Friday morning, I visited the Ponderosa Retreat Center in preparation for the Destination Retreat in October. I am so excited to see all God does in preparation for and the execution of that event!
As I was processing the information I gathered on my visit, I received an email from the publishing company we have been in negotiations with for the book, Who Has the Last Word? Two weeks ago, they were ready to offer a contract, but the message I received on Friday was that there had been some mixed reactions from the staff, so they were unsure about extending a contract at that point.
The wind was knocked out of my sails and while I trusted that God would lead me and the ministry in the right direction, this was a big step back from the progress we had made.
There was no time to do more than lift up a prayer and ask for the prayers of others before I headed to the weekend retreat. My thoughts were a jumble and I didn’t want to lose focus on what God had called me to do over the weekend.
So, what did I do? I read Psalm 20 at least five times in English and Spanish, letting God’s words of truth bathe over me. I took the lessons I was going to teach that weekend from the Psalm and the premise of the Who Has the Last Word? book and gave God the last word when discouragement and Satan’s lies were making their attack.
I invite you to go to the Word to answer Satan’s lies and remember that God is in control. He goes behind and before us. He is bigger than any circumstance. And that is what brought me joy in the midst of the battle, victory in the face of defeat.