Oh His Word! (An Update)

UPDATED: Thanks, sweet friends, for your concern & prayers. You've blessed me! I know you all have so many needs on your own hearts & minds, but if you could spare another prayer for my mama today I would be so grateful! When I left her on Saturday she had use of her left side. Yesterday morning it was gone. Head to toe, she is paralyzed on the left side. That's not the end of the story, though. Our God will have the final word.

“For where two or three come together in My Name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:20

“The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16


There are so many things that I want to say. I want to tell about the weight loss journey that is a "fat" failure. I want to tell you about the book giveaway that never happened. I want to explain some things, but that's not why I was prompted to sit here in front of this screen tonight.

Tonight I need to talk about the reality of Christ.

His comfort. His power. His presence.

And His peace. Oh His peace.

And His Word! OH HIS WORD!

In October 2008, my sweet daddy had a big, nasty stroke. It was the scariest night of my life, but I experienced the greatest peace in my life. In spite of the peace, never did I want to face that kind of storm again.

Today, it stormed like that again.

Daddy called at 8AM to say that the ambulance was on the way to pick my mama up. She'd most likely had a stroke.

My husband thought I was kidding when I told him.

I wish.

Out the door we went.

There we were on the way to the Emergency Room AGAIN.

Deja' Vu.

I was already in the process of praying, but as we started on that too familiar trip I whipped out the Holy Writ. No floundering around. I went straight to the very place I would've been reading this morning in my quiet time. Just picked up where I left off yesterday morning.

Lo & behold, I was in Psalm 121. How many times has my daddy read that to folks (my mama included) who were at the hospital for surgeries or treatments? What scripture did Curtis ask Amanda to read to him when he faced emergency surgery last week? You got it! Psalm 121!

"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come?
My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
The sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul.
The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever."

Oh hallelujah!!

I also read Proverbs 31 today & that, too, had some personal blessings wrapped up in it with a bow on top. God is so good to me!

As I moved on to Matthew 15, I picked up with the Syrophoenician woman who wanted Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter. The final verse (verse 28) of that section says this:

Then Jesus said to her, "O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed at once.

I said, "Oh Lord, this is not just about a healing for my mama. You want to do some healing in me. Do it. Do it."

The next few verses (29-31)talk about some more healing...

"Departing from there, Jesus went along by the Sea of Galilee, and having gone up on the mountain, He was sitting there. And large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them. So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. "

Now I realize that if you believe in coincidences none of this is meaning anything to you. As a matter of fact you are probably pitying me & my lack of touch with reality. Well, go ahead & believe what you will & I'll just go ahead & believe what I will.

I believe God. I believe His Word. I believe I could've been anywhere else in my regular scripture reading today. But I wasn't. I believe that God had me right where He wanted me in His Word TO.DAY.

As I finished reading & praying, I just closed my eyes & let my heart begin to settle.

Then it happened.

Fear.

My mind had gone from victorious meditation to vain imaginations in 2 seconds flat.

I told my husband that fear was beginning to eat at my insides. It was gnawing on me.

I immediately quoted 2 Timothy 1:7.

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

Then, I intentionally turned to a place where I knew I could find a much-needed word for my trembling heart.

Joshua 1:9

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

His Word! OH HIS WORD!

Mama did have a stroke. She has a blood clot in her head still. Please pray.

Pray in His Name. Oh His Name!

"The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe." Proverbs 18:10