Godsend

Grand Sweep Daily Reading: Genesis 43, 44, 45

Genesis 45:7-8 (NIV)

7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8a So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.

Good morning!

There are people who have come into my life just when I needed them the most. My friend Cindy is truly a godsend. We have breakfast together on Saturday mornings, at least one a month. It’s a girlfriend’s moment. We laugh and share our stories, while consuming a LOT of coffee and savoring the delights of a home-cooked breakfast that we didn’t have to make ourselves! The best part of our morning is the time we spend in prayer. We invite the Lord to join us every time we meet, and He is our guest at the table. How I love spending time with my Savior and my dear friend.

Cindy has been sporting a “red eye” for a couple of months now. To look at her, you wouldn’t know anything was wrong, other than maybe she got up just a little too early or stayed up too late the night before! I don’t think Cindy considers herself a morning person, but she regularly sacrifices her Saturday sleep-in for a sister who finds the morning to be the very best time of day. During breakfast yesterday, we talked about her “eye-opening” experience. You see, Cindy’s “red eye” is not from being too tired. She woke up one morning and could not see. After making an emergency run to the doctor, Cindy was whisked into surgery for a torn and detached retina. She has been in recovery mode ever since. Fortunately for Cindy, her vision has all but been restored with the exception of an annoying little blind spot in her periphery. I can’t see it when I look at her. If she hadn’t told me it was there, I would not have known. Cindy is seeing things from a totally different perspective. The scar tissue blocks a portion of her vision, and it has been an unwelcome adjustment. I’ve worn contact lenses for years, and I can certainly understand her longing for clear vision. We don’t think much about how much we use our periphery until its gone. If Cindy wants to see something to her side, she must turn her head to look. I don’t know that the blind spot will ever go away, but for Cindy, its been a true miracle.

She said this challenge has opened her eyes to the power of the Lord in her life. Cindy realizes that sometimes God allows a circumstance to occur for a greater plan. We may not always be able to see Him clearly or understand why some things happen the way they do. Even with a skewed view, knowing He is there is more than enough to satisfy her. Cindy can still see Him; in fact, she says she can see the Lord even better now with the visual disturbance. What an eye opener this has been in the life of my friend.

Joseph possessed an uncanny depth perception. He knew that it was God who orchestrated his separation from family. It was God who sent Joseph to Egypt. God taught him to be a good and faithful servant, and to stand firm when life seemed totally unfair. Joseph trusted the Lord to lead him and was willing to walk with him throughout the years. And now, at the moment of his family’s great need, Joseph was able to provide for them. God had prepared Joseph’s heart for an amazing reunion. The love he held for his family was finally brought full circle. God allowed that desert experience to help Joseph bloom into the man God wanted him to be.

So when you find yourself wandering around in a hot and dry desert, unable to see clearly, stop and ask the Lord for an eye opener. The circumstances you face today could be the godsend you’ve waited for your entire life.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

www.songofdeborah.com

Pray for: a godsend! We may not always understand why things happen the way they do, but our Father in heaven has a plan, and if we are willing to go with it, He can do some amazing things in our heart, touching the lives of all those around us. Get to church this morning and thank the good Lord for the godsend in your life. I’ll see you there!

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© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding

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