Through It All

We were out of town on a mission project staying in our camper at a nearby campground.  There was only one place in the park to get internet, and I admit to using my magicphone only a couple of times to check email.

Having gotten the news that my biopsy results were “suspicious” and that surgery was recommended, I’d had a few days for my mind to begin creating various scenarios for the outcome.  Of course I’d been praying for healing, something instantaneous and undeniably God --something that would eliminate the need for surgery.

Millions of people live comfortable lives without their thyroids; in fact, six people in my family have had thyroid surgery.  None of them had cancer.  None of them had suspicious biopsies.  Surely mine won’t be cancer.

Of all the various scenarios I’d painted in my mind, the obvious first choice was to be healed, next would be that the nodule would be benign (something they wouldn’t know until after surgery and pathology reports) and no additional surgery needed.  The remaining possibilities were nothing I really wanted to consider.

Praying for healing.  Praying for wisdom.  Praying for healing.  Praying for peace. Praying for healing. Praying for guidance. Praying for healing. Praying for comfort. Praying for healing.  We both prayed for an answer, for God to speak to us.

One morning I awoke with the sun shining brightly through the camper window and the lyrics of a song running through my mind  “through it all, through it all, my eyes are on You. Through it all, through it all, it is well...”   an awesome song from Bethel Music.

I smiled.  That was the answer.  I just needed to keep my eyes on Him through this whole situation.  And, I loved another phrase from the song – “the waves and wind still know His Name.”  He, the One who is Omnipotent, is all I need.

The very next Sunday, we sang that song “It Is Well” at church, something I would have known in advance if I’d checked my emails since Beth, our worship arts pastor, posts the songs each week.  But God had known what the song would be. Tears flowed as I was engulfed by the words …..”through it all, through it all, my eyes are on You and it is well with me.” 

My surgery is in the morning.  Although there won’t be sun shining brightly through the window at 5:30 when I leave for the hospital, the words will shine through my anxiety.  My eyes are on You, through it all.

 

God Provided A Spoon

And God will generously provide all you need.  Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.  2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT

He sat there on the ground beside the road holding the tattered cardboard sign so familiar to all. Summarized, it indicated the bearer would “work for food.”  We were in the third car back from the traffic light. The sun was shining bright despite the mid-thirties temperature.

It was Thanksgiving Day and we were basking in the warm feelings of having just delivered forty-one meals to families in the Barksdale community.  We’d had the opportunity to pray with several people – for healing, for work, for a new place to live, for a church closer to home.  There had been one problem, though; we had too many pumpkin pies!

Since this was the first time we’d been a part of such a wonderful endeavor, we didn’t know to question the fact that the numbers on the recipient information sheets didn’t add up to the amount of food we had.   We’d given each family multiple pies, enough for each person to have 2-3 slices.  We gave two pies to a woman walking in the neighborhood who said she’d give one to her friend.  We knocked on doors to give away pies, hearing curses on the other side that changed to smiles and thank yous when the door opened and we stood there bearing pies.  Yet, we still had pies. 

Excited that God must have a reason for the extra pies, we prayed and drove, asking for His guidance.

So there we were, the third car back from the traffic light when we saw the man sitting in the grass.  I jumped out of the car, opened the back door, grabbed a pie and ran up to him. Knowing that sometimes people are seeking only money, I asked him if he’d like a pumpkin pie. 

We exchanged “Happy Thanksgivings” and I turned to run quickly to our car before the light changed.  Suddenly I realized something.  How would he eat the pie?  As I hurried down the hill, I turned back towards him and said, “I wish I had a spoon to give you.”

While buckling my seat belt and making a mental note to be better prepared, I was startled by my husband telling me to look.   He was pointing at the car ahead of us. 

Out of the passenger side window was someone reaching towards the man.  In the passenger’s hand  was a cellophane-wrapped spoon.   God provided a spoon.   The traffic light changed to green.

Praising God for His attention to detail, we drove on.   It had been ten years since we had lived in Spartanburg but God reminded me of the location of an apartment community for members of a psychiatric rehabilitation center. 

With pies still left, we parked the car and walked up to one building.   I approached a man seated outside a slightly open apartment door.  Looking past him, I could see that there were a couple of people in the kitchen preparing Thanksgiving dinner, I assumed.  When I asked him if they’d like a pumpkin pie, you’d have thought we had been mistaken for the Publishers Clearing House winner notification team.

“I can’t believe it!” he said, jumping up from his chair.  “We were just saying that we had everything for Thanksgiving but a pie….a pumpkin pie.  I can’t believe it.”  By this time, he was giving me a big hug. 

“Isn’t it wonderful how God cares about even the little things?  He provided this pie for you guys, in fact, He provided two,” I smiled as I handed him two pumpkin pies.  “Happy Thanksgiving!”

After finding homes for the remaining pies, with hearts overflowing with gratitude for the privilege God had given us, we headed to a friend’s home to share Thanksgiving dinner.   Share Thanksgiving dinner?  Wasn’t that what we’d been doing all morning?  And, God provided the spoon.