With monsoon season upon us, it's never a good thing to have your air conditioner blowing out hot air! I got a little bit scared when John called from work and said the air conditioner is not working and Wright Plumbing and Heating was on their way to the house. All I saw were dollar signs leaving my pocket as I looked around at my half painted living room and a multitude of other unfinished projects around our new house that need to be finished. As everyone knows, home projects aren't cheap and so far I'm certain I have paid for the new addition at our local Home Depot!
My heart was a bit uneasy as Mr. Wright went outside to look at the AC unit and said, "This is a huge undertaking if it is what I think it is." I had all I could do not to ask him, "What do you think it is?" or worse yet, "How much do you think it will cost?" I bit my tongue not to ask because I knew in my heart as soon as he says what he thinks it is, my human mind will latch on to that and mull it over in my mind and before you know it, I would be writing a check to the company for $1000 to fix my air conditioner. I stopped myself before the words came out. I stepped back in my hot house and decided to consult with my "real" air conditioner guy...My Lord who has everything in His hands and has the ability to change what appeared to be my reality...a very expensive air conditioning job.
I grabbed my son, Chad, and took him upstairs to a quiet room. I opened up the Word and showed him where it says, 2Chron 20:14-23 It read, Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zecharia, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, "listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehosphaphat! Thus says the Lord to you; Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you."
And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshipping the Lord. Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.
So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: "Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper." And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beautify of his holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying
"Praise the Lord,
For His mercy endures forever."
Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude, and there were their dead bodies, fall on the earth. No one had escaped.
After I read it, I emphasized where they praised God and when they praised Him, He set up ambushes against their enemies and God delivered them into their hands. Not only that, but they spent the next several days taking all of their goods. I closed my black bible and asked Chad to sing praises onto the Lord with me.
I turned on itunes to "Sing Hallelujah" and we sang (which wasn't pretty by the way) and we raised our hands to the Lord. Soon, I looked around and my 3 year old and 4 year old daughters were also in the room singing with hands raised to the Lord. After we finished singing, I said just one simple prayer. "Lord, let this praise be a sweet sound to your ears. I lay this situation in your hands and refuse a bad report. I know you can do anything and I trust you with my air conditioner."
As I left the room, I had this peace in my heart that the Lord was taking care of it. Soon, Mr. Wright came back into the house holding a blown fuse in his hand. He said, "You have a bad fuse and that should take care of it."
I wanted to jump up and down I was so happy. I walked him out to the truck and asked, "Just out of curiosity, if the air conditioner had the problem that you thought it was, how much would it have been?" My mouth dropped open as he said the words, "A minimum of $2000, but I would have recommended that you get a whole new air conditioner" I smiled to myself. Instead of a new air conditioner, I paid $187!
I thank God He is not subject to MY reality or bound by what I see...He is reality. He is the truth and the creator of reality. With His very Word, He caused the earth to be created and with His Words today, He still makes thing new.
As hard as it is, let us train ourselves to not look at any situation as our reality. Like the old saying goes, "What you see is what you get." This is NOT true. I have learned just the opposite that what I see is not reality...unless I believe what I see and accept it! Then I get what I see. Friends, we don't ever have to be satisfied with how bleak things might look. We just look to Him and count on Him to change our reality.
Let us not look at our situations or our problems. We can accept things the way they look or we can believe for God to change our reality by His mighty Word. He is not subject to our reality...He is reality.
Colossians 1:5-6 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you
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