Kissed by the Spirit

“Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit said to Philip, “Go and join up with that chariot.”

Acts 8:28-29.  (NAB)

An angel spoke to Philip, telling him to go down the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza. As Philip headed down that road, he noticed a royal chariot. The Eunuch riding in it was the treasurer for the Queen of Ethiopia, and he was reading scripture from the prophet Isaiah while he was riding. 

The Holy Spirit told Philip to run up to the chariot. Philip ran to catch up to him and when he came alongside him, he asked if he understood what he was reading. The eunuch immediately invited Philip to join him and explain Isaiah’s writing to him. Philip began to share his faith, teaching him how the many prophecies of Isaiah, pointed to the Messiah, who was in fact, Jesus. 

During that brief ride, the Ethiopian man believed and asked to be baptized, so they stopped the chariot by a body of water, and Philip baptized Him. Afterward, they went their separate ways, and never saw each other again. 

Sometimes God changes our course and we end up somewhere we never planned to be. He may lead us to meet someone for a brief time, for a special purpose. I had an experience like this many years ago, when I was visiting a Vineyard church in the area. Someone invited me to attend an Alpha group meeting taking place in the home of a church member. 

I went to the Alpha meeting and met a lady there, who was also a first time visitor, named Teddy. I found out she lived only two blocks away from me, and we became friends. I would routinely pick her up and bring her to church services and Alpha meetings. Teddy had a serious health problem at the time, but was searching for meaning and hope in her life. When I met her, she was in remission from colon cancer but had recently learned that the cancer spread to her liver. 

For several months, we spent many good times together, going to church services, church group meetings, and even dancing together in Greek town on weekends. I saw Teddy transform, spiritually, as she found peace and strength through a deeper relationship with Jesus. Her faith upheld her through her chemo treatments and all the ups and downs of that difficult period in her life. 

It was a very brief friendship because the cancer in her liver quickly progressed and she passed away within the year that I met her. 

I think about our short but vibrant friendship, and how her faith deepened during that time. That friendship was my “chariot” experience, because I felt like I jumped into Teddy’s chariot and took a short ride with her. I had a small part in helping her during a difficult stage in her life journey. 

What she really needed and longed for at that time in her life was satisfied through her relationship with Jesus, and she found an inner peace to help her continue her journey, until the day she was called into His loving arms. 

Whatever chariot God leads us to climb into, is always in sync with His perfect timing and purpose. Just as Phillip was sent to join a chariot with a stranger from a completely foreign land, the Holy Spirit may send us to a place we didn’t expect to go. It might turn out to be a chariot ride of faith, that changes someone’s life.

Lord, help us to be available to join the chariots you send us to, so that we may encourage someone’s faith, at a crucial time in their lives. Amen

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

Matthew 13:44 (NAB)

The Israelites went through extensive humbling while they wandered through the wilderness. They were hungry, thirsty, hot, and bitten by snakes. They missed the comforts of home, like their own bed, their favorite foods and the abundance of drinking water.

After being enslaved in Egypt, they were finally free and heading for their own promised land. God had many treasures in store for them, but instead of seeing their journey as a path to a blessing, they saw the wilderness as the worst thing that could ever happen to them. They were dwelling on the problems of their journey instead of the promise of their destination.

In 2019, I went through a type of wilderness when my late husband was diagnosed with ALS and died within a year. The following year was the Covid pandemic and my church was closed for months. Then, I was furloughed from my job, and didn’t see much of anyone at all. I was living in a strange state of isolation, as was everyone else that year.

During that time, I wondered if I had any gifts, and how I could use them during the downtime. I’ve always read scripture, but that year, I started journaling whatever I learned, which led me to write meditations. Although I never sent them to anyone, I couldn’t stop writing, and it became my passion and my joy during that period of solitude. One day, the following year, I mentioned to my friend, Laura, that I was writing meditations. She asked me to send them to her, and so I did. 

