Navigating "The Next" thing

Hello Family,

Back in April, I woke up from my sleep one day and heard an audible voice say, "Fast".

I knew it was God's voice speaking to me in that moment, but I couldn't understand why the God of the Universe wanted to speak me.

Why did God want to speak with the one creation who had been intentionally ignoring Him for months?

Of all the obedient, God fearing, and "honorable" men, women and others God could easily communicate with and seek out deeper intimacy with... why in the world would He seek out deeper intimacy with the creation who hated Him?

After wrestling with the idea of "fasting" (Matthew 6:16-18) for the rest of that day, I decided that "it wouldn't hurt to try it".

I could not have imagined back in April the life that I am living now, but know that God doesn't make mistakes. During the course of my fast, God confirmed that He wanted me to go to seminary.

ME: SEMINARY?! Like God please be for real!

<NOTE: Seminary is basically school for individuals looking to work in ministry.>

The truth is God was and is VERY SERIOUS about the instructions He gives us. So, I decided to reach out to mentors from a college ministry I was involved in to get assistance on the process. I started my applications for school back in May of 2023. As previously mentioned in a blog post, I got in a bad car accident at the end of May that through a wrench in my application process. I was devastated and assumed that I would likely miss college application deadlines due to my poor mental and physical health.

Thankfully, God's grace came ALLLLL the way through... I was able to apply to a few schools and now I am navigating "the next".

There is a larger testimony that I'll share soon, but I want this message to serve as a reminder that GOD STILL DOES MIRACLES NOW (in 2023 or whatever year you'll get to read this). I missed college application deadlines due to my car accident. I want you to know God did not miss a beat even though I did! He saved my life in that car accident, and blessed me with the opportunity to still be able to apply to the schools that I was interested in.

In the face of calamity, stress, frustration and disaster it's tempting to wonder, "God where are you??" I actually just asked this, but know...

God is here. 
Dios está aquí.

Hebrews 13:5 (NLT) reads, "Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

I am unsure what the next 5-12 months or more of my life will look like, but I AM CONFIDENT that with God ANYTHING is possible (Matthew 19:26).

You don't have to know what's next nor "love" your circumstances in order to trust God.

Having faith isn't about seeing things clearly. Having faith is about being confident that the God that you serve is the one true living God who can do above and beyond all you can ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). Faith is about trusting that God is who He says He is, especially in life events "big" or "small".

In this moment, I can't help but to think back to May 2022 when I was driving back to Atlanta from Tuscaloosa... I was a fresh college graduate, with no "post-grad job", and no idea what was next for me. I am living in the crossroads of 2 prayers as I type this. I prayed for a job in my career, and I got it. As I get closer to the end of this chapter and the beginning of the next I can assure you the God that created us both will continue to order my steps (and yours) according to His will.

When you struggle to believe God is with you, I encourage you to remember that the same God who brought you health in moments you were sick. Remember the God that blessed you with rent money when you didn't know how rent would be paid. Remember the God that blessed you with raises and promotions for jobs that you're "under qualified" or "unqualified" for. 

The same power of God that raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 6:10-11), turned water into wine (John 2:1-11), brought sight to the blind (John 9:1-11), healed the sick (Luke 4:40) and parted the red sea (Exodus 14:21-29), is the same power of God that lives within His children (Ephesians 1:19-20). Speak life into your situation in the face of the known, unknown, and the "next". Watch God work... just Watch.

I love you. Jesus loves you MOST!

Keep your head up, and if you can't that is okay to.

Stay encouraged. Be Fruitful.

XO Miss Ponder

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CITATIONS:

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.