Life is Fragile - A Miracle

We witnessed God's hand of miraculous protection this past weekend as our brother in law (who is also my husband's best friend) was in a very serious accident. His work truck hit a semi as the semi tried to cross a busy highway and cut right in front of him. Miraculously, he did not break any bones or suffer any life threatening injuries. Anyone who saw the picture of his truck knows just how much of a miracle it is that he is alive, not to mention doing fairly well, considering.
His sister got married the day after the accident, and we were all able to make it up there for the wedding, even our brother-in-law who was discharged from hospital the morning of the wedding.

It was an emotional weekend. Tears of sadness & tears of joy, feelings of fear & feelings of relief, prayers of pleading and prayers of praise. We were reminded again of how life is so fragile, so precious. A reminder that this is not the end. There is an eternity beyond this life. An eternity in heaven for those who place their faith in Christ. Priorities change. Suddenly work isn't so important, having a clean house, getting things painted and projects completed - It just doesn't matter. Family matters. Friends matter. And most importantly, faith matters. And not just any kind of faith. Faith in Christ, the true God. We are reminded that our life is not our own. We can do "everything right" to be safe and healthy and live a long time, and yet when God calls us home, He calls us home. There is nothing our brother-in-law could have done to stop this accident. He was not at fault and did not have time to stop. He had no control of the situation. God knew he'd be there to meet that semi right then and there. He knew that semi would cut right in front of him at that exact moment. Why, we do not know. But we know there's a reason.

Our brother-in-law is saved; he knows where he's going when he dies. Many of those who attended the wedding do not know where they are going, but they definitely heard the gospel. The name of the LORD was glorified at this wedding, and it was an awesome day as we witnessed our good friends wed before God, family, and friends. We heard the good news, we heard testimonies of God's grace and faithfulness. It was a very good day. At the request of the bride and groom, the good news was preached during the ceremony. Some might think it is not an appropriate time to share the message of the cross at a wedding. But as our dear friend and brother in Christ preached, there are 2 very important questions in life. The second most important one is who will you marry? But the most important question is...what will you do with the Jesus of the Bible? And so I ask you, my dear readers...what will you do with the Jesus of the Bible? There are only 2 choices; receive Him by faith or reject Him for all of eternity. I pray you know Him personally.

Today, I am grateful for God's hand of protection on our brother in law's life. I am grateful for family and friends. I am grateful that we had the privilege of attending our good friends' special wedding day. The day of the accident could have been a very different day. We could have lost our dear brother-in-law and friend in a moment. As a result, the wedding could have been a very different wedding. But God had a different plan. It was not his time to go, and we are so grateful for that. But the reality is that any one of us could go at any time. Don't think your life is your own. It is not. Only God knows the number of days He has already ordained for you to live. Be sure you know where you are going should your days be up today. Be 100% sure. It is the most important thing.

When a near-tragedy like this occurs, especially so close to home, it's like the Lord gently takes me by the shoulders and says to me, "Don't you see what's important? No...don't you see who is important. It's about people. It's about Me, your Saviour. It's about sharing the Good News with others. Don't keep the Good News to yourself. It's meant to be shared. Don't you see? You're not in control, but I am. Trust Me. Trust Me. Trust Me."

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!



P.S. Please take some time to pray for a relative of mine whose son has a rare and fatal metabolic disease (Her blog is on my sidebar under Rainbows and Earthquakes). He has either a serious virus or infection in his lungs right now. He and his family need your prayers.

Be Courageous Enough...

Last night I was listening to a Christian radio program that I occasionally listen to in the evenings. They were discussing being a mom and raising kids. Truthfully, I wasn't listening all that closely and can't remember much of what they talked about. I can't even remember who they were interviewing (I think her name was Lisa), but something that this lady said really resonated with me. She said that something God had spoken to her was, "Be courageous enough to let Me write your children's testimonies." That literally brought me to tears. I cannot tell you how much I can relate. When I heard that, it seemed as though God was speaking directly to my heart, "Jenna, be courageous enough to let me write Ellie's testimony."

