From the Masses to Silence

A beautiful day of sunshine and warmth brings everyone out of hibernation and into the world of commerce. I found myself this afternoon in amongst a throng of people, a throng so large at one point I was claustrophobic. I understood in part for a brief moment how Jesus must have felt with the masses clamoring after him. I understood the longing to 'be away' with my Father. Many hours later I had the opportunity to enter into silence, to come away, so that I could hear.

Silence is a precious gift, one which too often is taken for granted in our culture today. Noise and chaos has become the makeup of society, very much like rising and dressing for the day, so it is with noise...it has become a tangible necessity for most people. I on the other hand, do my best to live outside the realm of noise. I have found over the years that it is impossible for me to even function normally in a noisy or chaotic place. I need the silence to hear the voice of my Father, and also the voice of my inner spirit.

So, I venture into the least sought after world of quiet to reflect, to worship, and pray, but most importantly to sit in His presence and experience His all encompassing love and care. After a day like today...I need that. I pray that you too will enter into solitude. The place where the Spirit of Jesus can break through the cacophony of noise and going-ons surrounding your world, and taking hold of your spirit, draw you into His inner sanctuary.

Peace be with you,
Diane

The Faithfulness and Assurance of God

February 4, 2010 my husband Rick walked in the door from work carrying the mail he had picked up. He handed me a large manila envelope which looked as if it had seen better days. Two addresses were written on the front with one of them crossed out. One was addressed to a man in Polokwane, Africa while the other was addressed to me. The address for Africa had been crossed out. The envelope had been opened and as I looked inside I saw that the contents were my official transcripts from college along with one identity document. The envelope had originated from the CAO office of SA, but what alarmed me was there was one document missing which was very very important and could be detrimental to my identity if it fell into the wrong hands.

Needless to say I panicked, contacted someone in authority in SA and was very descriptive about identity theft and the damage it causes to lives. Long story short, after a weekend of total terror, a day of running around getting a new passport, creating an informational report with the RCMP, and sifting through all the various finger-pointing emails from SA, an email comes in today from the CEO of the CAO verifying that they have the missing document. Not only that, but she (the CEO) had recognized the handwriting of the office worker who had mis-sent the envelope to begin with.

God is good! First thing I did when this had happened was pray. I asked the Lord to protect my identity from any harm, that He would expose what was hidden in darkness and bring it into the light of his truth. I prayed and asked for His assurance, that he would give me peace in regards to this. Many others were praying right alongside of me. Scripture assures us of God's love and care. It assures us of His protective hand on our lives and everything which pertains to our lives. This little episode may not speak to you of His faithfulness or assurance, but it spoke to me loud and clear. He knows what He's doing! He asks us to bring "everything" before Him in prayer and then to keep the faith. Did I worry? Yes! Was I filled with anxiety at times? Yes! But I also knew God would sort it out...and He did!

Great is thy faithfulness, O Lord!
Peace to all,
Diane