Community Fast - Day Five, We Are THERE!
An Important Story for Us: The House in Florida

A Promise of Turnaround

Hello SUMites Turnaround

Last week we fasted.

I want to share something cool that happened right at the end of my fast: In the last five minutes. Each year something fun happens right at the end of the fast. It's as if God gives me a little 'wink'.

Your fast will look different: You'll have different things that God does for you in your fast, different ways in which he makes himself visible. 

Anyway, this one is a story for US, so here's what happened:
 
I was due to finish my fast at 6pm, and the day was drawing to a close. I had sat on the couch for much of the day and was feeling delightfully peaceful, when all of a sudden, at 5:45pm, I hear the electric gate go and a car pull in. Bryce had come home early.
 
The front door swings open with a clatter, and in bustles my husband like a whirlwind. He finds his work stressful and doesn't always come home in peace. This was one of those days. He moved around with a barrage of comments, pointing out things to complain about (e.g., you haven't closed the curtains, the house is hot), then sat down on the couch and started talking with an edge of angst in his voice, about how stressed he was about a particular situation with one of our children and how he had not been able to stop thinking about it all day.
 
I interrupted him, and I did it nicely: "Babe, I have fifteen minutes left of my fast. Can you just hold the thought, so that I can finish in peace and quiet? Then we'll talk."
 
He took it well, so off he went to the bedroom, and off I went to the bathroom floor, thanked God for the time we'd had together, and officially said "I'm ending my fast now."
 
When I came out, I headed for the couch once more, looked at the clock and it was 5:55pm. Then it happened --
 
Bryce calls out from the bedroom, "Ann? Can you help me turn this mattress around?"
 
"Sure," I say, thinking "I'm weak, but I'll do it" and off I go ....
 
Once there, we stand across the bed from each other and turn ... turn ... turn ... the mattress around. It was a heavy thing, so it took some doing. Turn. Turn. Turn.
 
I stop then, and suddenly think to myself, 'OH I'M HELPING HIM TURN THINGS AROUND'.
 
It felt symbolic.
 
It felt, in fact, like God was saying to me, "You are helping your husband turn things around; you are helping the SUMites turn things around; and I promise you that you will see turnaround in this community."
 
I know God is real, I know the power of fasting, I know he speaks, and I know that every other fast has involved a God wink in the last five minutes. Therefore, I receive this as a word from the Lord, and I take it seriously.
 
My friends, when something like this happens -- when God gives us a promise like 'turnaround' -- we must believe it. Let's not put it on the shelf and say 'Oh that's nice' then forget about it. No, we must take it seriously and say 'I'm going to believe this.'
 
That's what Abraham did, and it was counted to him as righteousness. So how about we all, in the privacy of homes today, declare out loud to the Lord, this:
 
In the name of Jesus,
I declare that there will be a turnaround in the place of my marriage.
I believe I am going to help my spouse turn things around.
And I believe that I will see other SUMites do the same.
 
And now with that said, finally on Friday I am going to tell you one very important story for our community. A story I have been wanting to tell for a couple of weeks. You will enjoy it: Catch you then.
 
Love
Ann
comments powered by Disqus