SEEING Our Victory

Lately I’ve felt the Lord tell me it’s time to study Deuteronomy again because it’s lining up with a new season we’re walking in. I was praying this morning before I dove in for today & asked the Lord help me have eyes to see the things He’s hidden for me to search out. He was immediately faithful to answer that prayer & I wanted to share:

In the beginning of Deuteronomy, Moses begins to recount to the Israelites how the Lord delivered every one of their enemies into their hands so they could take possession of their promise. (Testimonies of Gods past faithfulness fuels our faith for future breakthroughs) They conquered many kings & took their land because the Lord gave them supernatural victory & delivered each one to them. I can imagine, however, that very first battle, before they’d seen tangible evidence of how the Lord would bring victory, was a little nerve wracking. They were no army to match the military forces of kings when you looked at them in the natural, but they’d been commanded to fight. Sounding like a familiar situation to anyone?

In Deut 2:24 it recounts the story of that first battle. The Lord told Moses “SEE I have given into your hand...the king & his country. Begin to take possession of it & engage him in battle.” The Lord spoke His assurance of victory to Moses before they ever stepped towards the battle field. Before they ever moved to battle, the Lord was declaring the outcome, but even after the Lord told Moses to go fight, Moses was hesitant. That was a big command that would mean death for Israel if it didn’t come to pass. Instead of going straight to battle (prompt obedience), Moses sent message to the king to see if he would let them peacefully pass through his land. The king refused. The Lord spoke to Moses again “SEE I have begun to deliver the king & his country to you...conquer & possess it.”

One word kept jumping out at me the the Lord repeated to Moses: “SEE”. He wasn’t speaking this as if He were annoyed with Moses’ hesitation saying “See, I told you so”. He was commanding the eyes of Moses’ spirit to “SEE”! It was as if He were healing him of the blindness of doubt & opening Moses’ eyes to higher truth. “SEE in faith that every word I speak will come to pass. SEE the battle through the lease of my faithfulness, not the natural probable outcome. SEE your victory Moses!”

As I read & re-read, I heard the Lord saying the same thing to me: “SEE Madison!” He was summoning my spirit to full attention to look in fullness of faith over areas of my life where a battle was taking place. I believe He is declaring it over many of us. “SEE!” It is a command & a healing word. He commands us to see our lives through the lens of His spoken promise & as we do, the blinders of fear fall away. The bold confidence of a warrior rises. If He said it, we can SEE it in faith & march into what ever is ahead, even if victory hasn’t manifested yet in the natural. Maybe He’s commanding you to SEE today? Is there an area of your life that you need to adjust your lease & SEE through eyes of victory? See your victory over every weapon that would rise against you as you journey to your promised land. “He who promised is faithful.”

Due Date Anniversaries & Hope

The day before the 4th of July- a day of planning fun activities & time with friends & family celebrating the freedom we’ve been given. I love all of those things, but for me, today holds A little more than holiday planning.

Today is the anniversary of my first baby’s due date. If she had come into this world, she would have turned 2 today. Her name is Ezra. Her name means “my help” & becoming pregnant with her changed my heart & my life, even though hers was so short lived. She helped my heart come to life in a powerful way. The mama heart that rose up in me was filled with a joy & fierceness like I’d never felt. Even though I didn’t get to hold her, I still miss her. She made me a mama.

Miscarriages are such a hidden grief. Most people don’t ever see them. There are few “symptoms” that show what a mama is walking through. What I am so incredibly thankful for is the presence of Jesus & how he sees every place in my heart than no one else does. When most have forgotten what happened or never knew in the first place, He sees & grieves with me. He comforts hurts that no one else knows are there. He is “El Roi”: “the God who Sees me”. He sees every hidden hurt, every tear of grief & heartache. He not only sees, but he is so very near. His presence is what is promised in heart ache “he is near to the broken hearted” (Ps 34:18). 

I can recall countless times over the last three & a half years & three losses, where I felt his arms tight around me & His hands pulling me into His chest as I cried out my grief. I felt his pleasure pour over me as I heard the negative report of a doctor & I chose to respond by pressing into Him for comfort & faith to hope again. He is the great Shepherd who knows how to perfectly love & lead us through grief & heart ache.

In every one of my losses, He has been a comforter & healer of my heart like nothing else could come close to being. He is the reason I can look towards the future with fullness of hope & confident expectation of good, despite reoccurrent loss. He is my hope, not an outcome. I can acknowledge this day, missing my sweet girl, but also with peace & hope in my heart that Jesus is still only getting started with my family’s story ❤️

I re-read this post from a few years ago that I wrote as an encouragement for anyone who feels they are waiting on a promise.  I'm sharing the Link Here for anyone who might need a reminder to keep hoping when all you seem to see is desert. Jesus is our treasure there. 🔥