Sams Club, Peanut Butter, and Dreams

What do all of these have in common? They were a part of a great night I had last night.

Last night was my regular Monday night get-together with my good friends Lori and Amy. We do a Bible study together, but most of the time we pray and watch as God breaks into our moments together. Sometimes we're frustrated. Other times we cry. Still other times we're rolling in laughter. Probably the greatest day of my entire week.

After letting our stomachs settle from the awesome, awesome Sam's Club Delight (Lori's secret recipe), some fruit salad, and some mini-peppers of the red and orange persuasion ("Is that yellow?"), Amy opened her heart to us. In frustration and anger over what she was experiencing, Lori suggested we pray. And pray we did. And God showed up...

I am not one to say I have any sort of "gift of prophecy" or the ability to discern great things or the skill of seeing visions. But last night, it was clear as a picture before my eyes. As Lori was praying over Amy, God placed 2 distinct pictures in my mind - one was of an eye doctor, and the other was of a warrior. When it was my turn to pray, I just handed these visions over to the Lord and prayed as I felt led about what they could possibly mean in Amy's situation. When we ended in prayer - Lori said that just this morning, God placed that word and vision on her heart and mind as well - of a warrior. It was pretty incredible, to sit together and just praise God that He was there. He was joining us at the picnic table. And even more so, He was using the Body of believers to minister to Amy's tender heart.

"How great is our God? Sing with me, how great is our God? All will see how great, how great is our God!!!" I cant help but hear the words of Chris Tomlin singing this in my head. So fitting.

After eating a banana and peanut butter to "cure my sunburn," we dove into updates about other things as we sat together in the living room, calmed by the breeze in the windows and the setting of the evening sun. I had an awesome opportunity to share my dream trilogy with these women, the first time I've talked openly about it. Never, ever, EVER in my entire life have I been able to discern and interpret dreams until God moved in my heart after this third dream. Basically, God moved in my mind and helped me remember these three dreams and then to make sense of them in a way that ministered to my EXACT SITUATIONS I was going through. These three dreams caused great peace - overwhelming excitement - and much settling to occur in my spirit about a season in my past that was causing me great unrest. It was beautiful to speak these things aloud and expose my healing process and the THRILL of God showing me that yes, He is the same today as He was in the Old Testament as He will be in the future. He still speaks through dreams.

"Age to age He stands. Time is in His hands. Beginning and the end, beginning and the end...
Name above all names, worthy of all praise. My heart will sing, how great is our God!"

Friends, I am deeply encouraged by the Lord today. I have had this growing sense that God is doing a new thing in my heart and in my life. It began January 1, 2006 as I sat in a hotel room with a handful of best friends from college, as we prayed for each other and asked God to move in our lives this year. It is an exciting thing to be at the mercy of God's will, His direction, His leading, and His work. I am deeply humbled by God's power in our midst last night, and yet I am fully charged and more aware of what can be done in Jesus' name. Prayer is powerful - it is alive - it is real - it is a fragrant offering to the Lord - and it moves His hand. Is there really anything or anyone like our GOD???

I confidently stand today and say the answer is NO. Heck no.

"I do not cease to give thanks for you (Amy and Lori), remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all." Ephesians 1:16-23