"For he is the living God and he endures forever: his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions." Daniel 6:26-27
...questions
"You must be terribly frazzled, with so much to do." "How are you coping with the change?" Questions like these arise daily. With so many unanswered questions, changes, things to do, sales to make, items to pack or ship, people to say good-bye to, I cannot deny the logic of the question. Our once routine life has undergone a serious overhaul in the last few weeks.
Daniel must have faced enormous stress and frazzle when he discovered the plot of the other leaders to depose him by feeding him to the lions using his habit of faithful prayer to trip him up.
...answers
"Actually, I don't feel stressed at all. I'm sad, but not frazzled. We are experiencing an amazing measure of God's peace in our lives." In spite of discovering the wrong birth date on Nathan's passport, in spite of selling some things that are precious to me because of the memories they hold, in spite of a huge number of unanswered questions pertaining to our work and life in Cameroon, in spite of the emotional meltdowns of our 11 year old, in spite of the lack of a buyer for our home and good car, in spite of all this and more our hearts are at rest. We are grieving, yes, but frazzled, no. We are in the middle of a month of "lasts". Our girl's last dance performance, something they will miss incredibly. Our last drive in the good old rusted cargo van, which God used to provide for so many of our needs when we first arrived here. Our last Midsummer's Eve celebration around the fire, grilling with friends. Saying good-bye to a life and friends where we thought we would stay until we retire saddens us. But disturbing the peace? No. God has left our hearts at rest. He has pointed the way clearly, and we willingly follow.
Daniel also exhibits a heart at rest. What did he do when he discovered the plot? Nothing except what he always did. He got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. What did he say as he faced immediate death by hungry lions? Nothing. Only the king, greatly distressed, made every effort to save him. I've been reminded by this story that in spite of the change or stress surrounding me, to simply carry on and trust. Sounds simple, and really it is much simpler than it seems. Really, we are doing no more than we have done every day for the past 10, 15 years. We are simply following the Ancient of Days' leading for this day, doing what he has ordained for us to do today. We are praying daily, raising our children to follow Him, meeting with the people around us, being salt and light as best we know how, and carrying on as always.
...how
"How can you be so calm?" Because the God who shuts the mouths of lions hasn't changed. A beautiful Estonian song says, "More faithful than the dawn which from time (past) to time (future) the sun brings to the skies, You are, You are. More faithful than the moon, which causes the tides to ebb and flow on the seashore, You are, You are. You are faithful, Lord, never forgetting your children, always good, incomparable Savior. You are faithful, Lord, our life's able guide, great creator." Our hearts are at rest, not because we are able, but because we trust in a living God. He is more faithful than the dawn, than the moon. He is my life's able guide. And most of all, He simply is. He is.
...questions
"You must be terribly frazzled, with so much to do." "How are you coping with the change?" Questions like these arise daily. With so many unanswered questions, changes, things to do, sales to make, items to pack or ship, people to say good-bye to, I cannot deny the logic of the question. Our once routine life has undergone a serious overhaul in the last few weeks.
Daniel must have faced enormous stress and frazzle when he discovered the plot of the other leaders to depose him by feeding him to the lions using his habit of faithful prayer to trip him up.
...answers
"Actually, I don't feel stressed at all. I'm sad, but not frazzled. We are experiencing an amazing measure of God's peace in our lives." In spite of discovering the wrong birth date on Nathan's passport, in spite of selling some things that are precious to me because of the memories they hold, in spite of a huge number of unanswered questions pertaining to our work and life in Cameroon, in spite of the emotional meltdowns of our 11 year old, in spite of the lack of a buyer for our home and good car, in spite of all this and more our hearts are at rest. We are grieving, yes, but frazzled, no. We are in the middle of a month of "lasts". Our girl's last dance performance, something they will miss incredibly. Our last drive in the good old rusted cargo van, which God used to provide for so many of our needs when we first arrived here. Our last Midsummer's Eve celebration around the fire, grilling with friends. Saying good-bye to a life and friends where we thought we would stay until we retire saddens us. But disturbing the peace? No. God has left our hearts at rest. He has pointed the way clearly, and we willingly follow.
Daniel also exhibits a heart at rest. What did he do when he discovered the plot? Nothing except what he always did. He got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. What did he say as he faced immediate death by hungry lions? Nothing. Only the king, greatly distressed, made every effort to save him. I've been reminded by this story that in spite of the change or stress surrounding me, to simply carry on and trust. Sounds simple, and really it is much simpler than it seems. Really, we are doing no more than we have done every day for the past 10, 15 years. We are simply following the Ancient of Days' leading for this day, doing what he has ordained for us to do today. We are praying daily, raising our children to follow Him, meeting with the people around us, being salt and light as best we know how, and carrying on as always.
...how
"How can you be so calm?" Because the God who shuts the mouths of lions hasn't changed. A beautiful Estonian song says, "More faithful than the dawn which from time (past) to time (future) the sun brings to the skies, You are, You are. More faithful than the moon, which causes the tides to ebb and flow on the seashore, You are, You are. You are faithful, Lord, never forgetting your children, always good, incomparable Savior. You are faithful, Lord, our life's able guide, great creator." Our hearts are at rest, not because we are able, but because we trust in a living God. He is more faithful than the dawn, than the moon. He is my life's able guide. And most of all, He simply is. He is.
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1 comment:
I'm so glad that you have this avenue to express your thoughts on leaving Estonia. I think of you all often and pray for you.
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