Here is a taste of how He leads me on this journey.  I spend my morning waking up with coffee, scripture, and prayer.  Sometimes My Lord and I have a conversation.   Other mornings I am quiet or busy depending on the day.  Sometimes I write.

If I start my day running around, the day just doesn’t go smoothly, if you know what I mean.  Yesterday I had the pleasure of coffee, scripture, prayer, and writing.  It was that feel-good, real-life, long-hand writing.  Let me share yesterday morning with you, here is what I wrote in my prayer journal:

He gently told me to “rest in Him.” This is a theme that keeps coming up lately.  I flit from activity to activity like the busy bee.  I have a hard time sitting in his presence.  It is a good thing he gave me the gift of a mind that wanders while my hands work.  He gives me stories and thoughts to fill my busy bee mind.

I fretted with the Lord this morning about my strength.  [For] as long as I can remember I am strong in the sprint but not in the long run.  In track in middle school, I excelled at sprints, long jumps, relays, and pole vaulting.  But not runs over one mile or marathons.  I just didn’t have the stamina.  Any sport where I could rest in intervals and recover, I was okay and did well.

I have struggled against my lack of stamina.  [In my frustration,] I push harder through the project, exercise, or writing, only to end up in pain from an injury or lack of movement.

In fact, this piece of the chronic pain puzzle I’m working on now is from lack of movement.  It is like my joints have rusted shut.  This morning the Lord asked me to look up some scripture.  Here are the clues:

• • Restore the years the locusts have eaten
  • Strong hind’s feet
  • Restores
  • Jacob…

I read Genesis 46-47 first (it was already bookmarked on the phone).  This is where Israel (Jacob) and all his family goes (sic) to live in Egypt at Joseph’s request.

In Genesis 46:2-4 in a dream, God confirms Jacob’s journey is the right thing to do and reconfirms [His] promises to Israel.  God promises Jacob that Joseph would (sic) be there and put his hands on Jacob’s eyes (promise to restore). [I am in tears as I write]

So Jacob follows God onto (sic) Egypt.  In Genesis 46:29-30, Israel, and Joseph are reunited.  Joseph is restored to Israel.  Then Israel says to Joseph:  “Now let me die since I have seen your face, because you are still alive.” Israel lived another 17 years in Egypt with all his descendants.

Remember the brothers who sold Joseph?  They find Joseph in Egypt because of famine.  They are reunited and restored as brothers with Joseph.

The scriptures don’t go into detail on this part.  But, I feel some sort of repentance and forgiveness happened between God and Joseph’s brothers.

But Joseph does mention that God put him in a place to provide for Israel and his descendants.  Remember, this famine is a threat to wipe out God’s chosen people.  But the famine also restores Israel’s family.   So many parallels in history, scripture, and what is going on write (sic) now.  Do I choose rightly, like Joseph, Jacob, and Joseph’s brothers?

This is just one of the clues he gave me yesterday morning and what I wrote after reading the scriptures.  It is not pretty prose and may not be theologically correct.  It is what I observed after meditating on Genesis 46-47.  At this point, there is no conclusion.   I can’t finish the idea today.  This will take time to sort through.  I still have research to do:  I have three more chapters of Israel’s lesson for me; Joel 2:25 (Locusts); 2 Samuel 22:34, Psalms 18:33, and Habakkuk 3:19 (hind’s feet); and six references to the word ‘restores’ in the New American Bible Revised Edition.

This is how it goes with Him and I.  He gives me an insight, questions, and clues for me to discover along this part of the adventure journey.  What I understand right now is this; He will restore something…

Peace, and blessings,

Milly

P.S.  This is what I wrote in my prayer journal, mistakes and all.  Sometimes I get what the Lord is trying to tell me in a flash.  I have to tell you most of the time I follow the clues one step at a time.  When I took the turn onto Jacob’s Way I wasn’t sure what I would find.  I’m still not sure, but after this weekend, it promises to be something good…