To make a long story short, soon there were friends of friends, receiving daily meditations, via group email and phone texts messages. My passion for writing continued to grow, and I still write a meditation each day. The first treasure that I discovered hidden in my wilderness, was a love for writing. 

The second treasure that I found during that period of isolation was a relationship with the Holy Spirit. I began to talk to Him every day, asking for direction, wisdom, and inspiration before writing, and that’s how the meditations kept flowing. I created a website and posted all my meditations on the website called

kissedbythespirit.com

In 2023 I entered an unexpected new wilderness, when my adult son, Jon, had a serious motorcycle accident. He went through brain surgery, two weeks in a coma, and is now awake but living in a long term care facility, relearning how to walk and talk. There are still many unknowns regarding his prognosis, but he is making gradual progress.

The Holy Spirit opened my eyes to something while I was visiting his Nursing Facility one day. As I looked around, I saw other people who would sit alone, receive no attention and never have a single visitor. That was the day I discovered a third treasure, hidden in Jon’s place of residence. It’s the treasure of being able to befriend the friendless.

The residents responded so happily to the smallest thing I would say or do. Whether it’s a smile, a wave, a hug, or simply greeting them by their name, it was like giving them the gift of dignity. Some residents just wanted to be listened to, and to tell their own story, but every visit gave them some attention and a treat.

Whatever kind of wilderness we are in, it helps to remember that it’s a journey, not a final destination. 

The Holy Spirit taught me to look outward, to see those who were around me, and that’s how I found the treasures that were hidden in each wilderness.

I’ve learned that to find our purpose in any wilderness, it requires looking outside of ourself. If I dwell on own my losses, problems and frustrations, I would surely become depressed. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, and we receive His comfort for a purpose, so that we can comfort others. 

We each have our own unique mission as we journey through our own unique wilderness, but we are all heading towards one common destination, which is heaven.

An older man used to sit in a church pew, looking at the altar, praying long after the services were over. He was asked one day by his minister, “What are you hoping or praying for?” He answered, “Nothing, I just look at Jesus and He looks at me.” 

That’s the spirit of adoration. Prayer doesn’t always have to be filled with frantic requests. If we spend a little time looking at Jesus, He looks back at us and shows us where to look to find the next hidden treasure that is waiting for us. 

Lord, as we journey through our current wilderness, open the eyes of our heart to see you in those around us, so that we may find the treasures hidden there. Amen

“But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.” Exodus 2:3 (NIV)

The woman described in these passages of Exodus was Jochebed, who was from a family lineage of priests, of the tribe of Levi. Her name isn’t even mentioned in the early chapters of the story, but we learn it from the genealogies mentioned later, that she was the birth mother of Moses, and a woman of faith.

There is no mention in this story of God ever once speaking audibly to Jochebed, who decided to hide her three month old baby in order to keep him alive. She received no dreams, no visions, no audible instructions and no angel visits from heaven, to help save her baby from Pharaoh’s cruel decree, ordering the killing of every Hebrew infant male.

Now it was time for her to put her faith into action, as she prayed and toiled before choosing between two options. She could either keep hiding her baby at home, risking that he might be found and murdered, or risk putting him in a waterproof papyrus basket to float down the Nile River, entrusting his destiny to God. She couldn’t hide him any longer, so she chose the latter.

The Nile River was filled with poisonous spiders, crocodiles and deadly mosquitos, yet Jochebed decided to risk all those natural threats, rather than take a chance on the evil that Pharaoh could do to her son. 

Jochebed’s name translates to “God’s glory,” and she believed God would bring glory out of the entire situation. Without receiving any visits, visions or voices from heaven, Jochebed took action based on her own faith instincts. In courage and selflessness, Jochebed put her baby into that basket, and sent him down the Nile, praying and trusting God to lead him to whatever his destiny would be.

Her baby was found in the water by a compassionate princess who received him as a gift and raised him as her own son, in the royal palace. She named him Moses and through providential events, the princess hired Jochebed, to nurse him until he was weaned. 

