5/25/2025
"The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One,
will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing."
Zephaniah 3:17
My friend, Wayne, knows that I enjoy Gary Larson's comic series, The Far Side, so he sends me one, or two, or more comics a day to liven up my otherwise dreary, hum-drum existence - right! I didn't realize it, but Gary Larson and I were born on the same day, same year, and we each turned 75 this year! What a small world! Today, thanks to Wayne and Gary Larson, I learned a new word from the cartoon Wayne shared. The new word is - "truculent - eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant." Now this comes at just the right time for me, as it describes the behavior of someone I know. When I am praying about situations, I often ask God what is the word for this? He is always so faithful to tell me or send someone, like Wayne, who says God put him here to harass me, or something along those lines. But he's my closest male friend, other than my son who has to listen to my "gabberwobbling" on a daily basis. By the way, that word is my own contribution to the Literary Society, a synonym for "incessant chattering." I can have my days! It helps to have the words, even if it is just for my self-knowledge. I'm sure there are countless words that I do not know that are well-known by my fellow "collegians," but I still have time to learn. After all, 75 years of existence is a mere drop in the bucket of eternity!
This afternoon is a perfect example of asking God a question. While outside trying to save my holly bushes, now enormous, branching across the yard with fat trunks, I discovered the troubling source. Some disease has been killing them, so as I worked endlessly to try to rid the trees of dead leaves and branches, so it would not spread, I asked God to identify the disease, so I could deal with it properly. Clearly I heard the word "blight!" So I yelled for my son, who was lounging on the sofa, to ask dear Siri what to do. She wasn't much help, so I looked in mama's gardening book - no help. Finally, in desperation, I asked Google and researched it for myself. I even found a treatment that is natural, as I don't use caustic chemicals. I still need to take a chain saw to it, but perhaps if I can save some of the trunk, it will grow again. This disease comes from too much moisture, so my idea of getting the branches away from the house was a great idea. Besides which, I am tired of having little tree toads sneak into my bedroom window. Another thing I have to fix. I had to fight my son about trimming the branches, but I wanted a good walking space between the monster bushes and the house. After all, I am the one trimming back there, and I hate being poked by all those prickly holly leaves. Most unpleasant sensation, especially when you bending over with your back towards the bushes!
With the humor of my life, always comes the reality of why I'm here. As an intercessor, I need to guard my heart and mind, and Holy Spirit has been very faithful in keeping me from getting too close to the spiritual fires and pulls me back if I get in waters that are too deep. That's what He does. Several years ago he gave me a scripture that I determined would be the basis, the theme of my book, my story. It comes from Isaiah 43:1-3 (paraphrased):
"But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are mine. When you pass through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place.'"
Over all these years the Lord has been with me through the waters, when I thought I would surely die every time the undercurrent pulled me under and out further into the ocean, until a wave pulled me under and then it slapped me onto the sand of Virginia Beach in 1968. Of course, no one noticed me dragging myself up onto the shore. That was one intense moment of delivery through actual waters. I've floated into a nest of jelly fish in the James River also. Have you ever had a jellyfish attach itself to your chest? Someone was with me at that time, but he was of little assistance.
As for fires...well, suffice it to say that after living in Northern New Mexico for 35 years, I think I know a bit about fires, as I always seemed to live in the "hot zones." Again, God watched over me, especially when I was asking, "Do I stay or do I go, Lord?" during a pretty bad one. I was living down the hill from Los Alamos in the San Ildefonso Pueblo area during the Cerro Grande Fire in 2000. All the natives were being evacuated, and there was one road out, to my knowledge, other than man-made bike trails. After I moved back to Virginia, the Calf Canyon-Hermit's Peak Fires in 2022 broke out, becoming the largest forest fires since the Cerro Grande Fire. This one was practically in my daughter's back yard! She is chronically ill with multiple chemical sensitivities, so she cannot leave her home safely, particularly when there is heavy smoke in the area. The roads were closed to traffic, and I was 2,000 miles away. She stubbornly said she would not leave her home, but thankfully God spared her from having to make that decision. God is faithful especially in fires and floods and anything else that comes down the road. I stand amazed at all my family and I have gone through, and our response is "Thank You, Father!"
We all have our stories. We all go through severe trials, but we put our hope in the only one who is able to make all grace abound. Right now my beloved Israel continues to fight, after 689 days of war with Hamas who tries to make Israel look like the culprit - successfully, I might add. The media is so indiscriminate in reporting, and in most cases they outright lie. But then, they are not men of distinction like Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, or Paul Harvey. The days of true journalism seem to be gone. But God is on the side of Israel, His chosen people. So as they continue to stand, I stand with them, and according to every scripture written in the Bible, the battle has already been fought and won by Jesus! Our job is to keep our eyes on the high calling of Jesus Christ and follow Him.
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