I am Free!

Yes, I am free indeed. This little phrase keeps buzzing through my head as we drive the highway on our way from Manitoba to Alberta. I keep saying this verse in John 8:36 repeatedly: "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." The Lord Jesus Christ set me free from being a slave to sin, so now I do not need to worry about anything, because He is in control. It seems that since I am getting older, life becomes more worry some. My husband is a good driver and very confident, sometimes a bit over confident, I think. I did come to the point that I was not willing to drive long distances with him any more. We talked it over and prayed about it and came to a sacrificial agreement: we will not drive 1000 km in one day anymore (from Swan River, MB to Edmonton, AB). So we put it through the test last week. I still had to remind myself that I AM FREE on several occasions and ask the Lord to take away my worry. But the glorious result was that every time I prayed He gave me the peace that I needed to enjoy our trip away from home. We went from home to North Battleford, from there to Edmonton, then to Valleyview, back to Whitecourt, back to Edmonton, then to Saskatoon where we attended a conference (including a cruise on the river) and home from there. All this in ten days and we had a wonderful time with family and friends and just being together on the road. God wants us to be free from any worry or oppression so we can enjoy life to the fullest and share with others what God is doing for us.

The last few nights I had some scary dreams. Last night I was sure that a man was standing in the door opening of our bedroom. When I looked again, he was gone. Again I prayed that the Lord would set me free from those strange dreams and I commanded this whatever I saw to get out of our home and disappear into the pit. The same peace that I received when we were travelling came over me again and I had a restful sleep. This morning I praised and glorified God for His faithfulness. It strengthened my faith and it is wonderful to experience this "peace of God which transcends all understanding" (Philippians 4:7).

Blog, blog and more blog. Why did I not get out of bed last night and wrote down what was on my mind. The urge was there, but then I was too lazy to get up. Sometimes I think that I should not be writing anymore. I am not producing any books or win any prizes at contests.
Then someone will come up to me and tell me that she enjoyed my little article in the local paper. I guess we all need encouragement at times and I know that eventually I will be driven to write again. This blog is all about "I", but it is good sometimes to spill the beans and let the fingers write what is flowing out of one's heart. This is my contribution for to-day. It feels good to have written it down and I hope someone will read it and understand my feelings.

Last October, right after Thanksgivings Day I wrote a blog about a car accident where one girl was severely hurt. She spent months in hospital, underwent several operations and still has to have another operation on her back and two on her knees. She is going back to see both specialists this week. She wrote on Facebook and asked for prayer. Her plan for this summer is to be the assistant director in a Bible Camp. She will share this position with another young lady, because she is limited in her movements. The Board will provide whatever she needs to make her stay at Bible Camp work for her. In September she hopes to go back to Bible College and make up for the year she lost because of the accident. Her prayer request is that none of the operations will happen during camp time or when she will be back in Bible School. The testimony this young lady has is indescribable when you think of all the suffering she went through (even a sixteen hour back operation) and the faith she has that the Lord will use her for His glory. She is an example for many. This winter she came back to join our Community Band to play her flute, even when the weather was nasty and she had to use crutches to stay mobile. I praise and thank the Lord for this young adult and know that the Lord will use her mightily.

My burden

It is Sunday morning and I have a prayer request to share in our church service. However there is a change and we are asked to pray for any of our own needs. I feel that my request does not fit that category so I start to write down what was in my heart and want to share this in my blog.

This week my burden is heavy for the families who are travelling. It is spring break in Manitoba and families are travelling to visit grandparents and grandparents like to go and enjoy time with children and grandchildren. It is important to pray for those who are on the road. I am also thinking of a group of senior high school children who are in Europe during this break and are performing some of their band music. Are they socializing in a manner that is not only honoring to their country, but also to the Lord? Because the Lord has burdened my heart I need to pray.

Of course I have needs too, but it is not always easy to share with others. When I think of travelling I feel anxious. The older I get the more that travelling becomes a burdensome experience. My husband is a confident driver, maybe a bit over confident, according to my thinking. He will never admit that. Going to an airport is an overwhelming experience now that we are both well into our senior years. Yes, there is a season for everything as the Bible tells us. I need to commit these thoughts of my own heart to the Lord, and above all, leave them there.

The Lord will give us grace to endure and to accept what He has in store for us. "His grace is sufficient."

PRAYER

This past week I spent much time in prayer.

There were prayers of praise, thankfulness and worship when we became great-grandparents of twins. They are healthy and able to go home with their mom after two days. We are looking forward to travel to Alberta to go and see those precious little ones.

This week I shed many a tear when each miner in Chile came up from the mine. Many confessed that their relationship with the Lord changed during the time they were underground. Relationships has been restored and families are back together. We need to keep praying that they will adjust well after this terrible ordeal.

Each day when my husband comes home I ask him if he had a good day out on the field to gather in the crop. If it is a good day we thank and praise the Lord. If the day was not so good and sometimes terrible, we pray for a better day tomorrow. We also thank the Lord for keeping the farmers safe.

Four young people going back to Bible College after celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family at home were involved in a car roll-over and they all got injured. Many people in our town are praying for one girl who was severely hurt. She just underwent 16 hours of surgery to repair her spine. It is overwhelming and almost puzzling to see how the Lord is going to use this mishap to His glory. It brings people together to seek the Lord all through the day.

God honors prayer and will give us a peace that passes all understanding when we seek Him.

God's Hand

This morning I experienced God's Hand after I had written one of my childhood experiences.

When I was still in bed I thought about some of unpleasant memories of my life. The need was there to write them down. I wrote about three pages and let my husband read it off the computer. Then we discussed how I should save it without too many people having access to it. Some people in the story are still living and might have objections. He suggested to delete the whole thing, since I had now followed my heart and wrote it down. I am still thinking about it and suddenly the screensaver gets stuck. This means that I have to restart the computer. Now remember I was still thinking of how to save these three pages, under what heading would be best suitable, so ...... nothing was saved and it was now all gone. The first thought comes to my mind, that this is an answer to a prayer I had not even said yet. The Lord took over and let me have peace with it.

Has any writer ever experienced this, the need to write down something, then not knowing what to do with it and the Lord takes care of it, one way or another? Praise God, He is in control.

Life

Some one wrote, yes, there is life after 40 ..... Oh yes, I know, there is even life after 50 and 60. But what about after 70. Some of us have the privilege to live after the age of 70 years. Three scores and 10, according to the Bible. When I was at International Music camp I was amazed how many pensioners were still going strong on their musical instruments or voice. It was very uplifting.

After being home a week I visited my friend who just moved into a personal care home. She thought she was moving into another apartment and would get full care there. She wondered what she was doing in this place with all these people. When I stepped into her room it felt like I stepped into a cage. It made me think of my birds who have always lived in a cage and do not know any better. This friend of mine has lived a very active life until about a year ago. Her memory was beginning to slip and some physical problems began to surface. She is not much older than me.

Is that what is waiting for me, being left in a personal care home. I know the care will be excellent, but all you have is your one room and no privacy, no lock on the door .....

The threat gave me a downward look on life and I felt down the rest of the day. On one hand it is a "downer" but on the other hand it spurs me on to do the things I still want to do in life, if the Lord will let me. It is such a comfort to know that God is in control of my life. Nothing will happen to me without His consent. All I need to do is trust Him. Even writing this blog uplifts me and gives me courage to keep going as long as I can. Thank you Lord for the comfort you give.

As David puts it so rightly in Psalm 121:8 "The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever." What a precious promise to hang on to.