God's Amazing Ways, Part I

I apologize ahead of time....this will probably be a long post. God is good. He provides for His people, and not just monetarily. Let me share a few stories....

About 2 years ago, my husband and I had (a year earlier) just come back to fellowshipping daily with the Lord. We had gotten lazy in our walk and had left ourselves open to that 'prowling lion' who truly did some major damage. God, in His grace, has restored us. Sometime I'll do a whole post on that but for now I submit that just for a little background. Joel 2:25And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.

Anyway...we were in a good church but had a little bit of a unique situation. Our four boys were all high school/college age. We were in our late forties. We also had a three-year-old daughter As a result of our family situation, we kind of didn't fit in with the people our age (we had a toddler), and the other parents that had toddlers were young enough to be our children. Don't get me wrong....I am friends with plenty of people with no kids.....I just needed someone who I could get together with and my daughter would have someone to play with as well.

As any of you know who have been through raising teens, those are years when you need support & encouragement from the body of Christ. We were doing our best to make those connections but for one reason or another, it just wasn't happening. Carrie needed some buddies, too, so I put her in a swim class at the YMCA. The first day there, I got talking to another mom. We found out our daughters' birthdays were just 11 days apart, we both had four older kids, had both moved to the area 5 years prior, and both were enjoying a great relationship with the Lord and beginning to see the amazing things God was doing through prayer. Our families have become good friends and a great prayer support for each other. The live about a mile from our house and the fellowship and encouragement is incredible.Matthew 7:7Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

That connection right there was such an amazing blessing from the Lord. I think I'll stop there and I'll post parts II and III on Saturday and Sunday. Of course, the blessings of the Lord could fill the internet so I guess these are just some highlights from times when the Lord did "special things" at a time when I needed them.