Thankful Thursday~Looking Back

Happy Thankful Thursday and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Welcome to 2009...a fresh new start, 2008 is behind us now and we have 365 days of wonderful promises and possibilities!

Iris at Grace Alone host Thankful Thursday and the topic for today is...looking back at 2008.

I plan on doing several posts this week or next on my reflections from 2008 and my life changing goals for 2009...but, for today...I am so thankful for a blessed 2008.

We had been on a long run of...well, years of...about 7...in a row...of attacks from the enemy. We had been beaten up and beaten down. We would come up for only a second...just enough time to gasp for air before being pushed back under. The waves just kept crashing in on top of us. We managed to stay afloat...we didn't drown and that was only by the grace of Jesus Christ.

Then on December 13th, 2007...God allowed us to turn the corner. (will reflect with more specifics in later post)

I was crying out to God on the morning of the 13th of December, 2007 in pain, disappointment, depression, discouragement and hopelessness. I asked God to please speak to me through His word that day. He lead me to Isaiah 61 and promised me that day that 2008 would be The Year of the Lord's Favor for our household. I called Pastor Rusty and his wife, Dorinda (our dear friends) to make sure that I wasn't imagining this.

When I talked to Dorinda, she told me that she went to bed praying for us the night before and God impressed on her to tell me to read...you got it...Isaiah 61. That was the confirmation that I needed. I still can't write this without crying...tears of joy that my God loves me...Jennifer W. that much.

God has honored that promise and we have had the best year of our lives, not necessarily in financial abundance but in all that we were praying for.

• The things that we had been praying for God to intercede in...He has.


• The things that we needed closure on...He closed.


• Where we needed His provision...He provided.


• We needed our joy restored...He restored our joy to His fullest.


• And so much more.

God is ALWAYS faithful!

He has stretched me, bent me, molded me but He never allowed me to be broken...not in spirit but my rebellious ways have been broken.

There is only one thing left for God to work out and that is my son to come back to the Father and live a life pleasing to God. It is coming because I can see the work that God is doing and we had the best Christmas ever with Brandon this year. PTL!

We had to go through the Refining Fire to be what God wanted us to be in 2008. His Refining Fire is not pleasant but it is necessary to remove all the ugliness that was not pleasing to Him.

I am so thankful today for His faithfulness, His provision and His promises for today, each day of 2008 and for the coming year of 2009.

Visit Iris at Grace Alone for more Thankful Thursdays! Happy New Year!

Have a wonderfully blessed day!