Count it all joy

      Longtime readers have heard me report on the promise God gave to his people in the wilderness:
See, I am sending my angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Exodus 23:20
      Again and again, I have seen how God's hand is at work in my life, going ahead of me, protecting me from perils I could not have imagined before they revealed themselves, and providing extravagant deliverance.
      Here is an example.  About a month ago, an idea came to me to create another blog, called Grannie Libbett's Stories, at grannielibbettsstories.blogspot.com That one would be a place to put the stories I've written for my grandchildren, but available for other children (and adults) to read. My greater plan is to make videos of myself reading the stories and put them on YouTube, so the children can see them in their scattered locations around the country.  Since I don't see them more than once or twice a year, it would be a fun way to "read" to them their stories more often--and let other kids enjoy it as well.
     What God knew is that in the meantime, my brain tumor has been changing. In fact, I'm now slated to have a biopsy within the next few weeks, and then to begin up to a year of chemo.  Our God alone knows what real changes lie ahead, so getting these stories recorded for the grands, and available for them seems like a wonderful idea for now, while I am in good strength, and look like myself.
      Whatever our Lord has in my future, I hold fast to his promise. He is sending his angel ahead, to guard me along the way, and he is bringing me to the place he has prepared for me. His peace floods my soul and spirit. How could it not, with a promise such as that from the God who holds the universe in place?
     How about you and the problems facing you?  The same God is holding you, with the same care and attention to detail.   He is going ahead of you to bring you to the place he has prepared for you, if you allow him to. Don't miss the opportunity before you. You always have the power to choose. Choose well.

God's choreography

It's easy to forget that our Lord holds our times in his hands. We go about our lives, taking for granted God's tender and infinite care. But now and then we get a glimpse of it.

A few days ago, I had such a glimpse, and it will be sufficient to remind me for a long time that the God of the universe tends to the smallest details of my life, just as he does with yours.

I was in a local hospital, preparing to leave after a wonderful outcome to a cardiac catherization.  My arteries are pristine. Hooray! This procedure does require that a tube is inserted through the femoral artery in the upper thigh. A collagen plug is inserted into the artery to close it after the procedure, which will be absorbed over time, but which is a little challenging to keep in place at the beginning, until it starts to heal. 

This is the one part on the healing process that takes the most care afterwards. You have to lay flat for several hours, which I had done, and you must be careful getting dressed, which I had also done.

My husband and I prepared to leave, eager to get home, and we waited for the nurse to come and release us.  Then she came into the room and told us she had a new patient, and would have to stabilize of him, but would be with us as soon as she could. 

Of course, we had no choice but to wait. A fair amount of time went by. We watched TV, shuffled around, chatted, and hung out.

Then I coughed. It was a big cough that I wasn't prepared for. I felt this ripping feeling in my groin, and a lot of pain in my leg, and a flooding feeling. Something was VERY wrong.

Quick call to the nurse. She came immediately and knew what to do, applying as much pressure as she could to the femoral artery, and she essentially became a turniquet for me. She kept me from bleeding out with her bare hands--no time to put on gloves.  The charge nurse and other staff came in and brought in what looked like a torture device that would apply pressure for the next many hours to let the artery stabilize without throwing any blood clots (an ultrasound the next day verified this). 

I had gone from stable to life-threatening in one cough. God, of course, knew that the cough at home or in the car would have meant the nurse would not have been there to save my life. 

This was one of the opportunities to see God's choreography of timing. Just because there are countless times we do not have a clue what's going on behind the scenes, I urge us all to treasure his care, his protection, and his grace.

He provides it extravagantly to each of us. Never lose track of it, dear one. He is guiding your steps, especially when it seems unlikely.  You never know when he is orchestrating you, protecting from something as mundane as a cough.  Trust his timing for those times when you don't know you need protection.

Psalm 3:3 "But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high."

P.S. So the next time you're stuck in traffic, or delayed in a meeting, think about what might be going on in God's choreography that you may never know. He just could be protecting you, shielding you from unseen dangers. His timing is not ours, and he is never off schedule, even when we think we are being inconvenienced. Praise his name!