LESSONS THE LORD HAS TAUGHT ME

This post was written for Five Minute Friday. 

Word prompt--TEACH

Five minutes to free write about it.

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This week's prompt led me on a trip down memory lane, and to be honest, I did not pay attention to the clock as I flipped through the pages of a tabbed notebook started many, many years ago to record what God was doing in my life. So many reminders of His grace, His faithfulness, and the unexpected ways He came through for me when I faced issues that seemed insurmountable at the time. 

I learned much about His grace the day I lost control of my car on a patch of black ice. There was no traffic to collide with as we skidded and spun from one side of the highway to the other, miraculously coming to a screeching halt right before crashing through the barrier.

An extraordinary view of the blazing sun shining through black clouds like a huge ball of fire, in the midst of a rainstorm, gave me a glimpse of God's power and majesty. 

A returned e-mail to a friend that another friend was supposed to forward to her, but who forgot to do so until several months later, finally reached its destination at a time when the friend I was trying to reach was going through major changes and considering becoming a missionary. She called me the day before a missions conference banquet was to be hosted by my church, and accepted my invitation to attend. Coincidence? I think not. To me, it was a lesson in trusting God's timing. His time is always the right time.

My financial issues were what led me to the LORD, and over and over again He has been faithful to provide for all of my needs. The section in my notebook labeled "Jehovah Jireh, My Provider" is probably the one with the most testimonies in it. Not all are about dire needs being met, however. Some are accounts of how God showed me He cares about even the smallest details of my life. Those small miracles meant so much to me.

One of them happened many years ago (when meals cost a lot less than they do today). I was visiting my pregnant daughter while her husband had to be away for a few days. Finances were tight, and as I went for a walk along the narrow stretch of beach that bordered the property they lived on, I wished I had enough money to take her out to eat. It was just a fleeting thought, but as it crossed my mind, a $10 bill came floating across the water towards me.

Another time I drove to an appointment, not realizing that the building was in a metered area. I didn't have any change with me, and got out of the car to ponder what to do. As I opened the door I caught sight of a quarter lying at the bottom of a deep puddle. Just what I needed to feed the meter.

And then there was the God wink just to make me smile--finding a quarter in the middle of a cabbage. 

On several occasions the Lord has helped me do things I would never have thought possible  without a real live person to show me how. Like the time I was creating a handmade gift and wasn't sure how to proceed. I called several friends to ask for help, but none of them were home. It was a time sensitive project, and not knowing what else to do, I prayed about it and then got really still. The Lord guided me through the process by putting thoughts in my mind, even leading me to find a program "by chance" on my computer that did things I never knew could be done, and probably couldn't have replicated if I tried.

Some of the most important lessons the Lord taught me took place during my recovery from a near death experience while hooked up to a ventilator, with acute heart failure and double pneumonia. Not only did He reveal Himself as Jehovah Rapha, healer of my physical body and emotions, but He also taught me about love, friendship, and the power of intercessory prayer. None of these lessons are recorded in my notebook because I wrote a book about them instead. It is entitled Oil of Myrrh. If you would like to read it, you can download a free PDF by clicking on this link.