We all face difficult situations that require courage to trust in God. We may need to take immediate action, or it could be a situation where we cannot take any action at all, and need to be still and know that God is with us. In either case, it is our faith instincts that rise up within us and lead us to pray and trust in God. 

While Jochebed hid her baby for three months, she prayed for a way to keep him alive in a world of turmoil and injustice, where she was a slave. The day she stood on the bank of the Nile, she had already followed her faith instincts, and released him into the care of an invisible God. As she watched her baby crying in that basket, floating down the river, with his arms reaching up in the air, her heart was breaking. Trusting God and turning faith into action, may not spare us from heartbreak, but hope reminds us that tomorrow is a new day. 

Jochebed prayed and trusted that her son would live a full life, and God answered her prayer, far beyond her expectations. We all know the story of Moses and the Passover story.  Despite how the movies depict the story, after his weaning, there’s no biblical account of Moses ever being reunited with his birth mother on this side of heaven. Sometimes the closure that we seek in this world, is delayed until eternity. 

Jochebed was not the only Jewish mother in history, who gave her baby up in order to save him. There was another time in history, during the Holocaust, when mothers gave their babies up, entrusting their lives to someone else who could save them. Those children were adopted and raised in another country by another family, but not all birth mothers were reunited with them later.

They were courageous mothers like Jochebed, who followed their faith instincts, took action and then stood still, believing that their baby’s destiny was in God’s hands, which it was.

God is still a rewarder of those who diligently trust in Him. Throughout generations, we entrust the care of our children and loved ones to God. Sometimes we do so by relinquishing our control, and learn to be still and trust. Like Jochebed, we are led by our own faith instincts. We pray, take action and then leave everything in the hands of an invisible God, as our loved ones journey in their own papyrus basket of destiny. 

Lord, show us when to put our faith into action and when to be still and trust. Guide us by the faith instincts you placed within us, so that we may glorify you through every situation. Amen

“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you…. Because your love is better than life…”

Psalm 63:1, 3 (NIV)

As I read this psalm, I wondered what it takes to come to that point where we can honestly say to God, 

“Your love is better than life.” 

Life is filled with many good things and good times, and yet David declared that God’s love is better than life. He had many blessings in his life, but he also had many problems, especially some serious dysfunction within his own family. 

His son Absalom turned against him, attempting to overthrow and take over his kingdom. His daughter, Tamar, was raped by one of her own brothers, and then the other brothers set out to murder the one who raped her. David’s most faithful and dearest friend, Jonathan, was suddenly killed in battle while at war. 

Despite David’s overwhelming emotional grief and sorrow, at these situations in his life, his intimacy with God is what sustained him. His personal relationship with God, led him to proclaim things like, 

“Oh God, you are my God… and your love is better than life.”

As we fast forward a thousand years, Jesus introduces us to God, as His Father, but He called Him our Father too. He taught us to pray saying, 

“Our Father.” He used the title of Father more often than speaking of God, especially in his parables. God is called Father 75 times in the four gospels. Two parables were about fathers and sons, and Jesus concludes His many lessons, teaching us to think of God as our Father in heaven. Scripture tells us we are joint heirs with Christ. Before Jesus physically left this world to ascend to heaven, He said, 

“I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” (John 20:17)

We can have the same intimacy that David had with “his God,” except that we are new covenant people, and since Jesus taught us to call His Father, our Father, we can also say,

“You are my Father, and your love is better than life.”

The beauty of God is that He is Almighty enough to hold the universe in His hand, and yet He is a loving Father, who is intimate enough, to hold ours. 

I had a childhood experience that reminds me of this theme. When I was eight years old, my mother worked full time because my father was disabled from a stroke. She took a city bus to and from work each day. I had a neighbor and childhood friend named Mary Margaret, who was a few years younger than me. 

Each day, we would play outside together, until she saw my mother getting off the city bus after work, and start walking towards my home. As soon as Mary Margaret saw my mother coming, she stopped playing, and ran down the street, excited to greet her, and she always received a big hug, even before me. 

