Many people know that God uses the phrase "It Is Well" to speak into my life, but most have no idea why.
In 2008, I completely surrendered my life to Christ, which meant when I felt led to give up my job to stay home, I obeyed. That was hard.
Over the next few years God put a fire in me to study His word, asked me to shed activities unrelated to Him, began overhauling my life, and called me into ministry. That was exciting and a bit overwhelming.
By 2014, Chicks was in full swing, and I thought I had found my place in God's plans, but then He began to reveal that there was so much more. One of His plans for me was to become a Christian writer. At first I thought, "Let's do this." I assumed if God was calling me to it, then things would just flow. It didn't take long to realize that it was going to take years of refinement and maturing to step into the role. That has been gut-wrenching and painful.
I can recall a day when I was sobbing because I wanted to quit everything God called me to do. There was no way I could accomplish what He had shown me, and He certainly wasn't opening the doors. I pulled up the Bethel Music song "It Is Well." As I began to sing the words "through it all, through it all, my eyes are on you. Through it all, It Is Well," the Holy Spirit washed over me renewing my strength to keep pressing on.
Since then, anytime I get discouraged or God calls me to something really hard, I pull up the song, pray, and allow the Holy Spirit to calm my fears and give me the strength to endure and obey.
God has used the phrase as a comfort or encouragement just when I needed it. Countless times when I have been struggling, I turn on the radio and the exact phrase "It is Well" comes through my speakers. The amazing part isn't so much the words, but the way the Holy Spirit washes over me with peace and comfort.
This fall God even used "It Is Well" to confirm the High School Bible study someone recommended to me. When I ordered the book, I asked God to reveal His plans for the study. Wouldn't you know it, the first sentence in the Me, Myself, & Lies study stated, "It is Well." I just laughed and said, "Thanks God!"
I know there are those who question, "Does God really do that?" The answer is YES! I look for God in everything. It helps me keep my heart and mind focused on Him, so that I can remember "It Is Well," even when it feels like its not.
