The Winds of Change

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” - Jeremiah 29:11-13

God is so good. The winds of change swept in this morning to refresh our hearts and souls. I can just feel the prayers being prayed around us, and the results bring me so much joy. I wanted to write as quickly as possible and share it with you. I have been praising God all morning. Too often we only cry out when our hearts are hurting and when things get better we put God on the back burner again. Giving thanks is just as important as prayer requests.

I knew it was going to be a good day after my morning prayer walk with Lucky, my canine angel (who miraculously arrived on my doorstep out of the blue 9 years ago.) Remind me to tell you about Lucky sometime and how she appeared in our life one day. It truly was a miracle. She looks like the old Hollywood Benji dog but guards us like a pit bulldog.

On our walk this morning a beautiful hawk swooped down to visit us and perched about 30 feet from me on a house ledge I was passing. It was about a foot tall. I was whistling at the moment he arrived in full spread wing slendor before he perched. I just knew it was God sending me another bird to give me a sign of my continuing miracle from Christmas 2004. So I stopped and wished him “namaste’ (the God within me salutes the God within you) and stood there reveling in this wonderful manifestation of God’s beauty.

It was a breezy and glorious walk. I got back home just before the rains came to wash the air, nourish the flowers and trees and grass and cleanse my soul. I walked upstairs to find Johnny awake and alert. God had heard my cry for his resurrection – if only for a moment. We are learning to take one day at a time. I thank God for every moment that Johnny feels good.

We got his pills taken and he drank some Gatorade and sat up on the bed for awhile. He decided that he felt good enough to try to get up today and take a shower and attempt to go downstairs. But one baby step at a time. He needed to lay back down to rally the strength to carry through the events to come. It’s funny how we take for granted the effort it takes to do what most of us consider small things. So I opened the windows in our bedroom so he could see the trees outside from our second story view. The rain had stopped. I made sure he was comfortable and headed out for my solitary health walk I have been doing daily as part of my new year’s resolutions.

When I cam back up our front walk the roses were blooming by our front porch so I stopped and smelled them. They smelled heavenly sweet so I darted in quickly to grab the scissors and cut one for Johnny to smell. I put it in a little wine glass full of water and took it up to him. He was waiting for me awake and smiling. He was ready for his shower. So together we got him undressed and showered and back in fresh, crisp lounge clothes. He brushed his teeth and looked like a new person not the one I had seen the last few days.

He felt as good as he could for the moment. So we made the trek downstairs with me ahead of him in case he stumbled. He settled in his recliner and asked for the remote. That’s when I knew he was back. I started doing some chores and finishing up bagging the Christmas tree. Lucky wanted to go our front. Big winds have been blowing after the rain and she has to assess the situation. We walked out side together and I checked all my hanging flowers on the veranda for water.

At that moment ANOTHER hawk swooped down in front of me making a lovely glide across our yard. I know God when I see HIM. That’s when I realized I needed to come write about answered prayer.

Jeremiah tells us so beautifully, that God wants nothing more for us than peace, a good future and hope. It is so coincidental that I was praying for peace last night knowing that the only way I could find it was to BE THE PEACE THAT I WAS SEEKING. I prayed my Psalm 91 as I was falling asleep and placing my total trust in HIM. I called upon Him through the Word. I chose to exchange my distress over Johnny for HIS promises to me through the word.

This is how I seek Him with all my heart. This is how I find peace. This is how I find God. Just like when my own father used to tuck me in to bed at night and when I was afraid he told me everything was alright. I believed him. I trusted him. I slept without fear. It is the same with God, our heavenly Father.

All we have is the moment. I don’t know what the next moment holds but I don’t worry about it. Because I know God will be there, with me, and watching over me. If I can “be still and know that He is God” I will be alright. And so will Johnny. For I know HE has good plans for us. Not just in this life but for eternity. HE is my refuge. HE is my fortress. HE is my God in whom I trust.

Thank You Lord for a good day today. I ask Him to bless each one of you reading with this same peace.

Beautiful Blessings to you all,

Rene