Rain in the Desert: A Surrender to Joy

By Stephanie McConachie

Difficult or painful circumstances are not a thing anyone ever desires to go through, but in those moments we can learn Gods presence in the most amazing ways! Like the Exodus from Egypt, God does not draw us into the desert places to abandon us. He draws us into the desert places to reveal Himself to us as we go with Him to our place of promise! His presence and provision on the journey is where we get to become very familiar with Him Himself and learn how faithful He is. The rain is His provision. The challenge is the desert conditions. Our faith and trust connect us to the Provider!

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9781512787085

Stephanie McConachie

Stephanie L. McConachie prayed in 2008 to see her God given artistic dreams come true, but she wanted to know God really had her first. He does! During the journey this book was birthed!

Book preview

RAIN

IN THE

DESERT

A Surrender to Joy

STEPHANIE MCCONACHIE

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Copyright © 2017 Stephanie McConachie.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

ISBN: 978-1-5127-8709-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-8710-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-8708-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017906934

WestBow Press rev. date: 5/30/2018

CONTENTS

Thank You To…

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Day 15

Day 16

Day 17

Day 18

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THANK YOU TO…

DONALD & CYNTHIA MCCONACHIE [DAD & MOM]:

Thank you for helping to fund this book and for helping me to edit it. Also, thank you for your help when I had my near death experience. It wasn’t easy for any of us, but it ended up being part of what shaped this book. God’s not done yet. The good stuff is just beginning! I pray that blessings would come to you from this time that will change your lives forever!

NORMA MCCONACHIE [GRANDMA]:

Thank you for funding a portion of the book as well. I’m very grateful you were part of this! Thank you for helping me help others! I’m always grateful when I get to see you! I pray many blessings upon you!

JOHN & LISA BEVERE:

Thank you for challenging me to not settle for common faith, but to press into the supernatural and all the things God says are possible! It was after God connected me to you that the supernatural has opened up in my life like I have never experienced before and I learned that the most important thing was to know that I am experiencing the actual presence of God Himself. I have been grateful to learn the voice of the Holy Spirit and want to grow in hearing Him even more. Thank you for helping me get closer to God and to believe for impossible things! I’m grateful God put you in my life!

AUSTIN BEVERE:

Thank you for being a friend when it felt like I was in this alone. Thank you for hearing the Holy Spirit so well that you became a perfectly timed answer to a prayer I prayed in 2013 when I was needing to hear from Him in a supernatural way that I would know was really Him! Thank you for speaking words that helped me to not give up during the making of this book and all that came with it.

I love all of you very much and I am grateful you are part of my story,

Stephanie

"Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of JOY.

Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will

return with songs of JOY, carrying sheaves with them."

–PSALM 126: 5-6 NIV

DAY 1

Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with JOY.

—EZRA 6:16

D o you know what it feels like to be exiled from a place, a person or even an entire group of people? Maybe that sounds dramatic to some of you, but if you look at the definition of the word exile, it basically means to be rejected by or sent away from your home, country or even your people. The first example of someone being banished from their home was when Adam and Eve got banished from the Garden of Eden. We have all been touched by this. We have all experienced loss. Sometimes it is not our fault, and other times it is, but God’s plan has always been to redeem us to Himself. We are meant to experience His redemption now and not just later. To be redeemed is to be sought out, recovered, brought back and restored. He wants to bless us because He loves us. He is our God, and we are His people. Sometimes we suffer loss because we are not listening to God, and we are doing things He said not to do. Other times we lose because the devil is real and he has been on the attack, as in Job’s story. Either way, God is still able to restore our lives! In Ezra 6, Israel is at a place where, not only has God been returning them to their rightful land, but He is also working to restore their lives and rebuild the temple. With God’s supernatural help we can overcome the odds!

No matter what you are dealing with right now, understand that God loves you, and He is making a way.

Rest in His love for you and allow your JOY to be restored right here right now!

I pray God’s rain over you as you begin this journey towards getting closer to Him and all He has for you!

