He makes the ‘funder’ sleep
“Did it scare you?” This to Little.
“Yes.”
“Did you talk to Jesus about it?”
Yes, he said. He’d talked to Jesus about it, and He’d made that scary old ‘funder’ go away. Then, as if suddenly realizing that his prayers had been answered, this VSPoF (Very Small Person of Faith) exclaimed, “I should write Jesus an email!”
Driving home this morning, I asked him about it. “I have a question for you. Did you talk to Jesus last night when you were scared of the thunder?”
“Yes. And it was shining. I didn’t like the shine (this reference, of course, to the brilliant flashes of lightning).” He said it again: “Jesus made the ‘funder’ go away. He made it go to sleep.”
Ah, yes. Jesus is good like that. And then it hit me. My little boy’s lesson of faith coincided with my own lesson just this morning at that small, round table at the coffee shop.
Hadn’t Gabe found freedom, freedom from fear? Hadn’t he learned, in the midst of the storm, where to run for safety? Yes, he had. And Jesus had been faithful to free him from the scary ‘funder.’ But what He’d also done was tofree him to…trust! Glory be! The very same truth He’d whispered through the pages of His word, He’d displayed in the life of a small child.
As I took in this promise, “He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him,” the Holy Spirit began to speak. My desires, He assured me, would indeed be fulfilled when the time was right. And though I’d been waiting for months to be freed from a hard and painful thing, hadn’t He set about a work of deeper redemption, a work of freeing me from? Why, yes, He had. During all those weeks of waiting, He’d been working to free me from some very ugly things; things like self-pity and anger; things like a terrible impatience and a need for control and more; all things that had hindered my walk with the Lord.
And in it all, hadn’t He also been working to free me to? Yes! He had. I was finding new freedom in Christ. I’d been tasting the sweetness of living in His presence every moment of the day. I’d learned to know – truly know – His voice and what it meant to be guided daily by the Divine Scheduler. I’d been tenderized, too, with a greater sensitivity toward others. Freed to walk in liberty. Freed to love. Freed to trust. Freed to abide.
If you, like me, still await the day of deliverance, you can rejoice, knowing that in the midst of your own thunderstorm, He is at work, freeing you from and freeing you to. Hang on, dear one. The One Who makes the ‘funder’ sleep is coming.
So very thankful today for:
– the unspeakable privilege of sharing my love for Jesus with someone from my past (a divine appointment, for sure)
– an old-fashioned, thresher-style Sunday lunch with friends from church; antibiotics that work for a sick little finger (Little Boy)
– finding a warm and gradually-opening heart in another divine appointment
– a pastor who listens to the Holy Spirit and leads the flock with wisdom and grace
– Boy Three’s clear admiration for and love of his big, big brother
– an evening out with friends, experiencing the delights of Flat Top Grill
– hearing an elderly gentleman’s testimony of obeying the Holy Spirit’s prompting and how God moved
– and many more!
You’re up next. What are you thankful for today?