Lavish Love

I sat straight up in bed early Sunday morning with a loud gasp, startling Lee out of a deep sleep.

It suddenly hit me that I had double-booked myself, the second time in a month. I was scheduled to speak at a weekend retreat on the same weekend as a women’s event at our church. Even though I had been intently praying and preparing for both, I somehow managed to miss the fact that they were on the same weekend!

Apparently the scattered, menopausal side of my brain forgot to communicate with the organized, scheduled side.

Feeling embarrassed and somewhat inadequate, I noticed a song going through my head: “I lift my eyes up. My help comes from the Lord.”

Yes, how easily I forget … “my help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1,2)

I knew God was challenging me to shift my focus from my mess to my Maker:

“Lord, thank you … I need Your help. I know this embarrassing oversight did NOT take You by surprise and I know You will meet all my needs according to the riches of Your glory in Christ Jesus.”

And that’s exactly what happened: my friends on the women’s leadership team graciously took on additional responsibilities AND God provided immeasurably more than I could have even imagined at the weekend retreat. God was glorified at both events!

A simple call for help … and God came through, meeting every need in His infinite abundance and lavish love.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes my stubbornness (don’t tell my husband I’m admitting to this) gets in the way of humbly coming before my Lord and asking for His help.

All week long God spoke to this issue through the following story – shared by Bill Hybels, senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, at the Global Leadership Summit:

Last year, Mylene Paquette attempted to become the first North American woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Only 83 days into her journey and with two months left to go, she capsized during a severe storm, losing essential supplies.

In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, with no help in sight and no hope of completing her journey – she sends out an SOS – a simple cry for help.

Then in a climactic moment – the kind usually reserved for fairytale endings – she lifted up her eyes and saw this amazing sight – the Queen Mary 2 coming to her rescue.

As the passengers encouraged her with their cheers, Mylene, overwhelmed with gratitude, collected the supplies donated by the ship. Not only did she receive the essentials needed to continue her journey, she also discovered luxury items in her packages, such as chocolate, English teas, coffee and pastries.

Each time I think of this story, I’m reminded of the lavish care of our Lord! We simply call out for help and our Sovereign Lord shows up in all His magnificence … just for us … providing not only the essentials for daily life, but also blessing us with the extravagance of His love.

What if we dared to imagine that even before a cry for help forms in our minds, our Deliverer is already moving heaven and earth to generously provide for us in ways that will overwhelm and delight our hearts.

What if each need, no matter how small, not only reminded us to ask God for help, but also filled us with gratitude that God’s heart is for us and that unlike the Queen Mary, our Savior doesn’t need to traverse an ocean to help us … for He is always with us in all His power at all times.