GLORY DAY

I left the house at 5:45 AM. The sky was so beautiful by 6AM. I was determined to walk to the point at Fort Macon to see the sunrise over the ocean.  Not a soul was on the beach and suddenly one man appeared and passed me.  I eventually caught up and passed him because his back was obstructing the clear view in all my pictures.  As I began to photograph where the sun was breaking the horizon, a cross shape formed.  As the sun began its journey to take its place in the clear, blue sky, the cross shape became crisper.  It was so beautiful.  I could not take a picture of the sun where the cross was not present.

 I sat not only at the feet of Jesus, but at the foot of the cross. A group of rocks jutted out into the sea; I took my place on one of them to see the LORD’s performance.  I believe God orchestrated it, just for me.  I turned on Oceans by Hillsong.  I wept.  Over and over, I sang the song, loudly, as my prayer, and I took in the masterpiece that God had painted for me on this special day. AND I meant every word.  On the way back to the condo, I found three of the most perfect little shells.  Special, Special time! 

This was my prayer:

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) by Hillsong

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail, and fear surrounds me
You’ve never failed, and You won’t start now

So, I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

Oh, Jesus, you’re my God!

I will call upon Your name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

This was a defining moment in my life that my pictures captured.  I had a divine appointment with my heavenly Father on August 17^th.   I experienced His Glory and His Presence. 

This is where you need to buckle your seat belt…

1. On August 10, 2016, I wrote this in my journal: Holy Spirit Break*:   You are going to experience something /revelation at the beach and your life will never be the same.  There will be no turning back.

(*Holy Spirit Breaks happen in the middle of my studies.  The Holy Spirit interjects and tells me something.  I treat it like a commercial break on TV.  However, when Holy Spirit intersects the flow of study, I know it is important and that I better pay attention.  I did not remember writing this until I went back to my journal to read about my time at the beach to write this story.)

My life will never be the same.  It was a turning point, a day of surrender and a day of commitment.  It was a day when God showed me how very much He loved me.  It was a day when I basked in the radiant glory of God which does not even compare to the glorious sunrise. 

2. On the same day, Kris went for a run to the point and found a heart shaped shell on the beach. He tucked it in his pocket and had a pendant made for me for Christmas.  I love hearts and it reminded me of my precious time with the Lord.  I loved it!  It was my Glory gift from Kris and the Lord.

 I know Kris found the shell on the very same day I walked to the point.  It was his last run during vacation because he got a huge blister on his foot and couldn’t run anymore that week. He knew that he picked it up the last day he ran.  He picked up that one, tiny, perfect shell of all the shells on the beach.  Normally, he would immediately give me the shell, but he tucked it in his pocket, brought it home, and had a pendant made for me for Christmas.  

The Holy Spirit led me back to my journal and this is the Holy Spirit woven together story that unfolded. Remember my earlier journal excerpt from August 17?   Look at the picture I drew on that day.  It is to the right of my shell pendant.  IT IS MY SHELL PENDANT.  I drew it four months before I received my gift.  Only the Holy Spirit could do such a thing.

The Holy Spirit led Kris to pick up my shell on the same exact day that I had my experience with Heavenly Father. It was a gift of love from Kris because he knew I loved hearts, but more than that, it was a gift of love from my Daddy!  What a plan!  Once again, God showed me how much He loved ME!  He cared enough to deliver this priceless treasure to me. 

Who [is] like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who [is] like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful [in] praises, doing wonders? – Exodus 15:11 

This is my Glory Story!   This is why I celebrate August 17^th as my Glory Day.  God’s presence overwhelms me.  Jesus is the most precious gift God could give me, then Kris and the boys follow, and of course, family and friends.  However, on August 17, after my experience at the Point with my God, I had looked for the one perfect shell on my return to the condo.  I found three little shells.  However, God delivered me the perfect shell a few months later on Christmas Day.  It is a constant reminder of His Love, His Glory, and His Presence with me, always.   I COULD NOT have possibly made it through the last five years, much less the last ten, without my Jesus.  He has gone before me and with me every step of the way.  Thank you, LORD!!!!

The Lord wants to give and spend these kinds of days with you.   He loves you so much.  He wants to be in your presence and you in His.   When you enter His presence, He does not hold back.  He gives you all of Himself when you seek Him.  It is a secret experience that is so hard to explain in mere words.  As much as I try, I cannot adequately define nor describe God’s awesome enormity and His amazing love with words.

I enCOURAGE you to seek the Lord every day.  Seek His presence.  He is not like a child who coyishly turns away your advances; He welcomes you in with open and enveloping arms.  He is deeply in love with you and wants to have many unexplainable, incomprehensible, extraordinary days, glory days, with you.  Honestly, every day with Jesus should be a glory day!  Jesus says:

  “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:22-24 NKJV)

This is another picture from August 17, 2016. I felt like the rays were God just reaching down and bathing me in His presence.  One time, when Brayden was a very small boy, after observing the sun rays touching the mountain tops of east Tennessee, he said, “Mommy, that is how God slides down to earth.”

The voice of the LORD [is] upon the waters: the God of glory thunders: the LORD [is] upon many waters. – Psalm 29:3

For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. – Habakkuk 2:14 KJV