GOD is awesomely great, always!

One of my closest friends email this to me and was touched once more by how awesomely great God is. He may not give what we want but He will surely surprise us with His never-ending kindness.  I am sharing it today and will always go back to this entry to make me grounded thru  His love that heals and endures.

Written  by  a doctor who worked in South Africa

One  night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite  of all we could do, she died leaving us with a tiny premature baby and a  crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby  alive, as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator).  

We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on  the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student  midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that  the baby would be wrapped in.

Another went to stoke up the  fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to  tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily  in tropical cl imates). ‘And it is our last hot water bottle!’ she  exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk so in  Central Africa it might be considered no  good crying over burst water bottles They do not grow on trees, and there  are no drugstores down forest pathways.

‘All right,’ I said, ‘put  the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby  and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby  warm.’

The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have  prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I  gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told  them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby  warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so  easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister,  crying because her mother had died

During prayer time, one  ten-year old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our  African children. ‘Please, God’ she prayed, ‘send us a water bottle. It’ll  be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this  afternoon.’

While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer,  she added, ‘And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for  the little girl so she’ll know You really love her?’

As often with  children’s prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say,  ’Amen’. I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I  know that He can do everything, the Bible says so.  But there are  limits, aren’t there?  The only way God could answer this particular  prayer would be by sending me a parcel from homeland.  I had been in  Africa for almost four years at that  time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone  did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle?  I lived  on the equator!  Halfway through the after n oon, while I was  teaching in the nurses’ training school, a message was sent that there was  a car at my front door.

By the time I reached home, the car had  gone, but there, on the veranda, was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I  felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent  for the orphanage children.

Together we pulled off the string,  carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear  it unduly. Excitement was mounting.  Some thirty or forty pairs  of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted  out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out.  Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the  children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and  sultanas – that would make a batch of buns for the weekend Then, as I put  my hand in again, I felt the….could it really be? I grasped it and  pulled it out – yes, a brand-new, ru b be r hot water bottle. I cried. I  had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth  was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, ‘If  God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly too!’  
  
  

Rummaging  down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully  dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!

Looking up  at me, she asked: ‘Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that  little girl, so she’ll know that Jesus really loves her?’

That  parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by my former  Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God’s prompting to  send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put  in a dolly for an African child – five months before, in answer to the  believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it ‘that afternoon.’  

‘Before they call, I will answer’ (Isaiah 65:24) This awesome  prayer takes less than a minute. When you receive this, say the prayer,  that ‘s all you have to do. No strings attached. Just send it on to  whomever you want – but do send it on. Prayer is one of the best free  gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards.

 

 

Onto the next….

This has been my mantra  everytime I let destiny take its own course, especially during failed relatiosnhips. :) Onto the next!  The optimistic person that I am, I always look forward to better things to come. Thus, I embrace 2009 with all positivity. 2008 was a good year but I am almost definite that 2009 would be life changing.

This year begins my journey to my fourth decade of existence as I turn 31. I am taking braver and bigger steps to achieve my personal goals in life. With God’s grace and the support of those dear to me, I would stride my way to success.

Well, if  all my efforts have gone futile, I would simply say, Onto the next! 

For now, I would just play to win!