Yosemite

I spent a couple of days at Yosemite on a retreat with the Lord and it was absolutely amazing! God exceeded my expectations! It was hard to get to Yosemite. I have tried to go for years, but for various reasons it didn’t work out. His timing is perfect! There was also lots of resistance in getting there the first day, causing a 5 hour delay. Just as 5 is the number of grace, I felt the Lord say my grace is sufficient for you and my timing is perfect. He kept telling me to slow down and be led by Him. I’m glad I did! The whole trip was a lesson in this and it was glorious!! When we’re led by Him, His timing, He has gifts for us that only He can do! There were so many kisses from my beloved on this trip, I was undone. He loves when we go away with Him. It is something we should do daily, going into the secret place, but also a retreat or two every year is so refreshing.

I prayed for good weather for weeks beforehand. This is a huge prayer request as this is Yosemite’s rainiest time of year. God delivered! In a 10 day period, the two days I was there were the only sunny days. It snowed or rained before and after my time there. Praise the Lord! He’s so good!

As I waited in line to get into the park the first day, I rolled down the windows to listen. Suddenly, a raven flew next to my car and landed next to me. It was a reminder of Elijah. I’ve had several supernatural encounters with ravens over the years. Later, I got in a line to show my National Park pass, my line of cars was the slowest. The Lord kept reminding me, don’t rush! He also kept speaking His word- The first shall be last and the last shall be first.

As I entered the park, I put on the soundtrack to “Pride and Prejudice,” one of my favorites. I had a powerful encounter with the Lord over this music a couple of years ago in the Redwoods. As Elizabeth realizes she’s in love with Mr. Darcy, my favorite song plays “ Your Hands are Cold.” The Lord told me He loves me far more than this and I was undone, sobbing uncontrollably. This is the song I love to play when I’m in beautiful places. As I listened to the rest of the soundtrack, my favorite song came on again supernaturally, even though it wasn’t in the queue. What a kiss from my beloved!!

As I came through the tunnel, the view of the Yosemite Valley took my breath away and I started crying at the unbelievable beauty He created. What a taste of heaven! Beauty is to show us a glimpse of His beauty, He created so many details simply to make us happy. He’s so good! I sat overlooking the Yosemite Valley looking at His majestic creation for several minutes, speechless, undone by His goodness! The massive rock formations, outlined with beautiful waterfalls, is stunning!

Yosemite is hard to get to. The most beautiful things are. Hidden treasures are the best. This is the same in our lives. The path may be hard at times, but the end result and what He does in us is beautiful!! I reflected on so many hard things on this trip and I can honestly say it’s all been worth it for the end result. The sharpening, faith building, beauty He brings out of the ashes is what only He can do!

The first waterfall I came to is Bridalveil, a picture of the Bride of Christ. The water is surging powerfully as CA has had unprecedented rain the past two years. There’s waterfalls all over and it’s absolutely breathtaking! Later, I went to the stunning Yosemite falls. On the path leading there, I noticed huge, mossy rocks and what looked like caves in the crevices. Because I was slow to take my time to notice what He was showing me, He told me it was like Elijah’s cave. There are so many lessons in the story of Elijah- great faith, but also taking time to rest and be refreshed by the Lord between battles. As I sat down to watch the waterfall and eat a snack, I ate some honey. He reminded me of the scripture-Taste and see that I am good! He continued to speak His word over me the whole trip and I spoke it to Him. His word is powerful!

On my second day, He woke me very early and said- Rise up my fair one, come away with me. Lo the winter is past, Spring has come! One of my favorite scriptures in the Songs of Songs about our beloved. He also said walk with me in the cool of the evening, another favorite scripture. I ended up doing a hike, which was harder than I anticipated. I kept speaking His word to help me- He leads me in paths of righteousness for His namesake, He guides me in the way I should go, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. As I pondered why I chose this hike and not an easier one, I pondered the scripture about the narrow way. It’s a life lesson. Sometimes the path He has us on is harder, but the lessons learned, the beauty revealed in the end is worth it!

I left this trip refreshed and ready for all the Lord is leading me in. When we are led by Him, every step of the way, nothing is too difficult! The Lord wants us to come away with Him. Most things can wait. I’ve found that in seeking Him first, He gives so much revelation and strategy that He helps us do the things I need to do in a fraction of the time so we have more time for Him! This is what He does! These last few years have taught us to slow down. He’s doing a new thing, it won’t look like it did before. We cannot do it in our own strength. He also says fear not, I am with you always! His peace goes before us. When the fear comes, go to Him. He has all the answers, I’ve seen this over and over. It may not look the way we thought or in our timing, but He has a future and a hope for us and His plans for us are good!