The first time I saw her do this, I was perplexed. I remember wondering why she would run with such excitement to greet “my mother?” 

I came to realize that my mother was the kind of person who was very generous with her affection, and she happened to make a little neighbor girl feel loved and welcome enough, to run into her arms each day. 

I was secure in knowing that I was my mother’s child and would always be loved by her, so I got accustomed to Mary Margaret always running ahead of me to receive the first hug. In fact, I felt proud that my mother was special to someone else, who loved her too. 

Intimacy with God is knowing who we are in Christ and because we have the security of His love, we can be happy for someone else when they are blessed. 

Just as I knew the security of being loved by “my mother”, and sharing her with a friend, I know the security of being loved by “God, my Father”, and the joy in seeing others who share the same intimate relationship with Him. 

Each one of us is the child of our Father in heaven, at whatever age we are. He has so much more love to give us, if we are willing to run into His arms. Intimacy with God means knowing I am my Father’s child, and because He loves me, I have a deep sense of security and inner peace. I found there is a greater joy when I can share His love with others.

Lord, you love us as no one else ever could and your love is truly better than life. Give us the security, peace and comfort in knowing we will always be our Father’s child, and to experience the joy in sharing your love with others. Amen

I attached a song called “The truth”, which speaks of the truth of who we are in Christ. 

Megan Woods – The Truth (Official Lyric Video) – YouTube

“At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.” Luke 1:39-40 (NIV)

Faith in God is described as a valuable pearl in the gospels, and those we befriend who share our faith, are as valuable as the pearl of faith itself. We benefit in so many ways by having wise friends of faith, who know us and share our joys, our sorrows as well as our beliefs.

Before Jesus was incarnated, Mary, who was a special and blessed young woman of faith, shared a special friendship with her older cousin, Elizabeth. Once Mary got past the initial shock of her virgin conception, she was so thrilled, she couldn’t wait to share the news with her closest friend, Elizabeth. 

Imagine having an incredible visit from an angel, greeting you with “Hello favorite one!” and then telling you a divine conception is taking place in your womb. After Mary surrendered to God’s plan, she was bursting with joy, which is evident by her lengthy response expressed in the first chapter of Luke. 

Upon realizing that she would become the mother of the long awaited, and hoped for, Messiah, her first action was to take a long trip, to visit and share the news with her dearest friend, Elizabeth. 

Before cell phones or cars, her only way to tell Elizabeth, was to travel by donkey on a 90 mile trip to the hill country of a town called Ein Karem. Mary and Elizabeth obviously had a special friendship that transcended their generational and geographical distance. 

We may have friends of faith like this, who live far away from us, but thanks to cell phones and cars we have easier ways to keep in touch with them. To have a community of friends who share our faith is like having a cherished, priceless pearl.

When Mary and Elizabeth finally reunited, they probably exchanged stories, and learned that the same angel, Gabriel, was sent to announce the birth of their miracle baby boys. What an amazing family with these two special women in it, who both became a part of God’s salvation plan. 

I can imagine the discussions that were made in heaven, to arrange for the special day when Gabriel was sent to earth, first to tell Elizabeth’s husband Zacharias, about John and next, to go to Nazareth to tell Mary about Jesus. Mary and Elizabeth were now connected by more than being relatives and best friends, they were both part of the same divine salvation plan of Almighty God. 

They weren’t the kind of cousins who grew up as childhood playmates because of their age difference, but they both shared a bond as women of faith. 

Mary had to be selective in choosing who to share her exciting news with. It was well worth the ninety mile trip to meet with the one person she knew would believe in her and rejoice with her. Sometimes we need to be selective in who we confide in, especially regarding matters of faith. 

Our personal faith is like a precious pearl of great value, which means we can be truthful and vulnerable with those who are on the same page with us spiritually. Friends of faith are as valuable as a pearl, since they make us feel safe, which is why Jesus told us “do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot”. 

