I was like a fisherman going out to sea, desperate to catch what was needed to support my family by faith, because that is what the Lord has asked of me. Although the waves were agitated and bitterly cold, I had a promise from the Lord of His ever-present support. 

Our reservation at the Airbnb apartment was coming to an end, and the refrigerator was nearing being empty. I was fighting off fear on all sides, when faced with the logic of how we would survive. Like high waves frothing over the boat, there was so much resistance in our situation. 

I always look to the Lord to where to go, and before I even pray, I seek out His personal promise for each step. He usually tells me where we will go and how much money He is sending. Over and over, the Lord was pointing to staying in the same place, and yet that was becoming impossible to see happening. 

As we reached the last week of our reservation, the Airbnb apartment where we were staying and where the Lord was pointing to was completely booked out. On the outside, this didn’t look good. The storms against us were raging on all sides. 

We were barely holding on for our day to day food support too. Like a small boat getting engulfed by the tumultuous sea. It seemed like we wouldn’t made it through that time. It was an constant battle of choosing faith over logic, and I knew that the only way to surive was for the logic to die. It’s not supposed to look possible…

At one point I realized that my mind was being tossed by the stormy sea, and I needed to put a filter on my thoughts to only include faith. Like casting my fishing line into the waters of vulnerability, I decided to go ‘all in’ to completely, wholeheartedly believe. 

I had a promise of what God would deliver for us, and even though it seemed like we would drown in our own needs, I chose to be believe even in the midst of the chaos and suffering. It was painful, I won’t lie. It felt like we wouldn’t make it out alive. 

With a big, deep breath, I gave the battle to God. I said, “God, please bring up this catch of faith that is too big for me. Please do the heavy lifting….”

I knew that the battle was the Lord’s but I also had to do my part. Faith is never idle…in order to see Ephesians 3:20 come alive, having God do far more than we can ask, hope, or pray, according to His power moving through our faith….I had to engage my faith. 

Because this type of fishing for promise is a dance, and it requires 2 partners. We think and pray from the outcome as already done by faith, and the Lord does the big delivery. The Lord had been promising me $5000, and to stay in the same room. Yet nothing was going that way at the time. 

There were all kinds of worries coming against me, like the strong winds of a hurricane. But I knew that I needed to choose my thoughts wisely, because we receive what we believe, and as we sow we also reap. 

So I decided that I would think (and pray) the happiest, most wonderful thought. During the last two days of that exhausting week that felt like a faith struggle at sea, I only indulged in the ‘happiest, most wonderful thought’. 

From that thought, I formulated a prayer using my child-like imagination. I would walk down the city streets imagining the fulfillment of my happiest, most wonderful thought. 

I went into the happiest, most wonderful prayer very deep. I had tears of joy flowing from my eyes on the busy sidewalk. I was there, but I wasn’t really there. I was in the fulfillment of my answered prayer before it arrived. 

Everyday I would wake up during the week with no idea how we would eat, or where we would sleep in the upcoming week. Yet the Lord brought rescue little deliveries of food money, a little bit each day, like Angels bringing Elijah bread while Jezebel was after his life.

The first haul of the miracle came through after praying the ‘happiest, most wonderful thought’. The Lord came through with the fulfillment of the room promise, and suddenly all of the pain I was feeling turned to tangible joy. 

Everything changed, in a moment that seemd out-of-the-blue. The Lord brought the fulfillment of the promise, but it was more than I was expecting, just like Ephesians 3:20…above and beyond.

God always covers those unexpected expenses. He came through with $8000, and it worked out perfectly because there was in increase in the room prices that I didn’t know about. One of the troubles of spring/summer in the city is the rates increase dramaticaly, sometimes doubling and tripling. But we have to bloom where we are planted, and this is where the Lord has placed me. 

Back to the story…Here is where it got a little confusing for a moment. It was the day of check out and the place God had been telling me to stay was still booked out. It was looking quite impossible to stay. I felt lost without another way, I only follow God’s leading and without Him I can do nothing. Without Jesus I am lost at sea. 

After a week of being shaken by hard waves, I had no more energy. Without another choice, I started to pack up our things, not knowing where we would be going. 

I was getting ready to take a load of our belongings to the car, and I felt a nudge to check ‘one more time’. So I walked up to the front desk concierge and asked if there was any way that we could extend our reservation. 

The sweet lady make a phone call, and then she hung up the phone. By complete and utter surprise, she told me that her manager had taken care of our setting aside our room, and that we could stay in the same place…just like God had told me! 

Ahhhh, I felt like I could breathe ten times deeper in that moment! The relief was unexplainable. After going through a week of the harshest oppositions, and barely being able to survive, I had our room paid for nearly another month. 

For a moment everything looked the opposite of what God had promised me, but then at the very last second, He broke through the opposing ‘sea’ to deliver the haul that He promised would be. 

It was an experience of encountering the Lord’s power to deliver the fulfillment, and the active engagement of faith that was needed to turn the key, and get the boat moving. 

By giving the battle to God, I was graced with Divine assistance, like a high-tech fishing boat that offers live-imaging sonar and navigation systems that zeroes in on fish with pinpoint precision.

What was hard for me, became easy, as God did the heavy lifting, like a fancy fishing boat that slices through waves with breathtaking speed and unwavering stability to dance with the rhythm of the sea. 

Being aware of our thoughts is the smallest detail, and yet the most powerful act of faith. We are constantly thinking thoughts all day, and in doing so we are always agreeing with something….fear or faith. Sometimes we don’t even realize what we are harvesting. It’s not always pretty when there are so many worries. 

Choose the happiest, most wonderful thought. And if you feel lost, always anchor down in hope, and point yourself towards love. Love is the other end of fear, and the place where joy is real. 

Putting a filter on your mind makes a big impact. Never allow yourself to think of a thought that you don’t want to happen. Because what we really believe is what we think and feel all day long. We get the fruit of those thoughts. 

We can always change the direction where we are going. Think the happiest, most wonderful thought as an action of faith, and the watch how the Lord touches your faith by doing superabunantly more than you can ask, hope, or think.

This was titled “Part 1” because there is another promise that I was and still am walking through at this time for all of our other urgent needs that are not the housing. We were not just sinking from the housing oppositions, but there was much more at hand. But I will save that story for next time, since I am still walking through it all. 

Since we are getting cozy in the same place for the next few weeks, I am able to offer an intro special for the Miracle Mentoring calls. Normally they are $50 for an hour of personal faith coaching, but for a limited time I am offering them for only $30 each. I will post the link below if you would like to check it out. 😀 

The night before the miracle rescue there were rainbows in the stormy skies. There were actually double rainbows by taken many in Chicago but I could only capture the one rainbow from the window. And then the rainbows kept showing up the next day.

The promise is always what is true…🌈 No matter how late it seems. There are rewards when you believe, even before you have seen. 

Love, Dannette

Miracle Mentoring

https://diamondsfromthedust.com/miracle-mentoring/

A little look at daily life in downtown Chicago ♡