I've said it before but I'll say it again, God has a great sense of humor and I'm coming to the conclusion he loves to hear me laugh because we share the silliest stuff with one another and he loves to make me the butt of some of His jokes. They aren't the kind of jokes that hurt, they are exceptionally funny, but there are times when I'm standing there, knowing He's laughing at me and I just have to go through it.
Yesterday was no exception.
I stood in the bathroom putting on my makeup making all the Sunday deals I make with God about the fact that I'm wearing makeup and I don't want to sit in church the entire time crying and ruining it.
There were several times at church I was using an offering envelope like a fan to dry my eyes.
After church as I made my pilgrimage to Prattville for the afternoon. It was lovely all the way from Montgomery, sun shining, beautiful clear skies and the minute I pulled into Prattville there was this huge storm cloud over head, the sun was blotted out and the world seemed to change.
As soon as I got to my friend's house and out of the car, the bottom fell out.
I watched it rain and felt the wonderful wind from his garage for the first twenty or so minutes. After that I went and sat on his back porch and watched it out the window. There were great claps of thunder, lightening striking everywhere, the rain continuing and I was amazed. I sat watching and listening and knowing full well it was God.
I soaked it in and watched and basked in His company. Great tears swelled up in my eyes and began spilling down my cheeks with the glory of His presence. I told Him how awesome He is and that he was just showing off because He knew we had a pool party planned for 5 o'clock.
I began to laugh because He was joking with me about it. He asked me how I liked it and I told him He was showing off and it was awesome and make it rain some more and He did. I heard His voice in the thunder and began responding to His love, to the sound of His voice, to the beating of my heart. I told Him how amazing the thunder and lightening was and I loved Him too and He made it thunder more and more.
He reassured me not to fear the lightening that it was just part of the show.
I laughed, tears flowing down my cheeks and as I watched the storm I sat there with God in awe of Him, seeing His great power and knowing He was doing it all for my benefit and some of it on request. He told me He loved me with the thunder, over and over and again. I would laugh and laugh reminding Him I still had places to get to and people to see.
He reassured me there was plenty of time and I just sat there watching it come down.
I remember hoping someone else was seeing and feeling and knowing the same things.
He dried things up and I went on other errands but the storm followed me everywhere I went and had me running from here to there, because I didn't want to get caught in the rain.
It rained a second time during the course of the afternoon and He thought that was funnier than the first time because it was getting so close to time for us to meet.
The preacher posted for everyone not to worry the rain was just cooling things off for the party.
He was absolutely right too.
Once I was at the party He put me in this mode of happiness where I remember looking around at everyone, smiling, with nothing to say, just knowing how much love and happiness He was pouring out on us. Then, when He would let me say something it would come out sounding all hippy and stupid and everyone kind of looked at me strange and I didn't even care.
Anyone whose name I didn't know I introduced myself and stood there making huge mental notes to myself, trying to safely store the names that had been told to me and of course He made it weird for them, because I more than likely did something that made them think I was strange or my silent reflection made them uncomfortable because of the effort I was putting into it.
I would move on to the next group of people and the same thing would happen all over again.
I'm getting used to it, but there are times when I'm standing there in total unbelief that He's laughing when I'm trying so hard.
I floated from place to place, person to person, conversation to conversation and then I was ready to go.
It was a lovely day and words cannot even describe the whole storm experience for me, because there are no words to describe some parts of it.
I love it when I'm sitting there and I know without a doubt it's Him and we are so close to one another and I'm laughing at His silliness. I pray all of God's people have these experiences on a daily basis, because it's so wonderful to be in the presence of my Daddy.
We have so much in our lives we sometimes feel like God is so far away but He isn't, He's right there with us, waiting to interact with us, to pour his spirit into us, to show us the way to the next right thing to do. He really is in love with us and that love is so extravagant. There's nothing He wouldn't do for us to love Him.
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