(Matthew 7:6) 

If you have a likeminded friend or relative who understands you, believes in you and shares your perspective of your Christian faith, it’s a gift from God. I am thankful for the friends in my life. I’ve been blessed with new friends, as well as those I have known for years. 

I have met friends through churches, and some through my workplace over the years. Some live in the neighborhood and some live out of state, but I’m glad I don’t have to travel ninety miles to share news with them. I’m also thankful for cell phones, computers, Facebook groups, emails and all manners of communication.

This is a tribute to every valued pearl of friendship, whether new or from years past, and I thank God for all of you and pray for His blessing on all your friendships today. 

Lord, thank you for enriching our lives with friends who share our faith. Unify and strengthen us through your Spirit and bless every pearl of friendship in our lives today. Amen

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Romans 12:2 (NASB)

Our redemption comes by faith in the blood of His cross, which is our only hope of salvation, but becoming transformed into a new creature in Christ, requires the renewal of our minds, and that is a lifelong process. 

God loves us just as we are, but He also sees our potential and He knows that we were made for more. That’s why He is always working to renew our minds, every day of our lives. While He is transforming us into the image of His Son, He uses everything that happens in our lifetime to make us a  better version of ourselves.

We may be asking God to remove the unpleasant, painful or confusing situations in our life, but it is through adversity that He transforms and renews us on our journey of faith. During the most difficult situations, it’s hard to truthfully say to Him, “Your will be done,” but when we do, it’s another step toward letting God renew our minds and transform us for the better.

Through every trial or test, the Lord works to bring out shepherd like tendencies that are within us. If Jesus is our Chief Shepherd, then we are all mini shepherds, and whether we know it or not, those shepherd urges are within each one of us. 

Shepherd like tendencies give us the urge to seek, lead and feed His sheep. I remember times when I felt like a failure in this area, with no patience, but God never gives up on us. We will again find ourself praying for the sick, visiting the lonely or redirecting some lost sheep, because those sheep were led into our pasture for that very reason. We are all gradually being turned into mini shepherds. 

By nature, I seek whatever is good for me, but as the Holy Spirit renews my mind, I start thinking more like a shepherd, looking out for the other sheep that are in my pasture. Here is one small example of how it happened in my life. 

Soon after I became a widow, I missed not having my husband to share the events of my day with. Although I regularly talked to God, I was thankful to have my long time friend of fifty years. I could pick up the phone anytime and share my thoughts with Helene, and always enjoyed her wisdom and insight. Three years after my husband passed away, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. 

Her illness progressed with rapid deterioration, but I remember wanting only to step up and be the friend she needed in that difficult time. I remember thinking that the most important thing to me was to be a good friend, rather than to have a good friend.

Something changed within me and my way of thinking about friendship was being transformed. Helene ultimately chose to refuse all further medical treatment, went into hospice and passed away only three months after her initial diagnosis. 

When my son was placed in a Nursing Facility after his traumatic brain injury, I looked around one day and saw all the people sitting alone, like lost sheep, who never receive a visit from a friend or a relative. I felt the Holy Spirit evoking that shepherd urge within me, and in that moment I knew I was to be their friend. They were the sheep that God put into my pasture, asking me to be a mini shepherd to them. 

Mother Teresa cradled in her arms about 16,000 dying people in Calcutta over the span of her ministry. Someone once asked her how she converted so many dying people, who never heard of Jesus, and only knew the popular religions of India. She said that she asked each person who was dying in her arms, “Do you want to give your life to Christ ?” and they responded by asking her, “Who is Christ, is He like you?” 

What a beautiful question. Those who she held in her arms never heard the gospel or read one verse of scripture, but they would gladly receive the One called Christ, whose love they felt, while being held in her arms. 

Allowing ourselves to become His body on earth, is at the heart of being a mini shepherd. There are souls who God sends into our lives, who may be looking at us today and asking each of us, 

“Who is Christ? Is He like you?” 

We are the mini shepherds of Christ in this world and we answer that question with our actions. We are His voice, His eyes, His hands, His feet, and His body on earth, until He returns. 

