Have you ever heard that old gospel song, "The Unseen Hand'? "There is an unseen hand to me, that leads through ways I cannot see. We're going through this world of woe, this hand still leads me as I go......I'm trusting to the unseen hand, that guides me through this weary land...and some sweet day, I'll reach that strain, still guided by the unseen hand....I long to see my Savior's face, and sing the story I've been saved by grace. And there upon that golden strain, I'll praise Him for his guiding hand.
Are you trusting that unseen hand? I praise God for that unseen hand. Let me tell you the latest story of that Unseen Hand in my life. Saturdays.......ahhh......thank God for Saturdays....no work, downtime, and time at home. This particular one started off cloudy, but unseasonable warm....about 2 weeks ago. I had gotten up, cleaned the house, and done laundry. My husband was in the barn doing some wood working. It was soon to rain, so I put on my running shoes and try to beat the rain. My oldest daughter was at work, and my youngest was chilled out on the sofa. I got back from my run, and started finishing supper..........some homemade beef stew. I looked out the window and the rain began to fall. I smiled and thanked God that He allowed me to get my run in, and get back home before it started.
Now, the stew was done except for simmering.........now it was time for a nice long shower. I was so looking forward to some pajama and beef stew time! I was in the bathroom, 'piddling' as we say it here in the south, lol........getting the right soap, checking to see if I need to pluck my eyebrows, etc. I was just about to start taking my clothes off, when in walks my husband. He looked in the mirror, and quietly says, "We need to go to the hospital." I looked at him, and as I was about to ask why, he took his hand down from his right cheek........my question was immediately answered. There was a gaping hole about 1 1/2 inches long, underneath his cheek bone running horizontally all the way to his ear! Blood was immediately gushing everywhere!
By the time we got to the hospital he had soaked 2 towels, and a camouflage jacket he had in the backseat of his truck, and it was still pouring! The next physician on duty to the ER was on his way, and he is a surgeon. He came in and sutured the artery that had been cut, almost in to....and then the fasia, and finally glued the outer skin. Possible nerve damage was a concern, but he looked better than he did earlier. After a liter of fluids pushed into his vein, and a bag of antibiotics...and 4 1/2 hours..........we were headed back home.
He awoke the next morning, swollen and in pain, but alive and well. He was numb around the cut and about 2 inches above it, and his right eyebrow doesn't move. Looking for the positive...his wrinkles were less noticeable on that side, lol......like he had half of a botox treatment!
I've got so much to thank God for.............you see, I could've very well have been made a widow that night..........but there was an unseen hand that was there! You see, moments earlier, I was thanking God that He took out time to hold back the rain so I wouldn't get wet while running. What I wasn't aware of, was that I was going to need dry clothes for the sudden trip to the ER! That unseen hand protected my husband through this accident, and did not let that tool hit him in the eye.....that would have taken his eye immediately! That unseen hand didn't let that hit knock him out. If it had, he would've laid on that concrete floor and bled to death. It was that unseen hand that let me be home when the accident occurred. It was that unseen hand that had that surgeon's shift to be right at the time that we would need him. It was that unseen hand that did not let him have total paralysis of the right side of his face. Even though he cannot move that right brow.........he's awfully cute when that left brow raises up by itself :).
I don't dwell for one second on why it happened........I thank God for that unseen hand that guided me..through ways I could not see. Oh........how can you not praise His name...........how can you not want to live for Him?? He answers those prayers I do pray...........and that unseen hand takes care of me when I don't even know I need to pray!!
And you OCD cleaners.....like I am, I will add this to the story...........God even helped my husband get into the house, through our beige carpeted bedroom without one drop of blood falling!! And, with our youngest daughter at home, she was able to have our bathroom sink, counter, and floor all cleaned up before we got back! Yes............I don't take anything my God does for granted!!
Oh I do long to to see my Savior's face and sing the story I've been saved by grace........and there upon that golden strain, I'll praise Him for His guiding hand!!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Redeemed!
If you are a child of God, then by all means, you should know exactly what I mean when I say WE ARE REDEEMED! To redeem means to buy back or repurchase, to recover and free from bondage. Christ certainly gave redemption that day on that cruel cross. And Praise the Lord, it is for everyone!
Isaiah 43 verses 1-3 say this, "...Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have call thee by name, thou are mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour.."
Read that passage several times and really let that sink in! We do not have to be afraid of anything...why....because He has redeemed us....He paid the price and freed us, and now we are one of His children!! That part alone is more than enough to Praise His name forever....but the writer continues.
