+The Best of God+

 By Elena Ramirez

Author of a Prayer of Hope

All Copy Rights Reserved

This testimony is about prayer.  It is about knowing God, hears your prayers.  And the unique and unusual ways HE may answer, to show you his Love.

It began, by needing to get away......

Recently, my family and I, took a vacation to Florida.

It was January, 2009.

Florida is a beautiful place, and has very much to offer.

I am from Colorado, a native. And though it is beautiful here, with our Rocky Mountains. As I grow older, the cold, seems to affect me more, and so I long, for the warmth, and the beauty of the tropical atmosphere of Florida. But more then anything, I am attracted to the ocean. Where my soul, and spirit are warmed, and where I just sense the power of God.

With it’s green and blue hues.  There is something so great and grand to see, as one looks out to the ocean, a body of water, never ending.   And yet, it stops, at the shore. As it’s boundary. With the waves crashing, or rushing in, to remind me, that God has placed an invisible boundary, to tell the water, it cannot go any further. That it must stop and return to it’s place or origin. That it must go back to the great mass of water. Where it is as one, it is a great and mighty force.

So it obeys and rushes in, to the shore, and rushes back to the ocean.

Taking the time, even in a rushed few days of a vacation. I want to make sure, to gather in the sights, and sounds of this place of paradise.  It is imperative to me, to take the time, to go to the beach, just to walk, just to gather sea shells, and just to feel the ocean breeze. To worship God.  And to pray.  To pray to my Lord, God. 

This does something more to me, then words can explain. But it fills my heart, my spirit, and replenishes me.  So much so, that I long for it, like a lover, and I cannot help but long to return.

I suppose, I feel this, because it does remind me of God.  Because I love my Lord, and I love searching for him in all things.  He is the Lover of my soul.

So I long to see him from the tiniest, teeniest flower, to something as great as the ocean. 

From the shore, as I look out and see. The enormity of it all,

with the sky touching the water, as far as I can see. It also becomes one.

And as the sun rises, or goes down, I sense the promises of God, and the principles he has set and established. For day in, and day out, the sun rises, and goes down. Bringing in the promises of hope, for the new day.

But how many days does one really have?  No one knows....

But God.... 

To see all of this, it is all so symbolic.  But, it reminds me of the creator, and how awesome my God is. HE is but one, and there is none else.   I am reminded, that God is a sovereign, and mighty God. That though, he is invisible, he has left reminders of his power. That he has created beauty and life. If we look around to see it, we can see how he is able to do anything. And to me, I do feel like I become one with God, when I am able to participate in this. Longing myself, to be creative, longing to be like him. Just able to do so much more, then my human capabilities allow.  I yearn....

         Yet, I so relish, in what I am able to do, and what God has given me.       

   I am grateful. For everything, and what HE allows me to do. Through this, it is as if my spirit, does want to rush in and do this and that, but like the water, I know my boundaries, and I know, as God is my source, like the water, I must continually go back to God, to be replenished.  To always be as one with him.  I want to obey.

This is what I find, when I go to the ocean’s shores.

On this particular day, of our vacation, we were traveling, near Fort Lauderdale. On our way back to Tampa. Needing to stop, my husband stopped at a beach called Deerfield beach. There my son, and husband stayed at the car.

I got out of the car, and took my camera. Taking advantage of the moment, to again, be near the beach.  I did not waste a moment. Rushing up and down the shore. I began taking pictures, and trying to capture the beauty of what I was seeing. The sun was out, but it was chilly. On this side of the Atlantic ocean, the water was more green then blue. But I could see the contrast.   And I began searching for sea shells, as a souvenir of our trip.

For some reason, my prayer, prior to that day, was “Lord, I just want the best of you.”  I suppose, I prayed that because I do feel so limited in what I am able to do lately. Dreams have not been met yet, and as a writer, of my Prayers of Hope, I have longed to do something divine. Something that will bring glory to God, but also to speak a word of truth to the lost, and to inspire, God’s children. Those dreams have not been fulfilled, and I long to be published. Though, I have self published my Book of Remembrance, and Prayers of Hope, over the internet. 

It's not the same.  Not the miracle, I believe

and know, God could accomplish.

I prayed this, maybe weary,

so that my life would be fulfilled.....

For HE knows my heart, my mind, my soul...my faults. 

But knowing, that day, and believing that God is able, to do far and above what I could even think or ask.  My prayer, was to ask him, for him, to reveal the best of who he is.  That prayer of just those few words, just seemed to put everything in perspective.

Again, I felt the prompting, to pray that. So, there on the beach, again, I stopped, admired my view of the water, and sky and asked God again.

“Lord, I just want the best of you.”

I suppose in my small thinking, I was only thinking at that moment, of sea shells. Little reminders of his creation. That he could drudge up for me, and place them in front of me, to pick and choose.

How small my thinking was… For at that moment, the “Best”, the most spectacular thing God so far, has shown me, in his love, was revealed.

Near the shore, I looked down in the water, and saw something floating. In this never ending source of water, something was coming to me, and to only me, at that moment.....

It captured my attention.  I focused my eyes, and I got closer there was something there. What was it?    I knew I had to reach for it. I knew, that this body of water, in a moment could rush it away from me.

I did not want that.

As the waves rushed in and out. I had to be precise.

And so I reached out.

I stooped down, and grabbed the object, that had been floating,

that had grabbed my attention.

And there, I sensed and knew God had brought to me the best of who HE is.

The very, very best….

In my hands, was a thin black rope, with a wooden Cross.

And immediately there beside it, another gift, I found a white heart shaped shell or rock. And I knew, and felt, and heard the voice of God tell me….

With tears in my eyes, in that moment, I was transformed to know, how great God is. That he answered my prayer. That truly the Cross is the greatest thing he could ever give me. I have known that. But God used this moment to speak to my heart, and maybe yours as well. Maybe my heart had been getting stony, I don’t know. Because I do feel unfulfilled. I have felt frustrated. As if my prayers have not been answered. But there in a moment, my heart felt change, it felt hope..... It felt God.

 I knew, that HE had answered me and my small prayer. For there I knew….that I know.... It was confirmed in my spirit.  Because, I truly believe, if we look at the Cross, and realize what Christ did for us, by taking our sins, nailing them there, and suffering, until death.  He did so, because he loves us so very, very much. My heart knew that.  We can receive the best from God. And knowing, as HE was resurrected, and came back, we can have life eternal.   If we seek him and repent.  If we take him at his word, the gospel, we can have the life, he intended for us, here on earth, if we just look and see. If we open up our stony hearts. We can become one with God through the Cross. That is what I long for. In my relationship with God.

The very best he can give any of us, is the Cross.

But we have to ask.... 

By Elena Ramirez

All Copy rights, reserved.

Written February 27, 2009

Pictures shown are the pictures, I took that

day, to be witness in this testimony.

God bless you,