Wisdom DateSample

All Circumstances

On this hot Friday morning in mid-July, I was increasingly aware that my daily time for Bible reading was slipping past. Our family had been invited to visit friends in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia for the weekend. In the midst of the busy preparations, all I wanted to do was read my Bible. I was so drawn to it that I would iron a bit, sit down and try to read, then jump up to check on the girls in the back yard. On and on it went until around about 10:30 a.m.

Then the phone rang; my neighbor across the street was calling to invite my girls to play with her children and have lunch. What a surprise! She had never offered a play date before. After walking the girls across the street, I decisively set the ironing aside, sat down at the kitchen table, and opened my Bible.

Around noon I reached the last chapter of I Thessalonians. Suddenly, the words seemed to sparkle and jump right off the page. I blinked, focused, and reread these words: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of the Father in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thes. 5:16-18). Somehow, I knew something was going to happen that I would think was terrible, but I was to praise and thank God anyway. All the while I was encompassed with peace. In a surprisingly short time, my preparations for the weekend were complete.

At 4:00 o’clock a friend dropped by with a book she thought would bless me in my new walk with Christ: Beyond Ourselves by Catherine Marshall. I wanted to start reading right away, but the insistent ringing of the phone sidetracked me. 

It was Bill's employer with bad news. He had just fired Bill, but he wasn’t sure he understood that. Bill had been sitting at his desk all day without moving. With genuine compassion he expressed his concern that drugs may be an issue and encouraged me to get help. Stunned, I hung up the phone—and as I did I knew that this was the event for which I had been prepared.

Thirty minutes later Bill walked into the house. He was staring straight ahead like a zombie. As soon as I saw him, I realized what had happened. Several weeks earlier he had been determined to stop drinking and had gone to a physician for help. He was given a prescription for Valium and obviously had started drinking again while taking it. How he arrived safely, I'll never know. He passed me without speaking and went upstairs, where he collapsed across our bed.

I waited a little while before going up to check on him so I could emotionally prepare myself. To my surprise, when I stood before the bed, I was uncharacteristically overcome with compassion and loved him exactly the way he was. This was a gift. This strong and persistent anointing in the love of God began to change me and my relationship with Bill from that moment.

God’s Word is powerful. When we believe it and act on it, God changes us. When we thank God in all circumstances, He adds His perspective to our situation and we come to know Him more intimately.

We have heard it said, “Love is a choice.” This is true, but I would like to add that if we are willing, God can exchange our natural limited love with His supernatural limitless love. His love changes everything. His love never fails. Today’s Scriptures are about God’s Word and the beauty of His love. Receive Him, dear child.