Some people have this false idea that, if you are a christian...then life is just 'peachy'. All your worries and troubles are gone......sooo not true! The waters are symbolic of trials or troubles....and he doesn't say IF you pass through the waters............no.....he says WHEN you pass through the waters. You are going to face troubles and trials....but when you do....He says, I will be with you! What a wonderful, incomprehendable blessing......whatever troubles or trials we face....HE WILL BE THERE!
Again, if the scripture ended there, we could still spend an eternity just praising Him for that!....but the writer kept writing! He also said we will go through rivers. Sometimes our trials are like water.....scary, but small......and sometimes our trials are much bigger.....like rivers! Oh, I just love His response to this...'they shall not overflow thee;" What a definitive response....nothing meek or timid about that statement. THEY SHALL NOT OVERFLOW THEE! I don't know about you, but that makes me feel sooo safe and secure!
Oh my, when the waters come....He's there; when the rivers run, they can't overflow us. That is such a blessing, isn't it? But wait....the writer goes on......'when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned....' Oh what a Saviour!!!! Sometimes our trouble and trials are small like the water, He will be there; sometimes our trouble and trials are bigger, like the rivers, they can't overflow us..............oh but sometimes our trouble and trials are enormous...like fire.....but we shall not be burned!! Again, no wimpy statement there, not might not be, could not be....nope he says THOU SHALT NOT be burned!
And hold on to your seats.......if that's not good enough for you....He throws this in...'neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.' Are you getting it? Is it sinking in?? Kindle means to start a fire...cause to begin burning. Now are you getting it??? Okay, again, He doesn't say we might go through the fire...he said 'when thou walkest through the fire...' We are going to go through some big ole troubles and trials............but it's just a walk through...no ownership involved! And in passing through...we will NOT BE BURNED by it................Oh, I'm getting some happy bubbles here, lol.............and not only are we just passing through it and are NOT gonna get burned....but the flame CANNOT kindle upon us...............we can't get burned nor can we have a fire started on us....we cannot get burned....and we CANNOT BURN!!!! Oh my goodness......I have got to sit this computer down and do a happy dance.....right now!!! Thank you, Jesus.....thank you Jesus...thank you Jesus....thank you Jesus!!!
How is all of this possible?.....oh, because of the next statement found in verse 3....'For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour.." What peace...what sweet peace. How personal too....He is the Lord...MY God.....He is MY Saviour!! Bless the Lord.....oh Bless the Lord!
So when my day has started off badly....woke up late, car won't start....can't find my purse, had a spat with my husband or my coworker....or traffic is horrific....what ever your 'waters' may be in life....He is there. When my kids are sick, and I don't know what to do to help them, when my bank account is empty and there is still 2 weeks left in the month, when my friend is diagnosed with a serious illness, when my marriage seems shaky.....when I am at the bank of my 'river' I'm don't have to fear....they will not overflow me. When my dad passes away, or my husband says he is leaving, or my child goes astray, or a friendship ends, when my job is gone, when my world is rocked to the core...........as I walk through my 'fire'......I can hold my head up high and know that I will not be burned..............and no matter if all I think and know looks like it is disappearing before my very eyes........I'm still not to fear.....that most heated fire CANNOT TOUCH ME...the worst of the worst of flames CANNOT KINDLE upon me. Because I AM is by my side!
Are you at your water, your river, your fire?............Hang on....don't give up and succomb to any of it.....He is with you, He will will be there, He will not let the waters overflow you, He will not let you be burned, nor let a fire start on you.....let Him be your Saviour!
Isaiah 43 verses 1-3 say this, "...Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have call thee by name, thou are mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour.."
Read that passage several times and really let that sink in! We do not have to be afraid of anything...why....because He has redeemed us....He paid the price and freed us, and now we are one of His children!! That part alone is more than enough to Praise His name forever....but the writer continues.
Some people have this false idea that, if you are a christian...then life is just 'peachy'. All your worries and troubles are gone......sooo not true! The waters are symbolic of trials or troubles....and he doesn't say IF you pass through the waters............no.....he says WHEN you pass through the waters. You are going to face troubles and trials....but when you do....He says, I will be with you! What a wonderful, incomprehendable blessing......whatever troubles or trials we face....HE WILL BE THERE!
