God-ronic

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  -Psalm 23:1-4

God-ronic. It's a word that swiftly popped into my head while husband I were in the question/answer and discussion phase of iMarriage by Andy Stanley. As a couple in our first year of marriage there is a whole lot going on: ups, downs, arguments, happiness, newness, adjusting, etc. There's everything going on at once, and one thing this video series does is to point out and explain what marriage is designed for according to God. It takes your focus and zeroes it in where it needs to be to have a healthy, happy, Christian marriage. 

The two particular segments we were watching (catching up on, actually) hit the nail on the head for some struggles we've been encountering. These aren't bad struggles, rather misunderstandings of desires versus expectations, which can have quite the effect on marriage if you're not aware of the implications and how to go about it correctly. And of course, we weren't aware of the issue that was igniting the problems. At the time we were watching the segments, it had been a few weeks of wondering how to get back to one another, to rid of marital pressures/stress, and to rekindle the lovey-dovey feelings of our dating relationship. But, we hadn't made much progress at that point. Then, we watched this video at the perfect timing and boom...there is our answer. Plain as day, right in front of us for the taking. It was God-ronic. Not ironic, because nothing God does is ironic. But, it was in His timing, the only timing that it would have registered with us to truly make a lasting impact. And that's what makes it God-ronic. Because, He knew what we needed, how we needed it, and when we needed.

Since that day, we have not only fixed the issue and are growing in our marriage, that was designed to be Godly, but we're seeing all the other God-ronic situations in life lately. For instance, we all know it's supposed to be a snowmaggedon today and tomorrow (have you seen the falling snow?!). Me being the worrier I am was very insistent that husband head home from work the first instant a flurry fell. My reasons being that I don't want him trapped on the roads, in an accident, or worse. But, husband is insistent himself, if not daring at times (gotta love his sense of adventure). He promised he would come home from work when he could, but that coming home at 3 o'clock, like I'd asked, wasn't going to happen. 

Then, I got an email. Five minutes later after our conversation had ended. I kid you not, it was an alert for the university's early closing today AT 3 O'CLOCK! God-ronic? I think so. A tiny, unsaid prayer had been answered within moments of struggling to accept my husband's own judgment. Funny, how timing is everything when it comes to His will. And I happily have a husband that will be home in less than an hour.

And another...Sunday at church, husband and I met a cute couple. We introduced ourselves, gave some background information, realized our connections, and then parted ways. Today, as a new Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) member, I walked into my small group for the first time, nervous to know no one in my group, only to be greeted by a smiling, familiar face. Sure enough, it was the woman I had met only days before after the church sermon. Definitely God-ronic. 

The Lord knows all and He knows my needs and desires. And not every prayer will come with the answer I want, but it will be the answer I ultimately need. Even the smallest answered prayers are some of the biggest. It's a comfort and a feeling of closeness to Him. In saying God-ronic, whether to myself or out loud, I have found that I love being so aware of His presence in my life. Have you had moments when you feel certain that the Lord is directly stepping into that particular moment to call your attention to something, to prepare you for the future, or to just say "Here I am, and I'm never going anywhere"?