Oh, But God!
By Lalenunat Johnson
“The Lord is my Strength and my [impenetrable] Shield; my heart trusts in, relies on, and confidently leans on Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song will I praise Him.”
Psalm 28:7 (AMPC)
“And be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold.”
Nehemiah 8:10 (AMPC)
Nobody said that this walk would be easy – that it would be a walk in the park, as we galivant through freshly bloomed flowers, the sun shining brightly on us, with a brisk breeze cooling our forehead as we sip of our freshly squeezed lemonade! Oh, but the joy of the Lord is our strength. I accepted Jesus as a young child – Holy Spirit-filled committed and dedicated to the Lord, yet still ended up “going through” things throughout my life.
You see the fact that I was a kingdom citizen living here on this earth and walking out life, did not exempt me from experiencing life, both the favorable and unfavorable experiences. But you see, I soon realized that the difference for me was that I had the Lord walking with me throughout it all and He brought me through to the other side! Of course, some of what I experienced, I had brought upon myself with my own choices. Other situations were a result of living out life in a fallen world, where bad things do happen. As the old saints would say, “Oh, but God”! You see, that “Oh, but God” meant that God would always see me through, no matter what.
And, it is those “bad” experiences that drove me to my knees before the Lord, seeking His face even more – learning to trust Him and to hear His voice. It was those times that truly formed and shaped me into who I am today, and this process is ongoing. I am yet becoming, ever-growing, and ever walking into the depths of God.
When I learned to know Him as Comforter, He helped my heart (and my mind/sanity) when I went through the most heart-rending season of my life. My heart hurt so that I thought it would literally give out. “How can I make it through this,” I thought. Oh, but God! My fervor, zeal, and committed determination to seek the Lord, even more, took me to a place of peace and comfort in the Lord, so that I actually prospered more during that time than I had before!
And when I came to know the Lord as Provider, He told me that I would never want for anything and that my well would never run dry. Yes, that was definitely a word from the Lord, because I don’t talk like that, lol! God has shown Himself faithful in keeping His word. In 2018, I made a faith move. I walked away from starting what I thought to be my dream job, leaving most of my things behind, and relocating to Arizona. I had nothing but a strong desire and confident word from the Lord, that in addition to whatever else I would do in Arizona, Katie Souza needed me.
Without sharing this word with Katie or her team, I moved by faith and trusted God for the rest. And, the fact that you are reading this on Katie Souza’s Ministry page shows that I was hired. (You can read more about that in detail in our devotional entitled, “Holy Spirit Said What!”)
After renting a room for a year, it was finally time for me to have my own home again. I quickly found that my earnings working for a ministry in Arizona were far lower than what I had become accustomed to in Wisconsin. Oh, but God! I had received word that I was approved for my home, but I had nowhere near the funds needed to secure the deal. You see, the Lord had orchestrated this to teach me how to trust Him even more.
So, it was then that I got a call from a dear friend, (who I later found out was a prophet!), encouraging me to take the house and not let the deal pass me by. “Hmm…,” I thought. “If I don’t have the money, how can I take it?” I then knew that I had to take it by faith. Once I decided to trust the Lord, I had this strange “knowing” in my spirit that I was to calculate the full amount needed and send a text message, asking for the funds, to an individual that the Lord had placed on my heart. Talk about stepping out of your comfort zone. I was used to being the one that others called when they needed assistance, and here I was asking, via text at that, for a sizable amount. But, by this point in my life, I had learned to move when and how God said to move, even if it made no logical sense. Much to my amazement and joy, I instantly received a, “Yes, of course” was the reply, and literally had the funds in hand within a few hours. Oh, but God!
You can easily finish this story. How has God shown up for you in your life? Who have you known the Lord to be for you? Has he shown up as Healer, Way Maker, Father, Lawyer? Has he been Teacher? Or perhaps Protector? And if you yet need Him to show up, as I know I always do, then trust Him and seek His face to be who you need Him to be.
Make an entry in your personal journal about who God has been for you and share it with us below. And if you need Him now more than ever, share that as well, and we’ll be in prayer with you. We’d love to hear from you.
Have you been blessed by this ministry? If so, consider Partnering with us or making a One Time Gift! I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers!
