“ I will praise You, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things You have done.”
Psalm 9:1

These last couple of weeks have been. a. lot. with friends, family and myself. Soooo I’m going to praise God and share with you some wonderful things.

We’ve been talking about how intentional God is and this week I’m continuing with that theme, with a personal story.

There was once a girl….me. Who was going through a really difficult time and God in His goodness saw that she needed something to help get through that time. So a friend gave Rene’ the littlest, champagne colored puppy and she named her Coco. Coco was so tiny she would walk under the couch. Since Rene’ was in school, It was Jodi, who after work, would free her from the crate, sit on the floor while they both had lunch and played with her. They went for walks and hopped in the car to pick up the kids from school. As Coco grew, she wouldn’t settle down for Rene’ at night until she was brought up to Jodi and snuggled close.

As time went on it was obvious that God’s plan was delayed, but not thwarted. ;)

So, Jodi changed her name to Ziva, Hebrew for radiance, brightness, light of God. And she was. She was just the light Jodi needed at that time to help her get through some very difficult times. And yes, Jodi really liked the character of Ziva on her favorite show NCIS. Ziva was a bit of a bada$$ and Jodi also needed that in her life. Sometimes you need to fight for yourself, the people you love and the life you want.

So they were inseparable, going on walks on the beach where Z would chase the birds and bark at the waves; riding her bike with Z in a basket, like the Queen of Sheba, looking down on all the dogs that had to walk.

The word “marvelous” in Psalm 9 means “to be surpassing, extraordinary”. God gave the family an extraordinary gift with Ziva. She brought laughter, fun and tons of cuddles. I am forever grateful of the gift of her and the goodness of God. That is why we are so heart-broken now that she is gone.

But how do we not trust a God and thank Him, even in the brokenness, when we saw Him move in such an extraordinary way for us?

He knew what we needed. He provided what we needed.

“The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in Him.”
Nahum 1:7

Here’s the story with Nahum, he declared the end of Ninevah. After Jonah came through and they repented, after awhile they returned to idolatry, oppression and wickedness. But in the midst of telling them all the devastation that was coming, Nahum reminds them that God is good and will be a refuge when trouble comes. I love the promise that God is with those who trust in Him.

Trouble is all around us and those we love. We need to be able to hold onto the truth that God is with us and He is for us!

Even at one of the lowest times in my life, when I didn’t know how I was going to get through it, God was there. And not just there watching and shaking His head in consternation, but actively involved.

“Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, LORD,
have never forsaken those who seek You.”
~Psalm 9:10

And it comes down to that, doesn’t it? Trust! Either we do or we don’t. We can’t trust someone we don’t know. If you are having a hard time trusting God, may I suggest getting to know Him better. Make a list of all the times He has been there. Read about how He was there for people in the Bible. Remember, they didn’t have the Bible to read ahead and know how it was going to end. They had to walk out their stories, with all the emotions; discouragements; disappointments; failures; the not knowing and the fear.

But we have a choice in those difficult and hard times: we can either sit back with our arms crossed and step away from God because it’s not what we signed up for. I know because I’ve done that. OR we can open our arms and join God in the hardest parts of our stories and realize He has our best in mind. We find His goodness when we align ourselves and trust Him with the moment and the outcome.

So, be on the look out for the radiant, brilliant and extraordinary gifts from God. Let’s remember and celebrate God’s goodness and all that He has done for us! Let’s thank Him and tell someone of what He has done.

I hope you are encouraged and have an amazing day!
You are loved and seen!

All my Love ~
Jodi xoxo

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