My life has been a rollercoaster ride lately. Last week, was it just last week? I think it started around November 3rd, Bess started getting sick. (My kids haven’t been sick in a very long time.) By Tuesday of the following week I had four sick kids. At the same time, I was supposed to be preparing to speak at our Sunday school ladies night about Christ in Our Traditions – November 10th.
On Tuesday morning, as I was reflecting on how it could be worse…for example, I could have a house full of kids with stomach flu, and I only had a house full of kids with really bad colds,…Caleb walked into the bathroom and, well, you can guess what happened next. Let’s just say it wasn’t pretty.
At the same time M had been going through a lot of craziness at work. All of a sudden the whole structure of his organization had changed and he is now reporting to a completely new boss that he doesn’t know and who doesn’t like his branch of the organization and doesn’t care that he has been working hard for eight long years. So M’s raise, his whole position is in jeopardy. Friday, the day of the ladies night, M met with this new boss and had a terrible meeting…he was basically told that he is out of a job and so are the numerous people he supervises. It devastated him.
And unfortunately, he got home from this horrible meeting and I had to rush out of the house to the ladies night. (So typical of how things work.) He had to stay home with the kids and Bessie cried the whole time I am gone. Needless to say, by the time I got back, which was late, he was frazzled…my poor dear husband. Please keep him in your prayers. We know that this battle isn’t about us…it is a spiritual battle. I keep telling him, that we must be doing some good somewhere, if Old Spotty (name taken from Thee, Hannah) is trying so hard to knock us down. Today will most likely be one of the hardest days that he has ever faced at work. His old boss has basically abandoned him. The numerous people who work for my husband have no idea what is about to befall them and I know M’s heart is very heavy for them. He is a man of honor and this underhandedness is very hard on him.
“Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct…but they were unable to do so. …
The royal administrators, perfects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions den. …Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
And he is thrown into the lions den…but is NOT devoured.
Daniel answered, O king, live forever! My God sent His angel, and He shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in His sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king. …And when Daniel was lifted out of the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. …At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lion’s den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.” (Daniel 6:3-4, 7, 10, 21-22, 24)
At the same time, on November 5th, around 8:00 p.m. the doorbell rang and a court servant (I can’t think of what this person is called) served us – apparently, we are being sued by our homeowners association because we have a tiny bit of mold way up on our chimney (we have a two story house and tried to clean it, but we couldn’t reach up high enough, and we haven’t had the money to hire anyone to come out.) and apparently it is a “nuisance to the neighborhood.” So, they are suing us for an enormous amount of money…crazy. God is good, though, because we do have numerous lawyer friends and one happens to work for a large prestigious firm in town and the minute M asked him for advice he told M that he would handle it. Praise God. And someone offered to clean our house – so it is now spotless.
We know that God is fighting this battle. It is His battle not ours. After all, Gideon won his battle without a fight, Joshua won his battle without a fight, Moses crossed the red sea and the Egyptians were destroyed without a fight and Daniel was protected in the lions den without a fight. God will fight the battle for us…M is not Gideon, or Joshua, or Moses, or Daniel, but he does love the Lord, and he does serve Him with his whole heart, so I am trusting that God will fight this battle for us…and if we have to be in the den with the lions for awhile…God will still be there with us. And if, like so many brave and godly people, He asks more of us…I know that good will come out of it…even if for a while we can’t see it. May He be glorified!
blessings,
dani
P.S. On a lighter note, over the next few days (God willing!) I will be posting what I shared the other night about tradition, so if you need a little boost to get you through the holidays, stop by and be refreshed.
“All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give all of you into our hands.”
1 Samuel 17:47
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