Someone once told Mother Teresa that what she was doing is only a drop in the bucket, compared to all that is needed in this world, and she replied, “No, it’s a drop in the ocean, and the ocean is forever changed by it.” Every act of kindness is ocean changing.

Lord, help us to be your mini shepherds, and to see people through your eyes, so that they can see You in us. Amen

“I thank my God every time I remember you.”

Philippians 1:3 (NIV)

The words in this scripture can be said about many friends or loved ones, who have impacted our lives at some time, in a special way, whether they are still living or not. 

Today, I am remembering my friend Michelle, who left this world way too soon. We worked together for many years and became friends, even though she was young enough to be my daughter. Wherever I look in my home today, I can see the things that Michelle hand made and gave to me as gifts over the years that I knew her. 

She was a talented craftsperson and her handiwork is in every corner of my home, from the bedazzled glass case where I keep my reading glasses, to the holiday wreaths I hang on my front door, to the many pairs of earrings in my jewelry box, and even the crocheted hat and scarf that I wear on these cold winter days. 

Wherever I look, I see signs of her creativity, which reminds me of our friendship, and the twelve years we worked together. 

I can never forget a true story that Michelle once shared with me, that stands out above all else. She was at a gas station one day, pumping gas in her car, when she noticed a man choking in the car next to her. She rushed over, and took action, by  bringing him out of his car and doing the Heimlich maneuver on him, which saved his life. Naturally, the man was very grateful and I never forgot that story since the day she shared it with me. 

Sadly, Michelle couldn’t save herself, when she was unable to breathe from a blood clot which infiltrated her lung, over a year ago. She had trouble breathing and called her sister, who quickly drove to her house to bring her to the hospital, but it was too late, because Michelle collapsed walking outside her front door. 

Paramedics tried to resuscitate her, but she passed away in the nearby Emergency room. She was only 44, and it’s heart breaking to lose such a young friend, who was kind, creative, generous and had a great sense of humor. Anyone who knew Michelle, knew her special love for all babies, children and animals. I still miss her, knowing she had so much more to live for. 

The man she saved at that gas station, may never know of her fate, but he is probably still sharing the story of how a woman, who was a total stranger, saved his life one day, when he was choking. 

I believe that angels surround all of us every day, and they may spare us unknowingly from danger, accidents and tragedies, through their divine intervention. In some instances, the angels that God sends to us are just people, who are at the right place at the right time, reacting to a person’s desperate need, doing whatever it takes to save their life. Michelle was definitely someone’s angel that day at that gas station. 

There is so much we will never have answers for in this lifetime, since God’s thoughts and His ways are nothing like ours. I’m sure each person cherishes the memory of someone who was like an angel in their life, who they still thank God for, every time they remember them.

We are meant to keep living our lives with faith and hope, while keeping the memories alive of all those who have blessed us. We celebrate their life instead of dwelling on the timing or circumstances of their death. I believe we are all meant to become somebody’s angel at some time. 

It’s  good to be aware and prepare ourselves for the day that God may send us to help someone at the right time and place. Not everyone will save a life physically, but we may be called upon to give some type of spiritual or emotional support, and to become somebody’s angel, at a providential moment in time. In honor of all those who have been like angels in our lives, we open our hearts to do the same for someone else, someday, in some way.

Lord, instead of looking for answers to the unexplained sorrows in this world, help us to make the world a better place by acting on the opportunity to become somebody’s angel. Amen

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

2 Corinthians 9:8 ( NIV)

We are blessed through many small graces along the way, even during the most difficult tests and trials in our lives. In all things, at all times, He gives us what we need, in small, subtle ways, so that in the end, we may abound in every good work. 

We might miss recognizing these small graces, while we are waiting for that one big answer to our prayer. 

Small graces are those subtle signs of God’s abundant love which He shows us in various ways. He gave us five senses to use, and minds to reason with, so that we will see, hear and awaken to what the Holy Spirit is saying and doing.

