As a new bride in my twenties, I went through a period of being very critical of my young husband. I didn’t complain to him directly but complained bitterly to the Lord. That is, until one day, He stopped me cold in my tracks with words that seemed almost audible:
“Glenda, I do not bring two people together for the benefit of one!!!”
The implication was clear. “My dear daughter, there is much for you to learn in all of this as well. Don’t miss the lessons that I have for you.”
As I thought about this startling encounter with the Spirit several things stood out to me:
The questions I had been peppering God with were all being answered in that brief statement.
“Do you not see what is happening, Lord? “
Oh yes. He saw clearly and He was addressing it.
Don’t you care?
Yes, He cared enough to allow the situation to develop so that I could see my self-righteous attitude up close and personal.
What am I supposed to do? I can’t walk away. It would ruin our testimony!!! Sadly, we were both more concerned about “What people might think if they knew we were struggling,” than with getting help, so we struggled along for some time before finally seeking that help.
That incident describes one of my more dramatic experiences of Holy Spirit conviction but by no means the last. They are frequent and necessary.
This week I was struggling with a dream project that my husband and I were looking forward to working on together. However, each time we began researching the project, roadblock after roadblock cropped up until my husband began to question whether we should attempt it. Being a diehard, I pushed ahead but as I considered the pros and cons, I also began having doubts, wondering if all this just might be my idea and not God’s at all. Strangely as I began to relinquish the dream, peace flooded my soul, the kind of peace that displaces all else.
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