Houseful Of Rodgers: Sunrise

"When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun,

We've no less days to sing Your praise than when we've first begun!"

-Amazing Grace

This is like the third day in a row I've heard Todd Agnew's "Grace Like Rain" during my run, and every time it's when I've just seen the sunrise. I love that line and just wanted to share.

Another line from that song had a new meaning to me this morning. "How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed." Wow. Think about that. Not only the grace for salvation, but the grace for every day of your life and my life, the grace for everything we would ever go through, appeared the very hour we first believed. You have grace for tomorrow, already in your back pocket. God equipped you with it that first hour of salvation. Amazing!

I had to share another thing that may seem silly to some, but it completely blessed my socks off this morning and I believe it will bless someone reading too. Some of you know that I've been praying some specific prayers lately: that Allie will be safe and sound and protected while she's away at her dad's for the summer; that my relationship with her dad and stepmom would be awesome again; that God would help us sell our house and get into something better for us; that God would bless my womb with more children; that God would draw our children to Him and miraculously save them; that He would also save some of our friends and family members who don't know Him. I pray those things every morning. And then when I go on my walk, I usually keep a tally in my head of all the beautiful things I see, so I can tell the children about them. I almost always hear an owl and a woodpecker; I usually see blue birds, red birds, and sparrows; and I always always without fail, see bunnies. Like, several bunnies. I usually see three or four. Today for some reason, I was asking God to show me a fifth bunny. I've always seen three or four, but never five. I know, told you it sounds silly. But anyway. I was down to the last half mile of my walk and had still just seen four bunnies. I was letting myself down easy, saying well it was a silly prayer and God has bigger, better things to do today than make an extra bunny appear just for me, when "out of the blue" :), I saw not one, but TWO BUNNIES scampering around together. TWO!! I laughed out loud and thanked my good and gracious God, who told me through those TWO bunnies, "I love you. I hear you. And I want to bless you with even more than you are asking. Be patient and wait. I only have GOOD things in store for you, My dear."

"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for Him!" -Isaiah 30:18

I heard someone talk about this verse once and I was thinking about it the rest of the way home after that. He LONGS to be gracious to YOU and to ME! He rises from His heavenly throne, not to show condemnation, but compassion. BLESSED are all of us who wait for Him.

This is the sight that I see right before the sunrise. It brings forth such feelings of anticipation and excitement as I watch for His faithfulness shown again in the skies.