Wednesday, June 2, 2010

A Time to Remember

Yesterday after I dropped off the Kindergartner, little guy and I headed to the church.  I met two other women there, and we stood in the kitchen and cut up fruit, veggies, and hamburger fixins.  We prepped this food for the Upward Soccer Appreciation Dinner.  A dinner that was to celebrate a most awesome soccer season.  A dinner that was to say thank you to the coaches, assistant coaches, referees, and concession workers. A dinner that was taking place that evening. 

As I stood in the kitchen cutting up fruit and veggies, the number 150 kept running through my head.  That was the estimated, best guess of how many people would be coming to the dinner.  There was no official head count, no RSVP.  Just a guess.  A number.  And I will be perfectly honest...I was a little overwhelmed with this whole thing.  What if there were more people, and not enough food?  Being a girl who likes to always make sure there is MORE than enough...I was having some issues with the unknown. 

So fast forward to 5:30pm last night and we are now putting out the food.  A nice hamburger bbq with all the yummy fixins to go on top.  As I am bringing stuff outside to set on the food tables I am getting a little anxious...I am seeing 'the people'.  The ones who are coming to eat.  So I keep bringing the food out...oh and the desserts...there was enough brownies...cookies...and yummy sweets to cause our whole city to max out their dental insurance this year!  At one point I was wondering if we should have switched it to "Upward Soccer Appreciation Dessert"...that way then we would  know for sure there would be enough!  So as I am watching more and more people show up...and I am glancing over the tables of food...I am just beside myself with the nervous energy of truly doubting we can feed all these people.  You see I can't count heads very fast...and just maybe I tend to exaggerate...but it truly looked like a mass amount of people!  So I put my head down and focused on getting the condiments organized properly...one ketchup, one mayo, one mustard per side of the food table...oh and the pickles right in the middle...and then it hits me...people are going to go hungry, they are going to starve...we don't have enough food!  So I get to praying...you know the Jesus please show up...here and now...crazy frantic prayer! 

And as my head lifts and people start going through the food line and loading up their plates...I keep to praying!

People came, they ate, they chatted.  It was a GREAT time!

I am MORE than thrilled to report that there was MORE than enough food.  People had seconds...some thirds...oh and people were taking some home in baggies!!!

During clean-up it was when my Jesus whispered to my heart...

"remember that whole thing about me feeding thousands of people with a boys lunch?"

In those moments last night and into today I am reminded that our God is a God who can do it all! 

He can take a frightened shepherd boy and equip him to lead His people.

He can fill a little boy with the courage to bring down a giant.

He can take an simple ordinary young girl and make her extraordinary.

He can take a Man and fill Him with the perseverance to see it through.

He can take fisherman, prostitutes, liars, cheaters, adulterers,  the dead, sinners, you and me and make us MORE.

He is the Master of take nothing and making it something.

Chapter 7 in Eat the cookie...buy the shoes is about taking the time to remember.  Remember what God has done for you. 

Remember what He has brought you out of.

Remember what He has brought you through.

Remember what He has brought you to.

Our mind, hearts and souls need this.  We need to remember who He is.

He is God.  And what He says He will do...He will do!

This morning I found myself in Ezekiel 17. 
" 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. All the trees of the field will know that I the LORD bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish.


" 'I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.' "

Ezekiel 17:22-24 (emphasis mine)
His precious Word!

Friends, I don't know your situation at this moment. But I do know God does.  And in this moment I find peace in that.  Peace knowing that NO MATTER the situation, He has the answer. 

I am praying and knowing He will speak to our hearts.  He will remind us of His love, His promises, His eternity for us.

And during this time of remembering who He is, He is also filling us with what we need to get us there!

May we know in this moment He remembers us, He loves us, and He adores us, on purpose!

9 comments:

Joyful said...

In my "prayer room" (that's what my sister calls it...it is a quiet room with beautiful, peaceful pictures and colours), I have the word "REMEMBER" spelled out with individual letters on a shelf. My husband likes to re-arrange them and have fun with the lettering, but "REMEMBER" is my favourite word. I want to remember all that the Lord has done for me, but most of all I want to always remember Him.

Blessings,
Joy

Joy Junktion said...

I have watched our Jesus feed people many times when there physically was just not enough:)
He is the God of provision.

You are awesome and I thank you for helping us to REMEMBER all that God is!!!

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

Remember what he's brought you to...

Love that. He's brought me to the edge of my next, and while I can't even begin to paint the particulars, I'm giddy and overjoyed with the idea of starting this new chapter of my journey with my family and with God's people. I have a strong feeling it's going to be quite something.

peace~elaine

Karen Hossink said...

The Master of taking nothing and making it something.
Ah, need that today!
I am struggling at work - feeling a lot like 'nothing'. But 'nothing' is not too difficult for Him, is it. HE can do something with nothing. And so I choose to trust.
Thanks for the encouragement today.
Love you!

From the Heart said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
From the Heart said...

Beautiful. Oh, how I remember what God has done for me. I sometimes think He left me with a few little things so I wouldn't forget. Oh, how I do praise Him for allowing me to live and be a part of this place called "blogland". You will never know how much or how many people have touched my life and I would not have wanted to miss it.

I was beginning to think I could not go on with my blog and today He answered my prayers and has given me a new lift. He is Jehovah-Jirieh, the God who provides.
Blessings, AE

myletterstoemily said...

thank you for reminding me of His
provision and care.

blessings,
lea

Kimberly said...

How funny. It's like I'm tracking right with you! :) I had just reposted on my blog...remembering a time when He blessed my heart enormously...and now I come by here and see that you are writing on remembering. :) Neat. :)

I LOVE this line from your post...
"He is the Master of take nothing and making it something." And when you talk about how He took fisherman and prostitutes and liars and made them more. Oh, how that makes my heart rejoice...for that is exactly what He has done with me.

Heading off to bed, a heart so happy, so blessed, so relaxed in His love. A heart forever grateful for all that He has done.
Love to you,
K

Amy P Boyd said...

My ladies group have continued to remember a day that God also provide food when we didn't think there was enough. We not only need to remember for ourselves but also fo our kids. If we continue to tell and share the times that God provided when we were in need then our kids,our physically children and babies in the faith both, will begin to look for God to be there when they need Him. They will realize that He is a God who cares.