I am always surprised by how God grants me exactly what I need, when I need it. Recently I needed inspiration. Here’s my story:
On the 3rd of July I left Massachusetts to go Down East. For those of you not from New England, that means I went to Maine. How that ends up being down and East to anybody other than Canadians I have no idea… but there you have it.
I began feeling a push in my spirit to visit my northern brothers a few months ago. So when my brother-in-law invited me up, I decided it was time to go. I wasn’t really sure about the why. But I did plenty of praying about it on my journey up, and as usual the Spirit answered full measure, pressed down, shaken together and overflowing!
My Brother-in-law Cliff and his wife Andrea
live on a tree farm in the little town of Waldosboro.
As you travel north along the coast, the sandy beaches of York and Ogunquit give way to the rocky ocean outcrops Maine is so famous for. Here in the bays of Camden, Waldosboro, and Wiscasset the great ship building industry of Maine was born early in our nation’s history. This is where I travelled too…though when I started I didn’t really know why.
Holy Spirit began to show me almost as soon as I left that this was going to be a weekend of refreshing for my heart and a time of inspiration for my mind.
As I started out, God told me to take my time. Then He proceeded to make sure I would obey His command by sticking me in a traffic
jam for three hours! 😎 When my arrival time came and went and I hadn’t even reached the Maine border I called Cliff and told him I would be along as soon as I could leave the NH parking lot.
Through it all I felt so much peace. I prayed and God was my driving companion. He shared His thoughts and I descended deeper into His presence even as He and I had a heart to heart that evidently was long overdue.
I’m so thankful that God always knows what we need and when we need it. As a Maniac for a weekend I learned so much and I have much to share with you all!
See you tomorrow!
Reinventing the We'll 
Good stuff!
Thanks for stopping by Dan! Glad to have you as a reader!
Amazing how He works!
Matthew 6:8 “… your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”
Thanks for sharing.
Blessings,
ann
He does indeed Ann! Thanks for commenting 🙂
It was so good to hear about your trip and can’t wait to hear more. 🙂 It reminds me of trips I would take with my 2 girls when they were little, to Grandma’s in another state. I had to go alone with them, and felt burdened. But soon He got a hold of me and these times became like retreats with Him. 🙂
God bless you and all He has in store for you!
Thank you Debbie! It is wonderful to know that even when we are alone, He is always with us. Anyplace can be our sanctuary or prayer closet….A crowd or a desert island can be s safe haven with him if our focus is drawn to the Holy Spirit. Enjoy the rest of the journey! JE
Wish I were more content to be still and pray in situations like that. A few months ago, we had a big ice storm move through the South–one for which we were unprepared. All of the bridges leading me out of the downtown area to where I live had iced over and law enforcement officials refused to allow people to cross to the other side for fear of skidding on the ice. Several thousand people and I were stranded on the highways for hours (it had been about eight by the time I made it home). I prayed and sang worship songs for the first forty-five minutes or so, but by the time hour four rolled around I was running out of gas, my cellphone battery was about to die (I didn’t have a car charger), and I had to use the bathroom. My songs of praise and prayers turned to frantic pleas and tears. Apparently, Paul and Silas I am not. Maybe next time I will be better at keeping in mind our Father knows the end of a matter from the beginning. It helps to know there are others “out there” who respond correctly… Bless you!
I watched that ice storm on the tele, I think. My “battle” was far smaller than yours. I was really at the point where a few hours of isolation was more like a blessing than a curse and God allowed me to stop at Wendy’s on the way so I was comparitively comfy. I am not sure my reaction would have been much different than yours or yours much different than mine if our circumstances had been reversed. By the way I am really enjoying your current series! Thanks for posting.
Glad you were able to get away! It’s so needed sometimes!!
A-men! Thanks for commenting Nicole. Hope the writing is going well!