As I thought about my previous post “Never Forget The Good Things” God began to remind me of all the promises He had given me and how during storms in my life He brought me through them. As I recalled all those many times, I began to sing a song that a dear trio at our church sings, “The Past Is A Promise”.

“Will there be a next time when I need some mercy
Will grace be sufficient, oh how will I know
The next time my heart is broken will it be mended
Well I have a promise that tells me it’s so

I just go back to the moment He saved me
I just go back to every prayer He’s answered for me
Then I don’t have to worry about my next blessing
The past is a promise I’ll have all that I need

Did He deliver Moses did he comfort Elijah
Was David a part of this promise to me
Did God’s son rise out of Judah
Did He walk up Golgotha
The past holds the power of His promise to me

He’s all I need, He’s all I need
Jesus I all I need
Then I don’t have to worry about my next blessing
The past is a promise, I’ll have all that I need” –The Whisnants

God reminded me of the night He saved me. Some people may not agree or believe this story, but I know it’s true. I was in my bed as a child waiting for my dad to come home from work. I knew he would come in to check on me so I was staying awake. I heard a voice call my name. I thought my dad had come in my room. But, he wasn’t there; he didn’t actually get home for a few hours later. The voice called my name again, said not to be afraid and asked if I believed His son died on a cross for my sins. I answered yes without hesitation. Then the voice asked if I wanted to be saved. Again, I answered yes. God showed me how to pray to be saved and when I opened my eyes there were angels surrounding my bed. I saw them standing over me and heard Him explain they were there to help me and protect me. I haven’t seen them since, until one night recently when my room was filled with people and I asked, “Who Are All These People?”.

Then God reminded me of the difficult labor trying to have my firstborn child. I was in labor for almost 72 hours straight and then pushed for over 3 hours. Still, my baby girl would not move even an inch closer to being born. Finally, my greatest fear was becoming reality…the doctor was going to perform a C-section. As preparations were being made, my husband asked if my family and friends could come in to pray before the surgery. As they gathered in my room, the doctor stepped in and asked if he could pray with us. While everyone stood around my bed, a man stood over my shoulder and placed his hand on me to pray. I thought it was my husband, but he was standing at the foot of the bed. When I asked him who was the man standing beside me, he replied, “No one was there”. Many times over the years I have questioned him over and over and the answer is the same, “No one was there”. I know that my God was there in that room, standing beside me and giving me strength to get through a situation I had dreaded my whole pregnancy.

A few years ago, my husband lost his job. Not long after I was moved from a full -time position to a part-time position. As you can imagine, we had a very difficult time financially. God provided for us through this whole time. Every time we needed money or food God came through. It wasn’t always ahead of time; sometimes it was just in the nick of time. But, we learned to walk day-by-day and minute-by-minute. It wasn’t easy, but we believed and learned to trust at a different level than we had before. My husband finally got a job as a contractor at a major company. What a blessing! Then, I lost my job, too. After I called my husband to tell him the bad news, he was called into his supervisor’s office. We just knew it wasn’t going to be good. But God had a better plan for us. The very day I lost my job, he was offered a full-time position and, after many promotions, he is still there today. God is good.

There have been many, many other times where God has provided for us. Too many to tell here. God has been showing me all the times He was with me…in the big crisis and the small details. The many journeys of trials and triumphs.

Now I find myself once again relying on Him day-by-day and minute-by-minute. Because of my past and the promises He has made to me through His word and privately, I know He will see my family through this. I know He has a plan that I can’t begin to understand. And, I have to accept I may never know His reasons during this life. I have to accept that I can’t make this “ok” for all the people I love. I have to rely on Him to comfort them, speak to them and be there for them. It’s very hard; I want to fix their broken hearts, and I can’t. But God can and will. I’m trusting Him and believing…

“…all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” –Romans 8: 28