The But God Moments

I woke up this morning to early morning mist clinging round the buildings, bushes and trees and I sighed with happiness.  It might not seem the best weather to you but that mist brings back memories of Murree monsoon weather, of my beloved Himalayas, of summer holidays and autumn back to school when Mum was up in the hills with us for the summer.  In fact just looking at that mist I am transported back to sitting on my bed in the house in Ospring, reading a book with a hot cup of coffee and watching rain drift gently down outside.

I needed that moment this week, I needed that feeling of security, that reminder of my childhood.

We lost our house and car keys on Saturday.  The only set that work for either house or car.  Mmmhmmm, inconvenient to say the least.  Frustrating might be another word.  Panic inducing at times.  And they've stayed lost for four and a half days.  We've hunted high and low and cleaned cupboards that haven't seen the clean side of a jay cloth since we moved in a year ago.  (Shameful, but true.)

It's perhaps not just the keys being lost that is the big deal but I have been struggling with homesickness and wondering what the purpose of us being here, on the other side of the world, when things aren't always easy and life doesn't just flow naturally.

Right now though, I feel peaceful.  Lovely friends prayed amazingly and powerfully for us this week and the migraine I was constantly waking up with has lifted and I feel not quite such an emotional wreck as I was.

On a small scale, this is one of our But God moments.  I haven't read this book yet, it's on my wish list.  It talks about those moments when everything seems to be going to pot but God steps in and intervenes.

We have lost our keys

• but God has put us in a place where the kids can walk to school and we can walk to our small supermarket
• but God has given us cupboards stocked full of food and a freezer with meat so we don't have to do the big weekly shop this week.
• but God has been talking to us about slowing down, being less busy, because he wants to talk to us, spend time with us face to face.  No keys means we have to stay around the house more.
• but God has given us peace.  We are hunting for them but it's not frantic or stressful.
• but God has arranged lifts, birthday parties within walking distance, a quiet week, people to swap rosters with us
• but God is using it to bring about good in our lives.

I believe that we'll find them and when we do it'll be a But God moment, something extraordinary, this opportunity for him to reveal himself and how much he loves us.  He is our rescuer, our deliverer, the one who transforms us.  The most powerful testimonies are the But God moments in our lives and so often we wish them away.  We wish he wouldn't give us hard things to go through but if we didn't, people wouldn't see that he really makes a difference in the tough stuff.  We would get the credit and not him.  I'm not saying he creates awful situations, no, sometimes we do, sometimes its just a result of evil, but he rescues us, he turns the crappy into beautiful.  That's who he is, his very nature, his core.  He takes up what humanity have screwed well and truely up and he rescues us, restores us, makes us new again.

One of our pastors preached the other week on Isaiah 61:2 the prophecy about Jesus who came to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. 

He talked about how in our lives we all have a cupboard full of ash, the crappy stuff, the things no one else wants but God wants them and Jesus died just so he could take them and exchange them.  He takes ashes and gives you a crown of beauty, he takes mourning and gives you oil of joy, unlimited and in abundance, he takes a spirit of despair and he gives you praise to wear instead.  It's not just that the Great Exchange is your life for his, although that in itself is mind blowing, but he totally transforms your life afterwards as well.  

I can't stop thinking about that exchange.  He takes our ash, the thing no one else wants or values, and he exchanges it for beauty.  The ultimate But God moment.

What are your But God moments? Are you waiting for one now?  

If you're interested in listening to the preach online, it's well worth it, check out this page and click on  Jesus or Barabas - the Great Exchange.

Linking in with Simoney's Best in Blog Monday Linky