Saturday, August 17, 2013

Dearest God,

Pushing against your will renders hopelessness and helplessness.  But riding on the wave of trust can open new scenes of your glory.

I felt so frustrated with spotty cell phone service and an inability to get off the island to get to my sick husband more than a thousand miles away.  Trapped in place for 24 hours helped me better understand the magnitude of your grace.  Family and friends stepped up to provide loving comfort for my hubby while my covenant group member who came to the island for a vacation helped to steady me by packing 15 boxes and bags of linens, groceries, and retreat whatnot.  She prayed with me and let her presence give me assurance of your coming.

It was during that time I realized the gifts you gave me over the course of the last week.  You gave me a virtual paradise with which to awaken each morning.  The pristine beauty of sailboats rocking on the water, the sunrises and sunsets, the dirt trails leading to glorious wonders, and the sacred rhythm of the island a half mile wide by a mile and a half long had oozed serenity into my DNA cells.  The massage I had the day before quite literally took away the tendinitis pain I had carried for months.  I drank living water and ate the manna of heaven all before I learned of my husband's very serious health condition.  You had prepared me for what lay ahead.

Oh God,
father, comforter, and friend,
thank you
for gifts
that grow
in value.
Thank you
for grace
that spills deeply
into the
human soul.
Thank you
for taking care
of everything.

Love, Andrea