The times I have prayed for our daughter to be healed are too many to count. I have so many questions as to why God hasn't healed her yet. I suddenly realized that instead of letting God write my daughter's testimony, I have been trying to write it. In my testimony for our daughter, I have written that she is miraculously healed in this lifetime. It suddenly struck me that perhaps that is not God's testimony for her life. I don't know what He has planned, whether it is to uphold her whole life with the prayers of His people, or whether it is to miraculously heal her, or whether He will take her before I think it's her time to go.

So often I forget the words in Psalm 139 "in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them." There is nothing, nothing I can do to add to the number of days that God had already ordained for our daughter's life before she was even born.

Thinking about this, I've realized that I have even tried to write my own testimony at times. What do I mean by this? I have dreamed and hoped of growing to a ripe old age with my husband by my side and grandchildren running around and then someday in the very, very far future dying peacefully and painlessly in my own bed...or I have hopes of never dying at all, praying that the Lord will return before I die. And while I think it is alright to pray for such things, at the same time, I must remember that God is sovereign. I am not. My purpose is not to live a happy, care-free life. My purpose is to glorify God and point people away from myself and toward Christ. His ways are not my ways. His thoughts are so much higher than my thoughts. I must be courageous enough to let God write my own testimony, as painful and trial-full, as long or as short as it may be, with the prayer that God will get the glory.

For me, it's an impossible task on my own strength. I simply am not courageous enough to do so. My sinful self would much rather try to take control and pretend I can control it all. However, I know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, including letting go and letting God. That is not to say we shouldn't pray. Of course we should pray! And pray often! Pray for our children's salvation, safety, and health. Pray for wisdom in training and raising our children. Pray for miracles. Pray for healing. I know I won't quit praying for my daughter to be healed. But while I pray, let me never forget to follow our Lord's example and also pray not my will, but Thine be done.

*linking up to Raising Homemakers*

God Answers Prayer

These past couple of weeks have been emotionally tiring for our whole family. During the times of panic, fear, and worry, we have prayed, and prayed, and prayed some more. God is a God of comfort in times of distress. He has answered our prayers and shown us Himself through His written word, which has provided us so much comfort during the times we were very worried about our little girl.

Here's a very neat thing: The significance of our daughter's name has do with God answering prayer.

Here are just a few ways God has comforted us when we were feeling very worried during these past couple weeks of distress:

• One night I was at the hospital with Little Bittles, and my husband was at home. He was praying very much and God directed him to read Psalm 34, which answered all of his concerns. It fit exactly what my husband had been praying.
• During one day at the hospital, God brought to my mind how in the Old Testament, He directly intervened in many of the battles so that Israel would win against all odds. Through this, God reminded me that He cares for his people and that He is sovereign and can fight the infection on Bittle's behalf even when she can't fight it on her own.
  
• On Friday night after the major scare and complication with the drug allergy to the antibiotics, I was feeling extremely panicked. I was praying and then I looked out the window and saw a shadow of a cross on the sidewalk, which was distinctly formed.
• Once we got home, I was feeling very worried still, and I was praying in my bed. I had the baby monitor on and Little Bittle's lullabies were playing through the monitor. God directed me to read Psalm 33. In that Psalm, I read the verse that says that "He fashioned their hearts." Just as I read that part, the lullaby through the monitor was playing a song that had that exact verse in it. I had never even known that that line was even from the Bible until now. The Psalm reminded me again of God's sovereignty and I was reminded that God cares for us.
  

When I look back on how God has answered our prayers for comfort when we've cried out to Him, I am SO thankful. I am thankful we serve a God who cares for us. I am thankful we serve a God who cares so much that He has given us His Words to comfort us. I am thankful for our God who is sovereign. I am thankful for our God who answers prayer.

*I am linking this post to Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers*
To read more about our crazy past 2 weeks with our daughter, please read my earlier posts.