a word from the Lord

my foot's been hurting like crazy for a week now. i have no clue what is wrong with it, but it started hurting a couple of days before the 5k last saturday and has been hurting on and off ever since. amazingly (should i be so amazed at God's power, though?) it stopped hurting on the day of the race and i ran with the most energy and best time ever, without a problem.

but it came back shortly after the race. so i've been asking God to show me why it's hurting and haven't been getting any answers. i've prayed for healing and had people pray for healing as well. i was getting ready to go see the doctor if it didn't go away in another week, when i got this word from the Lord today through my dear friend charlotte, whom God uses in radical ways to bring all sorts of healing to people...

from charlotte:
So you might not want to hear this, but God isn’t ready for your foot to be healed. I don’t know why. But I told you that I couldn’t pray for it to be healed Sunday night either....Maybe if I can pray for your foot in person, I will understand better. I will keep praying for it and it will happen when God is ready. Maybe it is a test for me???? Sorry you have to carry so many burdens for me. First your fast for the sell of my house and now a limping foot. Let’s pray for what God is trying to teach the two of us.

Father, Please show us what we need to know. Show us what you want us to learn from Steven’s foot. Lord, we know that you want him to run, to run for You. Please help us to understand what we need to do for his foot to be healed and for him to continue running for You. Lord, I ask that Steven remember to ask Jesus to run beside him every time he runs, to remember why he is running and to spend that time with You, Lord. Oh Lord, we thank You for the lessons You teach us and we are ready to accept Your message!! We love You and praise You and accept Your will!! Amen.

i think she hit the nail on the head with this: i hadn't been using my running to spend time with God, but rather simply as an exercise. and i know God told me from square one that my running was to be an offering to Him, a gift to Him, a means of intercession but also of just learning from Him what He wants me to learn. and this is yet another lesson: i need to spend more time with Him. especially while running. not spending that time thinking about things that need to be done or talking to running partners like eric. i need to let that be a sacred time with God.

i receive this word from You, God. show me what to do.