He Still Works Miracles...

I've just got to tell you what God did for me the other night!

The phone system is such that Andrew's the one who has to call me, I can't just call him whenever I want. So lately, he's been going to bed early, waking up around midnight, and calling me from the phone center (which is never busy that time of night). That makes it around 11am or noon for me whenever he calls. Then he goes right back to bed. It's a good system.

At my nighttime, then, I listen to the prayer and message that Andrew recorded for me before he left. Friday night, however, I was up writing Andrew a long email, and by the time I was nearing the end, I was just overcome with missing him and my tears flowed freely, dropping on my lap as I attempted to wrap up and send the email. I got ready for bed and still couldn't shake the sadness and grief of not only missing him, but realizing just how much longer this has got to go on this way. As I laid in my old bed, in my old room at my parents' house, the loneliness covered me like a cloud and I couldn't stop the "rain."

I cried and prayed and simply called the Name of Jesus when other words escaped me. I told Him how much I missed Andrew and how good it would be to hear his voice right now. "Please, Lord," I prayed, "please let Andrew call me."

I knew this was impossible because it was the middle of Andrew's day when he was probably in training or working and it was 2am for me. And he never calls me in the middle of my night.

It was not minutes after I'd prayed for the impossible that my cell phone rang out! It was my loving husband who had been prompted to call me even though I should have been asleep.

God heard me! He listened to my cries and He caused Andrew to call me and let me hear his voice to know that I wasn't alone in this fight. I heard his encouragement, his love, his assurances that we were gonna make it, that he's gonna stay safe, and that he's so proud of me. And he shared a Scripture that he'd found very applicable that day in I Peter 5 --

"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To Him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen."

Isn't our God faithful? He wanted to show me His love and to prove to me that He was watching and hearing everything. He is intimately acquainted with my grief and His heart is toward me. Together, He is guiding us step by step. No pain is wasted.

Andrew and I are learning together to abide in His love and to trust in His grace and in the purposes of His pruning. He only desires more glory. He only wants us to bear more fruit. And He has promised to restore what was lost, and to confirm, strengthen, and establish us when this short time of suffering is completed.

To Him be all glory forever!