Prayer

An Unusual Rescue

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An Unusual Rescue

Psalm 118:5

If we had heard a weather forecast, we might have stayed home. It was only about 35 below when we headed to town, but by the time we came out of a meeting, close to midnight, it had dropped to minus 65. Our truck would not start. Neither would the other vehicles parked outside. As I watched from the warmth of the doorway, my husband and a few friends donned some unusual head gear and hovered over the one truck they thought might rise to the occasion.

Their head gear, hats woven of warm Alpaca wool, had tall peaks with tassles on the ends and long tapered ear flaps that bobbed with each step. They made the guys look a lot like Santa’s elves. None of them realized how comical they looked, as they scurried around the truck, trying to get it to start. Someone produced a propane torch to heat the oil pan. Someone else produced a tarp to cover the hood. Then we all huddled in the doorway, hoping for success. We cheered when the motor roared to life before catching on fire! As we crammed into the cab for the trip home, the guys left their hats on, still oblivious to how they looked.

We had only gone a few miles when we saw a faint light. It burned for a few moments, then died. We leaned forward as it appeared again, directly ahead. Our driver slowed down as we got closer. The dim light flashed one more time and we realized it was a truck in the middle of the road. All of us piled out as we pulled to the side to investigate. The truck door opened, and a young woman peered out. Her lips were blue, her bare hands, wrapped around a small kitten, were white with frostbite. She tried to swing her legs out but needed help. When she stood up, her feet, clad only in running shoes, wouldn’t move. As the men lifted her into our warm vehicle, I noticed she looked at them with an odd expression. It wasn’t until later we discovered she thought she was hallucinating. She didn’t expect to be rescued by a band of Santa’s elves!

Psalm 118:5 says – “In my distress I prayed to the Lord and the Lord answered me and rescued me.” Rescue. In the nick of time. If we hadn’t been on the road that night, that young woman would have died. I don’t know if she prayed, but, in desperate situations, most people do. Unfortunately, most of us don’t recognize we are in a desperate place when we are without God. We depend on things like trucks with heaters, refusing to believe they might break down in the worst places at the worst times. We think we are safe when in reality we are on the brink of disaster.

God is in the rescue business, and we all need to be rescued.

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This story is one that will be included in my upcoming book Flecks of Gold, Yukon Stories

I’m very excited to let you all know that the Crowdfundr campaign for the book is now live. This book is a compilation of stories about my personal experiences in the Yukon, with a bit of poetry and fiction thrown in for flavour. The campaign will launch on my birthday, May 4th.

To be notified when it goes live just click the SUBSCRIBE button at the top of the crowdfundr page.

I’m excited about all the perks being offered, including some unique Yukon items.

Thank you in advance for your support!

https://crowdfundr.com/flecksofgold?ref=sh_6CmT8c_ab_4dBWbYqxyKK4dBWbYqxyKK

Have You Made Plans?

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Photo by Steve Lieman on Unsplash

The men of Dawson City Gospel Chapel had just finished a prayer breakfast and were about to start work on the new church building. They were all anxious to get at it because the date of the dedication had been set and they were behind schedule. The pastor had prayed that morning for a couple more carpenters to help with the work.

They were about to begin when there was a knock on the door. The pastor answered and listened patiently to the man’s story. He and his son had been trying to leave town, heading for Alaska on their vacation. But every time they tried to drive up the long hill out of town their vehicle broke down. “I was told there’s someone here who is a good mechanic,” he said. “Could I get him to have a look?” The pastor invited him in and explained his situation to the other men. Then he turned to the man and asked his name. “Bud Carpenter,” the man responded. “And this is my son, Josh Carpenter.”

He was a little puzzled when the men started to laugh, until the pastor told him what he had just prayed a few moments before answering the knock on the door. Bud then laughed with them and explained that he was taking his son to Alaska as a graduation gift and they really had no firm time schedule. “I’m pretty good with a hammer. We’d be happy to help for a few days.” They stayed for a week. The mechanic looked at their vehicle and found nothing wrong with it. The work was finished on time and the pair continued on their way after the dedication celebration. Their car had no trouble climbing that hill.

I was thinking about that story the other day and thinking about how we are all like those Carpenters in a way. All of us are busily going on our way, with our own agendas and plans. But sometimes God throws a bit of a detour into the plan. We can react to it in two ways. We can fight it and keep on trying to climb that hill, or we can stop and listen for His voice to see if perhaps there is another plan in place.

For instance, a friend told me a story about going on a mission trip to India. The plans had been well made, the itinerary laid out and everything seemed in place. But when they arrived no-one met them. My friend said it was interesting to see how the group members handled it. Those from North America were stressed and some were angry. They wanted to call some one and get it all straightened out so they could get back on schedule. But there were two fellows from Africa who counselled a different way. They suggested the group wait and pray. So they slept in the train station that night and prayed.

The next day a young man arrived on a motorcycle. “I’ve been sent to get you,” he said. But he was not from the mission and had no idea why he was sent to get them. After some debate they decided to go with him and ended up having a tremendous time of ministry and growth in his village. Nothing was structured. Each day was a routine of waking up and praying to see what God wanted them to do. And each day they were blessed. They never did connect with the original group they were supposed to work with but they all knew they had done what God intended.

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21

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Find more of Marcia’s writing on Substack – https://marcialeelaycock.substack.com

True Faith Acknowledges True Love

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Photo by Chandan Chaurasia on Unsplash

Why is it we struggle to believe God loves us? The enemy of our souls keeps whispering, and sometimes screaming, that God does not even care that we exist. That’s how I felt when I was in high school, watching some of my teachers who seemed to have a strong connection to God. I tried to do all the things I was told would get me into his “good books” but none of it worked. I knew I was faking it and eventually became frustrated and angry, sure that God wanted nothing to do with me. So I walked away from the church and from God, telling myself He didn’t exist.

I think there is an underlying knowledge in our souls that we are part of the world that “lay in sin and error pining,” as that wonderful Christmas carol, Oh Holy Night, says. We are all too aware of our dark side, the side that is capable of horrific things. We cringe when we hear about those who commit them, because deep down inside we know we are no better.

There is a story about a Jewish man who was called to give testimony at the Nuremberg trials at the end of World War 2. The man had been a victim of the Holocaust, imprisoned in one of the camps where thousands were tortured to death. As he walked toward the witness box, he faced one of his torturers and collapsed. The judge assumed he was overwhelmed by the atrocities that had been committed by the Nazi on trial, but he said no, he was overwhelmed by the knowledge that he was capable of doing the same.

Yes, we know the depth of our darkness, if we are honest with ourselves. But that darkness has been overcome by the mercy and grace of God. To deny that truth is to deny what Christ’s death means – that we have been freed from the chains of our sin and made righteous. As the wonderful  O Holy Night, says, “He appeared, and the soul felt its worth.”

Henri Nouwen says it well – “When Jesus talks about faith he means first of all to trust unreservedly that you are loved, so that you can abandon every false way of obtaining it.” We can live in the light of that truth by staying close to God, reading His word, following His commands, listening to the Holy Spirit who lives within us.

When we listen to His voice, the enemy has no power over us. We belong to Jesus. He knows us, loves us deeply and “as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” (Isaiah 62:5)

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If you’d like to read more about the struggle to believe God loves you, send me an email to let me know and I’ll add you to the list to be informed when my memoir, Pond’rings is available.

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