ONE MORE THING...
"Hello, Mrs. Wier?"
"Yes."
"This is the hospital. Your friend was checked into the ICU and your name is on her chart. She is hysterical and it sure would help us if you could come up here right now."
"I'm on my way," I said flying out of bed.
My dear friend has been in and out of the hospital almost weekly since before Christmas. Her condition sometimes causes her to be disoriented and panicked. It calms her greatly when I am with her to assure her that everything is alright, and then to help her communicate with her doctors. My husband would have to take his dad for the procedure because within 20 minutes I was at her bedside - before coffee! It was a rocky morning to say the least, but by afternoon she was making progress and calm. With her daughter able to sit with her for a few hours I took the chance to run home and handle my own pressing issues: you remember, the missing computer.
I made calls to the police department to make a report about losing my briefcase and computer; to the bank to cancel my debit card probably in a stranger's hand by now; to the pawn shops to alert them it might be pawned; to the computer company to get serial numbers; and to the insurance company to make a claim. I thought maybe I would take a quick nap knowing that I would be spending the night in a chair in ICU. Instead, a neighbor came by to say our dog had bitten him. My mom called to let me know she was at the cardiologist, but "I shouldn't worry." OH, and ONE MORE THING, my sister called to give me bad news.
The only bright spot of the day was when I walked to the front door to find my daughter potting new flowers for me. "I thought you might be having a tough day so I bought you some plants," she said. I had just enough time to squeeze her tightly for her love-gift and head back to the hospital for a long night's vigil, followed by an early morning commitment the next day.
While admittedly there was nothing tragic going on, I was feeling a little weighed down. I'm usually good in a crisis, but I was struggling to keep some tears at bay - and I could not figure out why. Then I realized that I was feeling overwhelmed because I was feeling alone. Except for when my precious daughter showed up with her flat of flowers and her bags of mulch, I hadn't shared my burdens with anyone - because everyone was carrying their own. She did not do anything to change my situation, but she came and did something- anything- for me and with me. It was my bright spot. But what really made it brighter was when I sat down in the hospital room with my Bible in my lap and met with God- who was waiting to enter my situation with me. With monitors beeping and whirring in the background, I was amazed to hear God speak about all the things happening in my life right now. FROM MY SCHEDULED DAILY READING, HE SPOKE CLEARLY TO ME. Here is what I heard:
2. Don't worry about your friend: Luke 6: 20-21 God blesses you who are poor...who are hungry...who weep now... (like my friend) in due time (she) will laugh.
3. Forget about the possessions you lost to someone else: Luke 6:30 Give to anyone who asks and when things are taken from you don't try to get them back.
4. Be available for those in need around you and I will give you what you need: Luke 6:35 "pressed down shaken together and overflowing"
5. Go ahead and plan to pray for the Bible Study group to begin that you are worried about and in time I'll provide those needed Luke 6:40 the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher
6. Trust me, He said, and accept what I bring in your life: Luke 7: 30, 35 (Some) rejected God's plan for them... but wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.
I realize these verses may not press on your heart as they have mine today. But God unmistakably reminded me of ONE MORE THING, when I thought I couldn't take ONE MORE THING. THE ONE THING that I most needed to know, was that I was NOT alone. Hearing God's counsel directly from His word made it obvious, I was not alone after all.
As I pondered all of these pearls that had just been waiting for me to discover them at just the right time, I am convinced more than ever that I never was alone! God is not just in the moment of my distress; He is there before me. By the time I get there, I am arriving into His loving embrace confident that He will see me through to the other side. Whatever distress you are in or are about to enter, believe God is there first. You are not in it alone, now or ever. Look for His hand and listen for His voice. Maybe He is even speaking to you through one of our passages for this very day.
Day 83 of 365
Deuteronomy 2
Deuteronomy 3
Luke 6:12-38
Psalm 67:1-7
Proverbs 11:27
Day 84 of 365
Deuteronomy 4-6
Luke 6:39-49
Luke 7:1-10
Luke 7:11-35
Psalm 68:1-18
Psalm 68:19-35Proverbs 11:28
Proverbs 11:29-31
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