Until

I was not able to post with pictures, so in the mean time I will do this post as I can't get it out of mind :)  I do a prayer board for the homeschool group here and God gives me prayers or things that He puts heavilly on my heart to share with everyone.  The encouragment that He gave me yesterday though I didn't want to just go out to us homeschoolers, so I thought I would share it here too :)  Below is the cut and paste from yesterdays prayer on the board....


Doing my Bible reading this morning and I didn't get very far at all as one verse has lept off the pages and filled me with great excitement! I hope it will encourage you today!

I have been in prayer for so many going through really awful things!! Kids with cancer, the loss (or threat of loss) of jobs, people living with chronic pain, people hearing things from doctors like "you only have 6-9 months to live"--I mean really awful things!!! I know we may never understand all the reasons why this side of Heaven. I do trust everyone will have big "A HA" moments when we do make into the lap of our Daddy and see (and understand) His reasoning and the great and wonderful things He was able to achieve because of it, but going through these challenges just plain stink!!

I have been rejoicing, and in much prayer, for the 3 women found ALIVE in Cleveland, OH! Praise God!! Thinking (or trying not to) of what they must have gone through, and have yet to deal with! I was reading in Psalm 105 about Joseph. What an amazing story he has. One of my favorites! It's easy to read in the pages that yes he was sold into slavery, and then in prison. But it's also easy to pass right by that to the happy ending and not dwell on the ordeal Joseph must have gone through. I mean, I have thought about it a little, but not dwelled on it by any means. I'm not saying lets dwell now on awful, ugly things--just that it's easy to not really go there and get the full effect of the story. He, like so many people NOW, have gone through, and are still going through some really awful things! In this Psalm in 105:18 it says "they bruised his feet with fetters and placed his neck in an iron collar." Well that stinks! Living with pain STINKS! Dealing with cancer STINKS! Depression STINKS! There is a LOT in this world that STINKS!

But, get this--in verse 19 it says UNTIL!!! That is the word that jumped for joy this morning! Oh praise God, there is an UNTIL!! "Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Josephs charachter." Testing is not fun. I know very few (if any) people who love a test. In fact, I'm praying for all our kids that will be testing in a couple of weeks! That is certainly one thing on our schedule that I don't hear daily (or hourly) "how much longer until we do that...."

The test is preperation. God is setting us up for our UNTIL! Please hold on to your until today (and every day)!! Until the time comes that dreams are fulfilled!!! That is a huge statement! After being in captivity for 10 years, these women held on to their until and seized the moment that God gave them. I'm sure there were countless times they didn't believe in the until moment. Certainly not the "fulfill his dreams" part of the story. But it does come! It may look different then what we think, want, or expect it to look. God truly does work in mysterious ways and His ways are higher--which gives Him a much better vantage point!

My prayer today is speedy untils, that all your (our) characters get what is needed with the least amount of testing, but that we all get the perfect amount for the dream that God is preparing us to fulfill. I pray that no testing be in vane, but that God is able to get as much good out of all the things that stink so that we all proclaim afterwards--it stunk going through, but I wouldn't change it for a thing because.....(and then all the reasons of God's glory!).

Fill us all Lord, with the promise of until and excitment for the fulfillment of our dreams!
Have a great day everyone!
Blessings,
Stacey