If we make ourselves more aware of the small signs that appear every day, they are the signs of His grace, and proof that His presence is with us and working in our lives. If we don’t look and listen for it, we can easily miss it.

God said to us through these words, “My grace is sufficient for you, and My power is perfected in your weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

I remember when my son, Jon was still in the coma after his accident, and I went to the UPS store to pick up his mail. A different clerk was working the desk that day, and as he brought me Jon’s mail, he stopped and asked me how Jon is doing. He then proceeded to tell me that since he first heard about his accident, he started praying every day for him. I was touched by his compassion, and yet, I never saw that clerk again. 

What are the chances that a total stranger, UPS store clerk, would stop to tell me that he has been praying for my son? It’s very unlikely, unless God is sending me a sign, that His grace is sufficient for me and that He is with me in this trial.

I remember the day I went to the bank to bring my legal guardianship papers for Jon’s bank account, and as I was explaining the situation to the banker, an older lady, who was a customer there, walked up to me. She apologized for overhearing what happened to my son and asked his name, saying that she wanted to add him to her prayer list. Another total stranger approaches to tell me they were praying for my son?

This was not a coincidence, but another small grace of God.  

Sometimes God sends another type of grace as a sign, like the story shared by a man regarding his serious fear of flying. He had to fly somewhere to speak for his particular ministry, and to calm his anxiety, before boarding the plane, he read the scripture in Matthew 6:26, where Jesus said His Father takes care of all the birds of the air, and how much more important we are to God, than those birds. 

With that scripture in his mind, he boarded the plane and sat in his window seat. Right outside his window, perched on the wing of the plane looking at him, was a small sparrow. He knew it was no coincidence, but a small grace and a sign of comfort that came from God. 

Small graces can come through someone’s words, prayers, a kind deed or an unusual sign in nature. It’s like a whisper in our ear or a tap on the shoulder assuring us that God is here, and His grace will bring us through it all. His power is made perfect in our weakest moments. His grace is with us at all times, in all things, and for all that we need. 

Sometimes, He simply leads other people to us, who are going through the same trial that we are going through. This happened after becoming acquainted with the parents of another man in the same Nursing Home as Jon. He is there after suffering a deadly fentanyl overdose, yet woke up after being on life support. He is almost the same age as Jon, and is now awake but still unable to speak. His parents and I share the grace and unity of having adult sons who both survived a brain injury. 

God’s presence can be felt through meeting others, who share a similar adversity. I believe God purposely brings them our way, as one of His many graces to encourage us and give us strength. 

Then there are those surprise grace filled moments of progress, like the day Shantel, a nurse assistant, told me that Jon set off the emergency door alarm and then turned to her and said “I’m sorry.” 

He has had some intermittent moments of clarity like that. 

Fourteen months after his accident, his progress continues as he started walking longer distances on his own. 

Lord, thank you for all the small graces that we receive each day. Open our hearts to recognize that it is You, who sends us signs of your Presence, along with blessings of comfort, grace and love. Amen

(Matthew 6:9-13)

Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer to pray, but also to use as a template for all prayer. In breaking down one line at a time, maybe we can better understand what He is teaching us:

      Our Father who art in heaven;

God is the King of the universe and yet He wants us to address Him as Father, because we are sons and daughters, not subjects or servants. He has a beloved son, but He wants to be our Father as well. A child doesn’t need to earn His father’s love with good deeds. A natural father loves his children from the day they were born, before they could do anything right or wrong. God also loved us first, before we even knew of Him. 

     Hallowed be Thy name;

The name of God is to be hallowed, which means to treat it as sacred and holy, because He is sacred and holy. I love the contrast of the first and second line in this prayer. He is our loving intimate father but He is also the most high, sacred and holiest God. We are loved by a holy God who also wants His children to be holy, as His Spirit searches and purifies our hearts.

     Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven;

This line reminds us that there is more to come and our life in this world is not all there is. God has a coming kingdom, and until that kingdom comes, He desires that we let His will be done in our lives. In all that we pray and ask for, our wishes and desires are still yielded to His will, saying as Jesus said, “Thy will be done.” We can say it because God always knows what’s best for us and we trust in His perfect will.