Again, if the scripture ended there, we could still spend an eternity just praising Him for that!....but the writer kept writing! He also said we will go through rivers. Sometimes our trials are like water.....scary, but small......and sometimes our trials are much bigger.....like rivers! Oh, I just love His response to this...'they shall not overflow thee;" What a definitive response....nothing meek or timid about that statement. THEY SHALL NOT OVERFLOW THEE! I don't know about you, but that makes me feel sooo safe and secure!
Oh my, when the waters come....He's there; when the rivers run, they can't overflow us. That is such a blessing, isn't it? But wait....the writer goes on......'when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned....' Oh what a Saviour!!!! Sometimes our trouble and trials are small like the water, He will be there; sometimes our trouble and trials are bigger, like the rivers, they can't overflow us..............oh but sometimes our trouble and trials are enormous...like fire.....but we shall not be burned!! Again, no wimpy statement there, not might not be, could not be....nope he says THOU SHALT NOT be burned!
And hold on to your seats.......if that's not good enough for you....He throws this in...'neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.' Are you getting it? Is it sinking in?? Kindle means to start a fire...cause to begin burning. Now are you getting it??? Okay, again, He doesn't say we might go through the fire...he said 'when thou walkest through the fire...' We are going to go through some big ole troubles and trials............but it's just a walk through...no ownership involved! And in passing through...we will NOT BE BURNED by it................Oh, I'm getting some happy bubbles here, lol.............and not only are we just passing through it and are NOT gonna get burned....but the flame CANNOT kindle upon us...............we can't get burned nor can we have a fire started on us....we cannot get burned....and we CANNOT BURN!!!! Oh my goodness......I have got to sit this computer down and do a happy dance.....right now!!! Thank you, Jesus.....thank you Jesus...thank you Jesus....thank you Jesus!!!
How is all of this possible?.....oh, because of the next statement found in verse 3....'For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour.." What peace...what sweet peace. How personal too....He is the Lord...MY God.....He is MY Saviour!! Bless the Lord.....oh Bless the Lord!
So when my day has started off badly....woke up late, car won't start....can't find my purse, had a spat with my husband or my coworker....or traffic is horrific....what ever your 'waters' may be in life....He is there. When my kids are sick, and I don't know what to do to help them, when my bank account is empty and there is still 2 weeks left in the month, when my friend is diagnosed with a serious illness, when my marriage seems shaky.....when I am at the bank of my 'river' I'm don't have to fear....they will not overflow me. When my dad passes away, or my husband says he is leaving, or my child goes astray, or a friendship ends, when my job is gone, when my world is rocked to the core...........as I walk through my 'fire'......I can hold my head up high and know that I will not be burned..............and no matter if all I think and know looks like it is disappearing before my very eyes........I'm still not to fear.....that most heated fire CANNOT TOUCH ME...the worst of the worst of flames CANNOT KINDLE upon me. Because I AM is by my side!
Are you at your water, your river, your fire?............Hang on....don't give up and succomb to any of it.....He is with you, He will will be there, He will not let the waters overflow you, He will not let you be burned, nor let a fire start on you.....let Him be your Saviour!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Bridges
The water company is working on the waterlines where I live. They are putting down bigger pipes so that our water pressure, which is already good, even better. They had to cut a big ditch through a main road, that is very well traveled by everyone in this community. One night, when I was coming home, as I turned down the road, the car coming my way quickly flashed their headlights at me. THANK YOU.....because they saved my car! The water company had filled that huge ditch with gravel at the end of the work day............it had settled and SUNK in! It left a deep rut that could total your car! The water company quickly came back out and place 2 thick, huge pieces of metal over the gaping hole!
Well, after driving nervously slow over those sheets of metal, I was so thankful that they formed a bridge that safely got me over to the other side!................and, that got me thinking........bridge....hmmmm..........the dictionary defines a bridge as, 'a structure spanning and providing passage over a gap or barrier.' Awesome!.....why?? Because that also got me thinking.....the cross............Jesus gave His life on a structure spanning and providing passage over a gap or barrier! His cross was the bridge that allowed WHOSOEVER to be able to gain salvation through the blood of God's Son!
Now, I just love driving over those sheets of metal.....because they remind me of what a blessing a bridge can be......thank you, Jesus for building a bridge so that a wretch such as I can be eternally saved!
