Here to Testify

This passage was read this morning in church.  I am here to testify how incredibly true it is.  I hope this touches your heart and day like it did mine!

  But now, this is what the LORD says—
       he who created you, O Jacob,
       he who formed you, O Israel:
       "Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
       I have summoned you by name; you are mine.   When you pass through the waters,
       I will be with you;
       and when you pass through the rivers,
       they will not sweep over you.
       When you walk through the fire,
       you will not be burned;
       the flames will not set you ablaze.
  For I am the LORD, your God,
       the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

Isaiah 43:1-3a

Answered Prayer

We often talk of unanswered prayers and think of answered prayer as a big mystery.  I am not so sure I see it that way.  My family has certainly received some miraculous answered prayers, but even more so, we have gotten the every day answers.

A recent example came the other day, when everyone was cranky.  Hannah, in her bedtime prayers prayed person by person through the house that God would "help us not be so cranky".  As she continued to pray, she asked for blessings on the many people who have been laid on our hearts, for Haiti, that our church does so much to support, and for Zambia, the GEMS girls club mission focus.  Then she prayed for "all the kids starving in Japan".

Hannah has recently learned of Weird Al's "Eat It".  She has become quite a fan, and took him quite literally that Japan was a mecca of starving children.

As you could imagine, I could hardly keep from laughing.  As soon as the "amen" was out, I busted up.  We talked about the reliability of Weird Al lyrics as a source of prayer requests, and laughed and laughed and laughed.  Then we looked at each other, realizing that her prayer to "help momma not to be so cranky" had been answered, while she was still praying. 

That is the beauty of noticing God in the ordinary.  There is nothing unusual about an 11 year old girl misunderstanding something and making her mom laugh, but when God is in it, it is a beautiful thing!

‎Fear

‎"Do not seek God as if He were far off in an ivory castle. He is found in the middle of the events of your everyday life. Look past the obstacles and find Him." Fenelon

 I'm not a person who spends much time in fear.  This is something that God has worked out in me over the years, and I am very thankful for that.  My husband has his share of near death encounters and my boys would give me many reasons to fear as well, but as I've said, for the most part God has worked that out in me.

Except for this one thing.  Hannah.  I have just one typical child.  I invest so much time and effort and service into parenting, but unlike most, I don't have the typical expectations of sending off all four kids at the ripe young age of 18 to college to get educated, married and bring me many grandbabies.  Because of the makeup of our family, Hannah holds all of that future expectation for me.  I have many beautiful future expectations from the other three, they just aren't of the typical American Dream variety.

 This morning Hannah got up, asked to make pancakes, and proceeded to get all the pancake ingredients together.  As I was getting dressed I heard her coming down the hall, then walk into my bedroom and fall onto the air mattress we have in our room for Ben.  At first I thought she was being goofy, but she whacked her chin on Mike's dresser and didn't even stir about it.  I ran over in my undies and saw that she was unconscious.  

I cannot describe the horror, it has no verbiage.

I attempted to awaken her and called for Mike, and she rolled over and wretched, pale and sweaty.

As it turns out, we are reasonably certain that it was low blood sugar with maybe a bit of dehydration on top of it.  She appears to be fine at this point.

The fear got to me though.  I could hardly keep from crying all morning (NOT like me), and have been more than a little obsessive about checking on her.  She is fine every time I check. ;-)

I am so thankful my Lord and Savior loves this child more than I could ever imagine.  That he wants her best, even when I don't know what to do for her.  Hannah has a very special position in this family, she is such a treasure.  I am so thankful for all that she is, but I am even more thankful that she belongs to Jesus  That after a sermon about taking up your cross and following Christ she went home and went through her things to decide what to donate, and chose more than just a few beautiful treasures especially to give to children who have less than she does, and even more to sell and give half of the profits away.  God is in every little bit of ordinary, every day.  I am so thankful for Him in my life and in my little girl's life.

 

A Promise

On the day Benjamin was diagnosed with leukemia, Mike went home from the hospital to find this magnet had come in the mail.  The verse is not that clear, I apologize, a photographer I am not.  It is 2 Corinthians 1:20, "For as many as are the promise of God, they all find their answer in Him."


This does not mean that Ben will be totally cured or that the road will always be smooth, but that His word will be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, that we can consider it pure joy to endure trials of many kinds because the testing of our faith develops perseverance.  God has been true to these and many more promises.  What a sighting of God!  There are no coincidences in Him.