For His Glory

"For my good and Your glory."

This is something I have written in my prayer journal that I look at every day. Its something I heard somewhere, shortly after my daughter Aralynn was born. I remember hearing it during that sweet time, where God's faithfulness was revealed, and thinking back to my years of infertility- How they ultimately brought me closer to Christ and my story was already being used to encourage those around me. My good, His glory. Amen.

But sometimes I still look at that, written on the first page of my notebook in huge letters, and think "How?". How could this possibly be for good?

As most of the nation knows, there is currently a large fire close to our town. And in the past few days its gotten worse. 

Many friends have been evacuated from their homes, and our hearts are feeling heavy. 

Besides a small sprinkling 5 days ago, we haven't seen rain since June 18. That's 2 months. Then this afternoon when my husband got home, he informed me that we are supposed to have 30mph wind tonight. I replied, "that's the exact opposite of what we need!" 

This fire feels like a very physical display of what I have been seeing in the lives of so many loved ones. Ones for whom I've been fervently praying for calm, and the flames continue to climb.

Why? Why does God sometimes send wind when we desperately need rain?

Divorce, infertility, miscarriage, illness, depression, debt, loss of home, loss of loved ones... 

It's amazing how Aralynn is 15 months old and I still so often look at her, in awe of the faithfulness of God. I remember the hopeless feeling so often felt through the years leading to her existence, because my hope was in something other than Christ. I didn't truly believe that something outside of my plan for my life could possibly bring me good, or Him glory. 

I also remember the turning point where I put my hope back in Christ and learned to call Him faithful, even if I didn't quite see it yet.

As I sit and watch this fire overtake our community, and watch parts of my loved ones lives crumbling, I pray that we continue to call Him faithful.
I hope somehow we might see how these trials bring Him glory, but my prayer tonight is that we might all continue to trust God.

The God who established all purposes at the beginning of time.

The God who created all the universe. 

The God who is sovereign over every situation.

The same God who sent his Son to suffer on the cross for our sins.

All for our good, and His glory.

"God doesn't ask us to understand, but to trust." 

-Disciplines of Godly Woman

And I'll continue to pray for rain.

"And we know that in all things God works 

for the good of those who live him, 

who have baeen called

 according to his purpose." 

Romans 8:28