This morning I opened the drapes to a moody, dark sky.  The rain overshadowed the sunrise – at first.  Then I saw it.  A bare sliver of bright white rested on top of the water, its full glory hidden by heavy clouds as it peeked through with a promise that today would be a day of blessing and not of gloom. 

Sometimes life is overwhelming, and we find only a sliver to hope upon.  When that happens, choose to focus your faith. 

Ephesians 3:20 (MSG) shouts out to us, “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.”

Don’t move a muscle, answer a text, respond to social, or wake up the kids until you have thought about this for a bit.  The entire sky of darkness had no chance against the brushstroke of light because it fought through the shadows to proclaim fresh hope!  And in your life, the worst of challenges and the gloomiest of days can be vanquished if you will only focus on the power of our God.

When we praise Him, when we worship with abandon, then His Spirit can work “deeply and gently within us.”  And that is an amazing work, one we cannot explain, one that changes our perspective and overcomes pain, disappointment, fear, and anxiety. 

Paul then calls us to join him in worship.  With an explosion of joy in verse 21 he writes: “Glory to God in the church!  Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!”

There it is.  The key to a long life of believing the best, of trusting God in His will and purpose for you today, every day, and into eternity.  “Glory through all millennia!”   It’s a different view of life’s problems.  It’s a different view of the Faithful God.  It is the hope for all the world.

Always Expect Amazing,

Diane Strack, Founder and President of She Loves Out Loud