I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.  (Psalm 81:10)

Well, I’m almost 39 weeks pregnant with 3 children under four, a very active ministry life and a conference to speak at next week.  A couple of weeks ago, I began to feel tired and emotionally overwhelmed about all that was on my plate.  So many people around me kept telling me, “I bet you are so exhausted!  The last 2 weeks of pregnancy are the worst.  You are probably feeling so miserable.”  Subconsciously, I began to take those words to heart.  Everything in the natural realm was telling me that I should just accept exhaustion and emotional ups and downs as a normal part of late pregnancy, and that feeling overwhelmed just goes with the territory of having so many young children and ministry responsibilities.  I had a couple of hard days, where I simply didn’t feel the energy to tackle life’s challenges.

But then God began to quietly speak to me that I didn’t have to accept these things as normal and let tiredness rule my life – that He had supernatural grace, strength, energy and confidence to offer me, and all I needed to do was ask.  He began to whisper Psalm 81:10 to my heart, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.”  I realized I wasn’t receiving supernatural strength because I wasn’t asking for it.  So I began to ask boldly that God would provide everything I needed for life and godliness, just as He promised.  And the results were amazing.  Within 24 hours of praying boldly, I gained energy, clarity and strength.  I gained supernatural confidence and peace.  I am no longer feeling overwhelmed by the fullness of my life and the upcoming intensity of giving birth to a child.  Rather, my trust in God’s faithfulness is growing with every time of prayer.  I am eager to see what lies in store over these next couple of weeks – I am fully expecting God to work mighty miracles!

I’ve talked with many missionaries who feel much closer to God when they are overseas working in dangerous situations – because it forces them to lean on Him and depend upon Him every moment of everyday.  They know they cannot survive without His supernatural work in their lives, and it moves them to an abiding life of prayer and dependence rather than relying on their own strength.  When we go through extra-intense seasons of life, it presents an amazing opportunity to strengthen our prayer and faith muscles.  It’s a chance to see His power and faithfulness at work in our everyday lives.  It’s a chance to open our mouth wide and let Him fill it. 

Mary Slessor, a pioneer missionary in West Africa in the 1800’s, wrote this testimony after living alone in the bush for over ten years, surrounded by natives enslaved to violence, cannibalism, and depravity:

“My life is one long daily, hourly record of answered prayer. For physical health, for mental overstrain, for guidance given marvelously, for errors and dangers averted, for enmity to the Gospel subdued, for food provided at the exact hour needed, for everything that goes to make up life and my poor service, I can testify with a full and often wonder-stricken awe that God answers prayer.”

Such inspiring testimonies make me ashamed of my petty fears and concerns and inspire me to believe big things of a big God.  If God can miraculously sustain a woman in these dire circumstances, then He certainly can guide me through the much smaller challenges I’m facing now. So like Paul, I have determined to glory in my weakness because I know that’s when His strength can come shining and cascading through my life in a whole new way! 

Stay tuned to this blog for updates on how God’s amazing faithfulness is demonstrated over the next few weeks of my life!  I am eager to share the stories with you (and the photos of our new little addition!)