Great Is Thy Faithfulness -- Grace

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

Were you ever called to do something that other people told you was impossible?

I was.

And it turned out to be the biggest lesson, growing experience, and testimony of my life, one I hope that I will never, ever forget.  

You see, in September of 2015, I was asked to do a fundraiser for a community or church.  I had no idea where to start, so I took it to God in prayer.  When I rose from my knees, two words were on my heart -- "The testimonies."  Slowly, and with much, much prayer, those two words turned into a book -- a testimony book for teens and the youth of the Church, fourteen years old to twenty-something.  

So, I had the idea...but how in the world do you publish a book?  How many testimonies would I need?  Would I get any help?  And...one of the most important factors -- what would be the title of the book?  

I prayed.  Hard.  Two times in a row, the Lord pointed out to me Isaiah 42:6, the first part of which says, "I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand."

I prayed over the title.  I remember asking Him, "Lord, what should the title be?"  Immediately He spoke to me and said, "Lamentations 3: Great Is Thy Faithfulness."  Great Is Thy Faithfulness it became called, affectionately known as GITF.  And even back then, I knew that the title would be the object of the lesson I was about to learn.

I rushed to school the next day and told my loving grandmother about my project.  I was so excited to begin -- the money raised from the sale of the books would be sent to help poor Christians in Honduras.  I couldn't wait to begin working for the Lord.

But I was stopped in my tracks, mid-explanation.

"It's a wonderful idea," I was told, "but it is impossible."  To say I was shocked, aghast even, is an understatement.

"But...with God nothing is impossible," I stammered, still feeling confident in my Lord.

"Oh, I know...but this...this is impossible."

I brushed it aside.  Of course.  God had called me for this.  Of course Satan would try to discourage me...right?

But it wasn't long before doubts really set in.  Maybe I wasn't really cut out for this...maybe it had all been my imagination.  Maybe I was plain crazy.  After all, it was October, my cutoff date for gathering testimonies was January 1st, and I had a total of...zero.

So I went to the Lord, and I said, "Lord, show me that You've called me to do this."  And as soon as I said that, the Lord spoke to me.  And He said, "I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand..."

Well, I couldn't deny that.  So I told Him that I would plan for 25 testimonies to be in my book, that I would expect 25 testimonies by January 15th, 2016.  Then I started texting, talking to, and bugging my friends, both here in town and as far away as Florida and Washington.  

I would panic and realize that it was a month or two weeks or however long from the due date, and I would pray.  Throughout October, November, and December, I gained testimonies steadily.  I think I had 14 when 2015 ended.  I kept praying...15 days, and I needed 11 testimonies.  If the Lord pulled it off, that would be the fastest I had ever gained that many.

When the original cutoff date -- yesterday, January 15th, 2016 -- ended...I had 33.  My friend is giving me one on Sunday, and four more are coming from my aunt and brother next week.  

Friends, the Lord didn't just give me what I needed.  He gave me so much more, in His infinite and amazing wisdom.  I have 33 testimonies and 40 pages, currently.  

And I only asked for 25... :)

Right now, at 1:59 in the morning, I'm listening to a female barbershop quartet sing "How Great Thou Art."  And it only seems fitting.  Great is His faithfulness.