LET’S PRAY:

Lord Jesus, please help us to hang on your words more than anyone else’s because you don’t just tell the truth, you are the truth. Help us to trust you when things don’t make sense, to walk with you and obey you when we could listen to the devil and walk away. Help us to trust your promises and never let go until you’ve brought us back to yourself and restored all things! In your name we pray! –Amen

TAKE AWAY THOUGHT:

When you pray, really listen for God’s response. He has more than one way to speak to us. You never know when He might show up or who He might show up through. One thing is certain, if you are truly looking for Him, He will make sure you do not miss Him! He wants to get you to where He wants you to be more than you do!

DAY 2

"…then that person can pray to God and find favor with him, they will see God’s face and shout for JOY; he will restore them to full well-being."

—JOB 33:26

G od is faithful! Even when God’s word is spoken out of turn like Job’s friends did, it still remains the truth. The reason I say this is because Job’s friends not only accused him wrongly but they spoke wrongly of God too. God did restore Job. God did bless Job far more than what he lost. God’s Word did come to pass, and He corrected Job’s friends too.

The point is that even when we get it wrong as they did, God’s Word still stands true. He is also full of grace far more than we know and in correcting Job’s friends they were able to know Him more too. If our words about God are still true even when we get it wrong with one another, how much more powerful is it when we just remind one another of who He is instead of casting judgment?! I’m not saying He never has us correct each other, but there is a difference in our spirits when the words really are coming from Him and not the flesh.

God has promised to restore our lives and give us back our JOY! It will always be worth it to put God first. Ignore the devil and his lies and stay focused on God because what He says is right. Sooner or later, the devil will lose, and God will get the victory!

LET’S PRAY:

Lord Jesus, teach us to hear your voice the loudest! Help us to follow your lead in dealing with others. Also, help us to look for you no matter where we are and no matter what we are doing. Help us to forgive when others get it wrong, and help us to ask forgiveness when we are the ones who are in the wrong! In your name we pray! –Amen

TAKE AWAY THOUGHT:

Was there a time recently where someone wrongly accused you? Have you forgiven them and prayed for them? Sometimes even people who care about us get it wrong and are tricked by the devil. We need to be able to forgive when this happens, but I also believe we should talk it out and pray together that God would help us not be deceived by the devil who tries to pull us away from each other!

DAY 3

Fill my heart with JOY when their grain and new wine abound.

—PSALM 4:7

H ave you ever had a flood of JOY come over you just because you could feel God’s tangible presence or because you knew He was speaking to you? That’s the best JOY ! I don’t believe God wants us to only suffer, but I do believe He wants to BE our greatest source of JOY both now and when He changes the circumstances.

Ask God to show Himself to you apart from what people can take credit for. What I mean is that He has ways, whether it’s a miracle, a perfectly timed word from someone when only God knew what you were going through or doors of provision opening in a way that makes God very visible to you. He loves to show up in very personal ways! Our relationship with God isn’t meant to replace people. Rather, when God is first, our relationships with others will improve and become even more life-giving! I dare you to seek Him MORE because He wants you and me to want Him to come closer, like Moses did when he said, Show me your glory!

LET’S PRAY:

Lord Jesus, we want to see and hear you better than we do! Help us to not miss it when you are speaking to us, so we will know what you want us to do when things are not making sense! In your name we pray! –Amen

TAKE AWAY THOUGHT:

Practice hearing God speak to you by praying to Him in specifics about certain situations in your life and then during this next week pay attention to how many times that specific thing comes up in your conversations or things start to actually change in that exact area you prayed over. Write down what He shows you so you won’t forget!

DAY 4

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with JOY in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

—PSALM 16:11

A nd, He will! Eternal—forever—never-ending…can you wrap your mind around that?! I don’t think any of us can completely, but God gives us enough hints for us to know that the worst thing we could ever do is lose Him!

