God Stops

This past spring when I was living in Greencastle, I was doing Beth Moore's "Believing God" Bible study with the women at Lifebuilder. Part of our weekly homework involved recording God Stops, or moments in our day when we felt God's presence or saw His hand at work. Usually it was a struggle for me to find something to write for each day, because I thought I wasn't looking hard enough. Over time it got easier for me to realize just how involved God really is in my daily comings and goings, and I didn't have to look so hard. Of course, then there are the moments when God literally stops the world for a split second to tell you something really important. I experienced one of those moments today.

Today was a late start day, which we have twice a month. School starts an hour later, and staff come in at 8:00 for an hour and a half of professional development time. The meeting is supposed to end at 9:30, and is followed by coffee and morning snacks before we head off to start first period at 9:55. On this particular late start day, I had already fully prepared for today's lessons, but I wanted to get up to the middle school office ASAP so that I could gather some materials and set up a few things in my classroom. Much to my dismay, the meeting went until almost 9:45. When we were finally released, I jumped up from my chair and rushed off, planning to grab my breakfast pastry and sprint up four flights of stairs to finish getting ready for class. On my way out the door, I heard someone calling my name. Annoyed by the delay, I turned to see who it was. Another teacher, Becky Beeh, was waving a folded up piece of paper which she handed to me, saying that it had been placed in her staff mailbox but addressed to me.

I unfolded it and hastily scanned the page, seeing that it was, in fact, addressed to me. I thanked Becky, folded it back up and stuffed it into my pocket as I carried my breakfast in one hand and my bags in the other. I hurried upstairs and quickly gathered my supplies for class; I had planned a lab activity for first and third periods. With about 2 minutes to spare, I sat down at my desk in the middle school office and unfolded the note once more. Reading it more carefully, I realized that it was a note from a student, signed "Secret Student". The note told me to read Psalm 46 and "let it turn your day on its right path." I opened my Bible and read the chapter:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

I couldn't believe it. One of my favorite passages. The inspiration for one of my absolute favorite songs from my Women's Concert Choir days. I had even seen the phrase, "Be STILL and know that I am God" on a plaque at our director's house last night, where I'd attended a new staff gathering. Do you think maybe God was trying to tell me something this morning?

In my haste to get my ducks in a row and be ready for class to begin, I hadn't spent any time in prayer. I hadn't thanked God for the day or asked Him to go before me and bless the lessons I'd teach. I was relying on my own strength and just barely keeping my head above the water. After reading Psalm 46, I took some time to pray for my day and (as if I should be surprised) suddenly felt much calmer about everything I needed to accomplish that day. It wasn't a perfect day, but God was in control and that's all that matters.

Later today, I was trying to figure out why my note had been in Becky Beeh's mailbox. The only conclusion I could reach was this: some of the students call me "Miss B", so when it came time to deliver the note, the student must have asked a teacher, "Can you put this in Miss B's mailbox?" The teacher would have put it in Miss BEEH's mailbox. Becky then found a note in her mailbox, which she handed me this morning. I was in a hurry to get to class and had no intention of checking my mail, so even if that note had been in my box, I wouldn't have gotten it this morning. So God had Becky hand deliver my note. How incredible that God planned a series of seemingly inconsequential events that eventually led to a total change in my attitude this morning.

Talk about a God Stop.