When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. "Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him." "O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:14-20
I wish I could succinctly express all that is in my heart and mind this evening. I have seen God Most High move three separate mountains in the past week, the most recent being this very afternoon. It's been quite a time of faith-testing (Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4).
Today, I got to praise and honor the Lord with others who have been praying and sharing our burdens over the past three weeks. May the Name of the Lord be praised! He is mighty to save with His righteous right Hand!
And yet, a week spent in crisis and breath-holding unknowns has a way of numbing a person's senses. Maybe this is because your heart and mind go into survival mode and for a time, it's somehow almost impossible to absorb the little beauties all around. I asked the Wonderful Counselor to walk me through my thoughts and feelings, to help me not shut down and exist in a numb state. He has been faithful, of course, and in ways I wouldn't have expected - He gave me therapy for my senses:
-He let me hear the steady chirring of the cicadas in the trees at dusk - can I sleep outside tonight, so they can put me to sleep?
-I got to see the sun flashing through tall, leafy green trees as I drove out of the country, both sides of the road flanked by grassy fields and wooden split-rail fences.
-As I walked to my truck to get a few things, I caught the scent of gardenias in the balmy evening air. Heavenly.
-For supper, we had Chinese and my, it was good to taste again - and to taste such strong, interesting flavors!
-Lastly, I cuddled and hugged children today - my own and others. What a blessing; what a joy.
There are more mountains ahead, sobering realities to be faced in the days to come, so that even in the joy of this day, my heart has a heaviness in it. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair. (2 Corinthians 4:8) I don't despair because God will have His glory, and and He does all things well. He is utterly trustworthy in all His ways - when His ways bring happiness and when His plans bring pain.
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.
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Photos - I love photos of flying children, who were allowed by grandma to take an impromptu swim in their clothes! (MK, then EG, then LC)
He has done (and is doing) GREAT things! May His name be ever praised.
ReplyDeleteLove the photos. I stared and stared at EG's photo thinking, "Who is that?" She doesn't look like herself, or maybe it's just that she's growing and changing.