The problem is, we’re used to things not working. We’re used to people leaving. We’re used to things breaking, and we’re used to things ending, but God and His Kingdom are forever! God is the beautiful mystery that our hearts long for! Even on an unconscious level, the whisper is there in our hearts calling us into deeper, richer experiences than we’ve known or thought were even possible! Our hearts know that life is supposed to work. Not everyone is supposed to leave. Things are not supposed to break all the time, and good things are meant to last.

Have you ever talked with someone about heaven? Have you tried to imagine what it will be like…what you will be like or what you will be doing? Lots of us have, but even at our best, I think we are just scratching the surface. If this world even in its fallen condition can still be as glorious as it is at times because God is here, then what will it be like to be with God in a perfect place where we will experience things that don’t even exist here on earth yet?! Some have experienced dying and crossing over for a brief time, just for God to send them back. I had a near death experience in 2010, but I don’t remember any visions of heaven. However, I was very aware of God’s presence, and He gave me peace. Besides rescuing me from almost dying, God started doing miracles in my life and making things possible that I had prayed about before. So, instead of giving me visions of heaven, He made heaven more visible in my real life story! Heaven is where He is. Yes, there will be an ultimate recreation of all things, but He is also able to make heaven show up in the here and now. That’s why I said He gives us enough hints of what heaven will be like to know that the worst thing of all would be to lose Him. Heaven wouldn’t be heaven without Him because He is the one who made all things and He is God!

LET’S PRAY:

Lord Jesus, no matter what heaven is going to be like, let the greatest JOY that captures our attention be that we have YOU, and we are going to be there with YOU! We pray that this will be the thing that holds our attention the most. We pray that you would make yourself visible to others through us! In your name we pray! –Amen

TAKE AWAY THOUGHT:

As a friend of mine once said, Not every lesson has to hurt. She was so right. That might sound funny for me to say on the same day that I told you about a time when I almost died, but I’m talking about some of the amazing things God did after that! When we least expect it, God can answer our prayers or make our dreams come true. This is why we need to stay in faith and fight against disbelief!

DAY 5

Moses and Aaron then went into the tent of meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the

LORD

appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the

LORD

and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for JOY and fell facedown.

—LEVITICUS 9:23-24

O ne of the things the Holy Spirit is compared to is fire. In fact, the Bible calls God a consuming fire. I love this because fire is such good imagery for passion. He is within us if we have placed our faith in Jesus and truly belong to Him. It is amazing that He is with us right now all the way!

We worry too much and have an impossible time fixing our problems or finding creative solutions to making things better without Him. Without Him, we would be hopeless, but with Him, things become possible that would never happen without Him!

Don’t try to get your prayers answered without getting right with Him. Yes, His promises are real, and He has amazing plans for you, but He wants you to be right with Him, and that means getting rid of what is not from Him. There are two things that happen when you experience the fire of God. The first is that anything that is not from Him begins to get burnt away. The other thing that happens is that anything that is from Him grows stronger. The only thing His fire will destroy is what will keep you from Him. That’s why we shouldn’t be afraid of Him. In fact, His Word says that if you are still afraid you have not been perfected in His love yet. This is why I say that the only thing God is trying to remove from us is whatever might keep us from experiencing His love for us.

LET’S PRAY:

Lord Jesus, thank you for your unending love for us. Instead of us giving into fear, help us to be consumed by your great love for us! In your name we pray! –Amen

TAKE AWAY THOUGHT:

Write down on a piece of paper things that are in your life that God shows you are keeping you from belonging to Him completely. After you are done, pray over all you are releasing to God. Then burn the paper up as a symbol that God is healing your life more! If you can’t burn it, shred it. If you can’t shred it, cut it or tear it up. The point is to do something symbolizing the things that have come between you and God being destroyed!

DAY 6

Celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. Be JOYFUL at your festival—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns. For seven days celebrate the festival to the

LORD

your God at the place the

LORD

will choose. For the

LORD

your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your JOY will be complete.

—DEUTERONOMY 16:13-15

C elebrating what God has done for us and being thankful for His love pleases God. When we are truly grateful for what God has done for us, we won’t just be grateful during a festival or because the calendar says we should be grateful!

