"here's what's happening--but something else is going on"

this might surprise you, but sometimes i tend to be a little dense.

shocking, i know. if you need some time to deal with this revelation, please take all the time you need.

ready now?

so here's the thing: God has been speaking to me, for quite a while i might add, about worshiping Him no matter what. sermons, a post on kylah's blog, a song, my devotions for like, the past 3 months. all of these have had a common theme.

guess who just got it? yours truly.

to tell you the truth, i got a little scared this morning. i thought, "Lord, is there a difficult situation coming up? is life about to get a whole lot harder? are you teaching me now to praise you in the hard times?"

i don't know what's going to happen next. i don't know what the next phase of my life will look like.

but as i was reading my devotional this morning, i felt as though God was re-teaching me a valuable lesson. i know that God has a plan and that He is always working in our lives. but today, He encouraged me so much.

i read about a man named ron mcmanus, a pastor in north carolina. while he was dealing with a disease, he wrote a devotional titled, "here's what's happening--but something else is going on." for example, joseph's brothers hated him and sold him into slavery. that's what happened. but something else was going on-God was providing a way to save joseph's family, and many more people, from a deadly famine. daniel was thrown into a den of lions. that's what happened. but something else was going on-God used daniel's life to influence the king (and the lions didn't eat daniel...always a good thing). paul and silas were imprisoned for preaching the Word of God. that's what happened. but something else was going on-as a result of God rescuing paul and silas, the jailer and his family gave their lives to the Lord.

what's interesting about ron mcmanus is that he wrote this in the early days of this disease. he didn't know if God would heal him or if he would die. life was uncertain for him. but he knew that no matter what happened, something else was going on. God was working (by the way, God completely healed him).

what a joy and comfort it is to know that no matter what i go through, God is still working in my life. no matter what situation i find myself in, God already knows how it will bless someone else.

the next few months could be great. i will praise Him because He is the giver of all good things.

the next few months could be horrible. i will praise Him because He is sovereign and already knows what the future holds.

as i look back on the past few months, i see God's faithfulness through it all. and He has given me an incredible peace. i wish i could give God a hug.

i guess i'll have to settle for roddick.