“The Lord still has a purpose for me” replied my good friend and mentor Marie Beller.

As I sat visiting her in her new assisted living facility, I was still in awe as she so graciously shared with me how she was “waiting” to hear from the Lord what her purpose was to be. Marie was raised in a pastor’s home, worked to put her husband through seminary, pastored along side her husband, Dr. Dan Beller, at the largest churches in our conference. She and Dan were married for 66 years. People always referred to them as, “Dan and Marie.” When Dan passed away, the Lord told her that He still had a work for her to do! Imagine, waiting on the Lord at age 90 to get your next purpose assignment. It was a precious visit.

What will we be doing at age 90? I’d like to think I’d still be thriving in all my endeavors. Probably slower, I imagine. Somedays it just seems like a struggle to figure out His plan. “One day at a time” is my new phrase. How about if we, every morning when we wake up, we begin a conversation with the Lord and ask:

• God, what is on Your heart today and how do You want me to arise and participate in what You want to do?

• God, what stronghold do You want demolished in the place of prayer today?

• What need do You want to meet through me today?

• What wrong do You want to right through me today?

• What injustice do You want to cease through me today?

• What suffering do You want to end through me today?

• What pain do You want to comfort through me today?

• What words of life do You want spoken through me today?

• God, who can I specifically pray for today?

So often we frame things as though we are waiting for God, but what if God is waiting for us? To ask and to wait for his answers?

We must not forget what He has said to us and about us in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Just as Paul the Apostle wrote this to the Ephesians, it is still a relevant and timely word for us today. Thank you to the Apostle Paul and my good friend Marie for being such an encouragement to me and to so many others who continue in this good Godly work we call ministry!

“So, here is what I want you to do, God helping you, take your everyday, ordinary life, your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, walking around life and place it before God as an offering. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out in you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” Message Bible, Romans 12:1-2.

Love, Learn & Live, Michelle