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God's Words For US
by Cecelia Lester
Recently, I had an experience that will remain with me forever. Here's how the story went:
“We’ve got to go the Emergency Room.” My husband, Jim greeted me with these words. I looked at the clock; it was almost 7:00 A. M. This was my morning to go to the Mustard Seed Prayer Group. It was January, we had received icy rain the past few nights.
I texted two of my friends who would be at the prayer group to let them know what was happening. They responded with encouraging thoughts. They would be praying.
One hour later, we departed our house. The hospital was a half mile away. The roads had an icy sheen. When we got to the parking lot, there were virtually no places to park. The one open spot we found was across the width of the ice-covered lot. We walked across that expanse, me walking with my cane, as best I could.
After we registered him, the clerk led us from the lobby into the ER proper. She led us to the left and along the approaching hallway to the front of the area. She turned right and led us across the area and turned right, again.
I quickly sent up a prayer. “Lord, why is the world against us today.” She led us into the exam room. We sat down and tried to catch our breath. The very next person we saw was an EMT who I had worked with on my last job. He was pleasant and acted glad to see me. The nurse was caring and helpful. The doctor was one who had seen us both before and Jim liked his manner. We were back home in two and a half hours, a record for a trip to the ER.
God reminded me that He answers those sentence prayers and that He is always with us, whether we think He is or not. Because of this experience, certain scriptures stand out in my mind. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” Joshua 1:5. (NIV) “And God is faithful, he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.” 1 Corinthians 10:13b. (NIV)
What do these verses tell us? To me, the most important word here is ‘never. ’Let’s look at this in a slightly different light.
God Never Leaves
Simply put, God is saying that, once we ask Him into our hearts, He is with us for whatever comes into our lives. God stands with us during anything we will experience. He is especially dear to us when those events deeply affect us. He stands with us. He is the best friend we can have.
He walks with us when we have someone in the hospital. His presence can fill the room of a nursing home resident. God is with us as we go through the grief process after a loss. He helps a mother-to-be through a difficult pregnancy. Our Father reminds us He is near when we are scared or discouraged. For all He does for us, we are eternally grateful.
God Gives Us Strength
Paul puts the words in the negative. “he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.” As I understand it, God’s presence in our lives gives us strength. One of my favorite pictures showing this is a painting by Warner Sallman. It shows a young boy standing at the helm of a ship. He is steering the ship through a storm. Right behind him stands Jesus Christ. I find comfort when I see this artist’s rendering of this truth.
God, through Jesus, guides us through the various storms of life. For this I am thankful. He, again, became more real to me through this.
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Cecelia Lester has been serious about her writing for over two decades..
She composes Christian essays and posts them to her blog quietspirit-followingmyking.blogspot.com/
She has served in a faith-based organization, Grace In Action by writing two newsletters and searching for possible grants.
In July 2017, she published her first book, 'Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy.'
She and her husband of 54 years live in central Indiana. They have one grown son.
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