      Give us this day our daily bread;

Bread is nourishment, and for us it is both physical and spiritually nourishing. Jesus is our daily bread of spiritual nourishment. Everyone is on a quest for nourishment, but sometimes we look for it in all the wrong places. We look for it through relationships or things we can buy, but Jesus called Himself the living bread of heaven. Jesus is our daily bread and no other bread satisfies the soul and spirit as He does.

      Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; 

We are reminded that forgiveness needs to be a two way street. Here is the biggest challenge in the entire Lord’s prayer. Every statement in this prayer is one that Jesus talked about regularly. He reminded us many times about forgiving others, through his parables. If we want to be forgiven, He says we must forgive others. There’s an old Irish proverb “We bury the hatchet but mark the spot.” Forgiveness is easier if we have a short term memory, and forget where all the hatchets are buried. 

       Lead us not into temptation, but  deliver us from evil.

The previous parts of the Lord’s Prayer pertain to things which we  can take control of, by lining our will up with God’s. We seek His daily nourishment, we allow ourselves to be loved and fathered by Him, and we forgive our enemies, but this last line is a plea for divine help. It’s asking for what only God can do, in keeping us from all evil. He is our good shepherd, who delivers us from evil. An old testament title for God is “El Gibor,” which translates from Hebrew to, “God, our hero.”

Jesus saves the best line for last, in the conclusion to this prayer, that God is our true hero, who delivers us from all evil.  After the many times we have all experienced His deliverance from evil, it’s easy to finally say, 

“To Him be the kingdom, the power and the glory, now and forever.”

Amen

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 ( NIV)

My grandmother’s first born, my mother, was a perfectly healthy baby, until around 9-10 months old. She developed a sore on the shin of her leg, which got worse until it turned into a festering ulcer. The medical diagnosis was some type of TB osteomyelitis of the bone. 

In that year, 1914, the medical recommendation was amputation. Once the bacteria spread to the bone, it would cause swelling of the surrounding tissue, cutting off the blood flow, causing nearby tissues to die. To prevent this, doctors preferred to amputate as soon as possible.

My grandmother was not a meek personality, and she was pretty outraged at the thought of amputating her baby’s leg. When she emphatically said “NO !” to amputation, the doctor referred her to Evanston hospital, where a research study was being done for TB of the bone, at the time. 

My grandmother took her baby there and my mother became a test patient in that research study. I don’t know all of the details, but it may have involved a treatment combining medicine with a new surgical procedure of scraping the bone clean of the infection. They did the treatment and as a result, my mother was totally cured. 

She grew to adulthood and lived a full life, all because she had a strong willed mother and a faithful praying father. My grandfather was the one person in the family that I never met, since he died before I was born. My mother always spoke of his gentle nature and his steadfast faith in God. He took all three of his three children to church every Sunday, and the faith they grew to live by, was learned from him. 

I’m sure my grandfather’s prayers had a huge effect on how everything turned out, and my grandmother’s immediate resistance to amputation, made the two of them, the perfect parents that my mother needed, at that time in her life. 

It took the spunkiness of my grandmother, which led to learning about the research study, as my grandfather’s prayers and trust in God, led to a successful outcome. Whatever our personalities are, we are the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles or godparents that we were created to be, according to God’s perfect plan.

I remember the deep, ugly scar in my mother’s leg, but she never had any deficits or weakness in her leg. I thank God for a trial procedure that saved her leg from amputation.

Medical professionals do all they can do, but we always need to trust God to do the rest. 

God gives the wisdom to those professionals who develop cures, and He gives us the faith to entrust our Iives and our family’s lives, to Him. Trusting in the Lord, not leaning only on our own understanding, always directs us in the right path.

Lord, we submit every problem or decision in our lives to you. Lead us in the path of wisdom, as we put all our trust in you, more than on our own understanding. Amen

My grandmother holding her first born, my mom, in 1914