And Suddenly You're Living It - Walk With Me

Peace. It's one of those intangible commodities that you don't notice or appreciate until it's missing.

Hope. The absence of it sits heavy on your heart and pulls at your mind.

Joy. You see it on the faces of others and realize your own countenance is lacking.

Some of the richest things in life are the very ones we take for granted...until they escape us.

Then we pray like crazy. We search. We strive. We pray some more. We wait. We miss it all the more. We think we'll never experience it again...hope, love, strong faith, peace, joy, contentment, freedom, rest. We long for it, but it eludes our grasp.

And then one day...as we brush our teeth or wash the supper dishes or feed the dog or drive home from work...we realize we're living it. 

Hope has been renewed.

Peace has been restored.

Joy has resurfaced from beneath the heartache.

Contentment has trumped dissatisfaction.

Faith has been strengthened.

We are again at rest.

Chains have been loosened and freedom gained.

Or sweet, sweet love has filled our hearts once again.

God has answered the prayer. 

And we didn't even notice ...until we paused to feel the clear, fresh water on our hands or to hear the children laughing in the playground or to notice the bright colors of the flowers blooming in their pots. Until we stopped dwelling on the future...the longing...the desire, and instead focused on the present, we didn't even notice the goodness of God...in the land of the living.

Sometimes we become dulled to the answers we have already received because we are so focused on those answers for which we are still waiting.

But all around us are answers to prayers. Today is the day the Lord has made, and in it there is much for which we can give thanks. And when we choose to notice and be grateful we find that much of what we longed for has been graciously provided.

For what have you been praying so long that you may have missed the provision? What lacking held you captive for so many weeks that you have neglected to notice that the supply has been replenished? What heartache weighed so heavy that the relief has caught you by surprise?

Walk with me today and let's notice. Let's reflect back long enough to see that indeed we've grown, we've healed, we've received, we've mended, we've been blessed.

And then let's look forward with the blessed assurance that God will complete the good work He has begun. He has answered. He has provided. And He will continue to do so. Because God is good.

You'll find more encouraging words at Holley Gerth's Coffee For Your Heart link up, where I'm linking with other bloggers to offer you words to keep you walking.

What prayer has God answered recently that may have caught you by surprise when you looked up and realized "suddenly you're living it?"