Oh, Lord… Sometimes You just make me laugh out loud!
It wasn’t too long ago that we were poised to return to Florida. Closing up our summer retreat house in Virginia and making the trek southward. Back to the warm sun.
Before the chilly weather froze me to the core. 🙂
Except for Skippy. The morning we were to leave, she had ripped through the screen on our back porch and escaped. So she could hide in the woods. Knowing we were preparing to depart.
Knowing we couldn’t leave without her.
We had spent two hours trying to coax her… and, yes, bribe her. All to no avail. She has elevated the Impossibility of Herding Cats to an art form. With the morning wearing on (and our 500-mile ride still looming ahead), we were stymied.
Until I gave it all to You, Lord.
You weren’t exactly my Last Resort. I had been praying without ceasing ever since I discovered her missing. It was way too dark when she first escaped. A favorite breakfast time for the predators that populate the woods there.
My first and most urgent prayers were for her safety.
Then, they turned to her capture. 🙂 We had done all we could do to prepare for our departure. Skippy was the only truly essential piece of Unfinished Business.
I had to give it all up… didn’t I, Lord? So I sat down and wrote a blog. Lifting these truths to You:
“I call on the LORD in my distress, and He answers me.” (Psalm 120:1)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
I published it moments later. Why am I not surprised that, within three minutes of that moment…
… I had Skippy in my arms?!
That’s when I laughed out loud, Lord, with… Relief! Gratitude! And Overflowing Joy! Timing is everything… right? Maybe.
But timing isn’t the only thing… Is it, Lord?
I have had my share of Dark Nights of the Soul. Times of despair and darkness when my cries to You seemed to stop at the ceiling. When I couldn’t perceive the reality of Your nearness. Yet there You were, breathing Hope into me…
… moment-by-Moment.
Then there are times like this one. When self-reliance is emptied out. And self-effort is inescapably futile. And there You are, Lord… answering my gut-wrenching plea by speaking to Skippy with Warp Speed.
Proving there is, in fact, One who is THE Master at Herding Cats! 🙂
You have already prepared my Thanksgiving feast… haven’t You, Beloved?
Gratefully,
Abba’s Girl