Journal Entry ~ 09/06/18

11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12 But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.13 And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. - Exodus 17:11-13

God loves to win battles in a way that says only He could have done it. There is no mistaking God’s victory in this battle. So long as Moses held up the staff of God, the Israelites would win in the battle against Amalek, but when he lowered his hands, they would lose - that could only be God. Only God could demonstrate His majesty, His sovereignty, and His power in such a way. 

God still works in such a way that demonstrates it could only be Him today. My life is a series of stories of how God has shown up in ways that could only be Him. There have been countless times where I have prayed for an outcome, and have been blown away by the way God resolved the situation.  I have prayed for wisdom in situations, and seen God show up to reveal information to me in ways that only God can do. I have prayed for Him to move a mountain of hurt in my heart to forgive an incredible offense, and I have found peace that only He could bring. I have prayed for the right words to say, and watched God take control of the words coming out of my mouth.  He has cleared my schedule when it needs to be, He has shown up in my finances in ways that could only be Him, He has moved and softened hearts in relationships that could only be Him. My life is evidence of God’s incredible power

My last year is a testimony of God’s sovereignty - my diagnosis and healing could only be Him. The original spot of cancer they discovered in my breast was only one mm. One mm!  Think about how small that is! When they performed the lumpectomy, they found four additional spots that were all under one mm. But the cancer they found was especially aggressive, and the growth rate recorded was exceptionally high. 

My mammogram was originally scheduled for January, but due to a number of hospitalizations in various family members between January and June, I continued to put off my scheduled mammogram. My husband and I had a couple of vacations scheduled for the summer, so I didn’t have time to schedule the mammogram until August. The growth was so small, had I gotten the mammogram earlier as I should have, the cancer would not have been detected. Had I waited any longer, or gotten it at my scheduled time in January, the aggressive nature of the growth would have significantly changed my prognosis. Only God could have revealed my cancer at exactly the right moment.  

The problem is we often don’t see how God is moving, or we want to take the credit for it. I could have taken the credit for getting my mammogram done at the right time, or I could have dismissed it as a lucky coincidence, but then I would be missing the amazing blessing that God has bestowed on me this past year while in treatment. He has blown me away with the peace and trust He has given me as He’s shown me that He’s protecting me when I don’t even know to ask for it. I had no reason to think I would ever struggle with cancer. There is no significant history of cancer before me in my family line, and I am in fairly excellent health. In other words, I’ve never had a reason to pray that God protects my health, and yet He did. God has also shown up this year on amazing ways to reveal my heart to me - He has shown my my struggle with control, my idols in self-sufficiency, and my lack of humility. And He has brought me strength and healing through treatment that could only be Him. 

I am so incredibly grateful that I love a God who shows up in ways I don’t even know I need, but is proof that it could only be Him. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

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