-30. Now I am going to try to give a recap on what is happening and then how God related to our situation....bear with me. :) You really need to check out the scripture yourself though...I don't do it justice!
It has Jehoshaphat as the leading man. Because his name is not so fun to spell I am going to refer to him as J. from here on out. So we have J. finding out that a "vast army" is coming to attack him, his people, and his land. Now as I read and thought about it, the situation seems similar to ours. Here J. is with this news that probably intimidates him, makes him feel helpless, worries him, and he has uncertainty that he is facing. He doesn't know what to do. Yet, he seeks God...actually scripture says he "resolved to inquire of the Lord."  I am sure being human and all that he did fret a bit and have his moment, but he also looked to God and realized he didn't have the power or control and he called on the Lord's name. He resolved to not let his human tendencies, the fear, etc. consume him or his reactions and he looked to God. J. cries out to God, "...we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." (20:12) The scripture then tells us that God answered J. and that God instructed him, taught him, counseled him and his people. God told J. that the "battle" was not his to fight and that what he needed to do was to trust and obey. "You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your position, stand firm, and see the deliverance the Lord will give you. Do not be afraid and do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow and the Lord will be with you." (20:17)  J. and his people did obey and God's hand at work was evident. God's power, purpose, and glory took center stage...not anything of J. Scripture also tells us that after the victory in battle that J. and his people were able to acquire so much plunder that they couldn't carry it all away at once...an abundance. (20:25)
So, how does all this relate to our story...let me try to relay it. As I read it, God spoke and pointed out how relevant it is to what we are going through. Just as J. faced a "vast army," we face a situation that seems so "vast" and full of uncertainty. Just as he probably felt intimidated, helpless, hopeless, we are trying to put aside the same feelings. We, as J. did, want to look to God and not ourselves...with the realization that it is not our strength or power that is sustaining or at work. J. trusted God and obeyed and saw God's mighty hand at work...on his behalf. We are trying to trust God, hope in God, obey God. We have seen and do see that He answers prayers, He speaks and teaches, He provides grace that is enough when that is all we have. God spoke to me that it is not the "vastness" of the situation, the worry, the uncertainty that matters. He spoke to me that it is not our "battle." He spoke to me that it is Him that is in control and it is Him that is working. What He calls Spencer and I to do is to keep praying to Him, to keep looking to Him, to keep trusting in Him, to keep hoping in Him. As we do, He is working and it is His glory, His purpose, His power that is evident.
As we go, we are trying to rest in this and yet "stand firm" in this truth. Just as God was with J., He is with us now. He is with Selah. He is in all of it. At the conclusion of J.'s story, it says that "God had given him rest on every side." (20:30) My prayer for us is that we have that same "rest." Resting not in the fact that it all works out according to our plan or desires but resting in knowing that we are held in God's hand.
Much love to you, thank you for your prayers!!!