Well, after driving nervously slow over those sheets of metal, I was so thankful that they formed a bridge that safely got me over to the other side!................and, that got me thinking........bridge....hmmmm..........the dictionary defines a bridge as, 'a structure spanning and providing passage over a gap or barrier.' Awesome!.....why?? Because that also got me thinking.....the cross............Jesus gave His life on a structure spanning and providing passage over a gap or barrier! His cross was the bridge that allowed WHOSOEVER to be able to gain salvation through the blood of God's Son!
Now, I just love driving over those sheets of metal.....because they remind me of what a blessing a bridge can be......thank you, Jesus for building a bridge so that a wretch such as I can be eternally saved!
Stand Still
Sitting on the bleachers at a high school basketball game....I began to think of a devotion that I had just read. In Exodus 14............The Lord was about to perform an awesome miracle for the children of Israel. Moses was taking them down to the Red Sea to escape the Egyptians. In verse 13 Moses said, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day; ye shall see them again no more for ever. Verse 14, "The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." We know how the story goes....Moses led the children of Israel across on dry land, and then God let the waters roll back, drowning the Egyptians.....the chilren of Israel were out of bondage!
Okay, now you are asking..........how does a basketball game work into this story? Well....you see, we were at another school's gym....and one of our players couldn't seem to keep her feet still.....and each time she was called for traveling.....the announcer took great pride in LOUDLY announcing in that 'announcers' voice...."TOOOOO MANY STTEEEPPPSSSS!!!" Talk about annoying, lol! I remember in my days of cheering my team on, we would gladly chant, "You walked, you walked...you traveled and got caught!!" Anyway, this poor kid was getting down on herself. After about the third time being called for traveling.......the coach yelled, "STAND STILL!"
You could see that she finally seemed to catch on to the coach's advise, because she planted those feet when the ball was in her hands, she either carefully pivoted....or she solidly passed the ball. She could've kept on doing what she had been, and no doubt would've been put on the bench. She wouldn't have been able to be a part of the team, and in a game that ultimately ended in a sweet victory for our team!
Same with the children of Israel.........if they hadn't stood still and saw the salvation of the Lord, if they hadn't held their peace and let the Lord fight for them.........what a mess they would've been in! What wonderful words Moses spoke...Stand Still! How many times do we think we know what is best in a situation we are in? If we try to do it on our own....what a mess we end up in...but, if we Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, let Him fight for us, and hold our peace.....oh what a victorious, sweet ending!!
Our precious little player, that, for a while, kept driving us crazy by causing that announcer to keep yelling, 'Tooo many steps!", was humble and listened to her coach, and because of that, gained a victorious result!
The next time you are faced with the Red Sea in front of you, and the Egyptian army coming down on you from behind..............Stand Still!!!! 'The Lord SHALL fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.'.............and in the basketball player's case........you won't have to hear those obnoxious words, "TOOOO MANY STEPS!" LOL
Okay, now you are asking..........how does a basketball game work into this story? Well....you see, we were at another school's gym....and one of our players couldn't seem to keep her feet still.....and each time she was called for traveling.....the announcer took great pride in LOUDLY announcing in that 'announcers' voice...."TOOOOO MANY STTEEEPPPSSSS!!!" Talk about annoying, lol! I remember in my days of cheering my team on, we would gladly chant, "You walked, you walked...you traveled and got caught!!" Anyway, this poor kid was getting down on herself. After about the third time being called for traveling.......the coach yelled, "STAND STILL!"
You could see that she finally seemed to catch on to the coach's advise, because she planted those feet when the ball was in her hands, she either carefully pivoted....or she solidly passed the ball. She could've kept on doing what she had been, and no doubt would've been put on the bench. She wouldn't have been able to be a part of the team, and in a game that ultimately ended in a sweet victory for our team!
Same with the children of Israel.........if they hadn't stood still and saw the salvation of the Lord, if they hadn't held their peace and let the Lord fight for them.........what a mess they would've been in! What wonderful words Moses spoke...Stand Still! How many times do we think we know what is best in a situation we are in? If we try to do it on our own....what a mess we end up in...but, if we Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, let Him fight for us, and hold our peace.....oh what a victorious, sweet ending!!
Our precious little player, that, for a while, kept driving us crazy by causing that announcer to keep yelling, 'Tooo many steps!", was humble and listened to her coach, and because of that, gained a victorious result!
The next time you are faced with the Red Sea in front of you, and the Egyptian army coming down on you from behind..............Stand Still!!!! 'The Lord SHALL fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.'.............and in the basketball player's case........you won't have to hear those obnoxious words, "TOOOO MANY STEPS!" LOL
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