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| Aha! image from Bing.com |
“The Lord Jesus will appear
from heaven with his mighty angels, with a flaming fire, to punish those who
reject God and who do not obey the Good News about our Lord Jesus. They will
suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of
the Lord and from his glorious might, when he comes on that Day to receive
glory from all his people and honor from all who believe.”
2 Thessalonians
1:7-10
I know that I have read this scripture many times before,
but it never jumped off the page and into my mind like it did one morning a few
weeks ago. I had been searching for a Scripture to share with my teen Sunday
school class that explicitly stated the consequences of unbelief. And God led
me to 2 Thessalonians 1. Aha! It doesn’t get any clearer than that!
I have found that when I dig deeper into the Bible to find references
to back up the truths I blithely spout off, God often takes me down a road of
discovery that culminates in an “Aha!” moment—that awesome instance when He sheds
new light on His Word and brings verses alive that I previously have glossed
over. Preparing to teach Sunday school frequently does that for me—it’s one of
the main reasons I teach.
God also brings about “Aha!” moments when I set aside time
for quiet conversation and listen for Him to speak to my heart instead of
bending His ear with my never-ending list of requests. A few months ago I was pouring
out my woes to Jesus, whining about being so far away from my kids and
grandkids, my mom and siblings. I was bemoaning the fact that I can’t be with
them when they go through struggles or celebrate victories. “I love them so
much, Lord! They need someone there with them,” I lamented, and then sat in
silence.
Suddenly God spoke to my heart. “They have Someone with them, Pam. I
am always with them. And you can be assured, I love them even more than you do.”
Blessed peace flooded my soul and has remained with me ever
since. I realized that going round and round in my thoughts trying to figure
out how to “fix” things was pointless. I could not change my situation, nor could
I change theirs. Stressing about it did them no good, and certainly didn’t help
me. But God IS there with them! And His capacity for loving them far exceeds
mine! That “Aha!” set me free. Yes, I still miss them terribly, but God showed
me my loved ones are in His hands and I don’t need to fret.
Don’t you just love those moments of clarity? Where have you
found a spiritual “Aha? What “Aha!” has stuck with you? Wouldn’t you love to read
each others?
"Your word is a lamp to guide me and a light for my path."
Psalm 119:105
Blessings!
Pam