It’s a big deal what God has made possible for us! We should always be amazed by how glorious God is and what we have because of Jesus! I love that God gave them all the different festivals with different reasons and things to remember, but even there the point was to focus on Him! We have things we do to remember or give God thanks, but this is making me think of how God says that love is the greatest. He wants our love and devotion all the time, not just a few times a year or on Sundays because the calendar says it is time to remember God!

The more grateful we are for what God has done for us, the more we will express it throughout every area of our lives all the time, not just at certain times. What are you most grateful to God for right now in your life?

LET’S PRAY:

Lord Jesus, thank you for all that you have done for us both personally and as a whole! Help us to stay grateful and express our love and gratitude for you throughout every area of our lives all the time. We pray that this will only prove to enhance our JOY and thankfulness when we do get together for celebrations! In your name we pray! –Amen

TAKE AWAY THOUGHT:

Plan a celebration with family and friends for the specific reason of thanking God for incredible things He has made possible for you! Then look forward with hope to God helping you to overcome present challenges!

DAY 7

Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul’s officers as well. When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with JOYFUL songs and with timbrels and lyres. As they danced, they sang:

Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.

—1 SAMUEL 18:5-7

J ealousy that is flesh driven never produces anything good. If you really think about it the times we have been guilty of this we can trace our thoughts to lies from the devil that snuck into our belief system somehow. If believing the devil’s lies is not bad enough, we also open the door to losing blessings God actually wanted us to have!

If you look for God and what He is doing in your story, you will be in a better position to not only obey what He wants you to do, but you will also protect the blessings He has for you by keeping yourself in right standing with Him. I’m not saying this is always easy. I’m just saying it is worth it!

On the other end of the situation, the most awesome thing in the world is to watch God get a giant victory for you because you obeyed what He wanted you to do and so you were in the right place at the right time to receive! David’s story was about an actual battle on a battlefield, but we have battles we fight too, and we need to stick close to God and what He says if we want to win! Don’t give in to pride if you think you are doing well. Don’t give in to discouragement if you think you are not doing well. Just stay focused on God and do what He says to do. Then rest in His love and covering over you!

LET’S PRAY:

Lord Jesus, since you are Lord of our hearts and lives help us to have our identity in you and who you say we are. Help us to not give in to sinful jealousy or pride. Help us to just trust you, obey you and look forwards to what you said you would do. Thank you for making possible what could only ever happen with you! In your name and love for us, we pray! –Amen

TAKE AWAY THOUGHT:

Do you want to get really honest with God and your friends? Get together with some of your closest friends and between you and God be honest about areas where you have struggled with wrong forms of jealousy and pride. Then pray to God together to help you overcome. Now pray that God will show each of you His blessings and missed plans that He still wants to bring to pass. Then get ready for amazing things to happen!

DAY 8

So Solomon observed the festival at that time, and all Israel with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. They celebrated it before the

LORD

our God for seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all. On the following day, he sent the people away. They blessed the king and then went home, JOYFUL and glad in heart for all the good things the

LORD

had done for his servant David and his people Israel.

—1 KINGS 8:65-66

W hat is the longest amount of time you have ever celebrated anything? What is the longest amount of time you ever celebrated anything that was specifically about God? Think of it, when the new heaven and the new earth comes we will have an uninterrupted celebration for and with Jesus our Forever King! This is definitely a celebration none of us wants to miss!

Previously the main focus may have been on physical structures when God spoke of the temple, but now we are His main focus, and He is ours! Every story we read in the Bible and everything we go through in this life is all leading up to us being fully restored to Jesus and all creation being fully restored as well. I can’t help it, but as I read the stories about the temple, kings, past kingdoms and celebrations I am blown away by the fact that a perfect unshakable kingdom really is coming!!!

LET’S PRAY:

Lord Jesus, you are the eternal King and Lord of all that is coming! Please help us to always put you first! You are the source of unshakable JOY and love! Thank you for making a way for us! In your name we pray! –Amen

TAKE AWAY