Continued 7

Friday, 17 August 2007

I could not sleep at all last night!

I just kept thinking about God and how the next part of this verse fits into my holiday – your rod and your staff they comfort me.

Well I don’t really understand it you see. Isn’t it to do with discipline and guidance?

I dunno, but I got up at 4am and sat on the beach staring into the bay. There was no one and the warm air brushed my hair to flowing. The sun was only just rising but it was not sunny and it was just calm.

Why Lord?

Why Lord, would you give me such scripture about evil and discipline and protect and all these things I just don’t understand.

Yet I know Jesus, you gave it to me?

He said this to me:

For you are with me
Jesus is with you
Jesus is with you
He’s by your side
He’s there to lead
He’s there to guide
Jesus is with you
He’s all around
He’s in the quiet
He’s in the sound
Jesus is with you
He feels what you feel
He holds you close
He holds you near

But Jesus, I don’t feel bad or guilty or lost or depressed or anything. I’m really really happy! Why, would you say these words to me?! I don’t want to hear this, it means nothing. It’s irrelevant and wrong. You promised me that Cyprus would be the last of the Job years and so I’m enjoying life now and I feel blessed. Don’t spoil it with things from the past. I’m over the past and I want to move on. Please Jesus, don’t speak these words to me.

I shut my book, my thoughts and went back to bed…

All Friday I couldn’t get passed the previous verses I had studied, ‘Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.’

It troubled me, I thought of it walking down to the town, I thought about it in the sea and I thought about it in bed. I thought about it all of Saturday too and I just couldn’t teach about the rod and the staff.

Then, on the Sunday, my daughter had an accident!

She was hit in the sea and suffered several blows to her head. A family we met, were medically qualified, and did 1st Aid on Antonia and although Antonia was semi conscious in the sea, she was still able to be pulled to safety. I can honestly tell you this, that I was not scared. I put my hand on Antonia’s head as we rushed her to the hospital and I said, though we walk through the shadow of the valley of death, we will fear no evil! For your rod and your staff they comfort me.

I repeated it over and over I declared it, I believed it, I prayed instantly for Antonia’s healing and quick recovery.

Antonia's injuries:
Concussion, A slice across her cheek, which was quite deep, a fracture to her lateral wall, a fracture to the orbital wall, a broken nose and bone had splintered on the side to her nose. She had bleeding in her sinus cavity and her long tooth knocked out.