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I hope you are doing well and are in the best of health. I am doing very
well and am thankful for every blessing that God has bestowed upon my life
and this ministry. To our delight, this is the 501st message that has been
sent since the inception of our God's Work E-mail Ministry. We have never
used the same story or message twice in all of this time, but one thing has
remained constant and that is Jesus Christ is Lord and His Love, Grace and
Mercy is evident in each and every message that we have sent to you. I
thank the Lord for this greatest privilege of being used as His vessel to
minister Encouragement to His people around the world. I do give God all
the Glory, Honor and Praise for every blessing that has been bestowed upon
this work.
I hope this message encourages and blesses your heart to give thanks to the
Lord for every instance that He has saved you from harm and heartbreak.
The Lord's interventions are innumerable, so let us recognize His Hand of
mercy and give thanks.
ANGEL AT MIDNIGHT
One year while waiting to move into our own home, we rented an older house
in town. It had bedrooms that our children could share and a nice kitchen,
dining area and a large spacious living room and enclosed front porch. Our
bedroom was at the front of the house and the children's were next to the
kitchen near the back.
As many older spacious homes have, this one had a large attic that had been
converted into a small studio apartment. The young man who lived there, was
always polite but would soon be moving to another area and new job. The
children walked to their schools across the street, and the stores and
library were close by. The apartment upstairs remained empty for some time.
With the coming of Thanksgiving, I was busy with preparations for the
children and the activities they were involved in. And among my daily
rounds I didn't notice the young mother and her little girl until after
they had moved in. I immediately placed some cookies on a plate and took
our eighth grade daughter up the side stairway to greet our new neighbors.
A young girl in her middle twenties stood in the doorway and stepping back,
asked us to come in. Her young daughter spotted the cookies and gave us a
bright cheerful grin! You could tell they were Mother and daughter as each
had lovely blond hair and kind smiles.
I introduced myself and my daughter and we talked about the area for a few
minutes, and before leaving, Jennifer volunteered to watch the little girl
if her Mother was in need of a baby sitter. It turned out that she had her
daughter enrolled in daycare while she was at work, but Saturdays she might
need to call on her. We assured her that was fine.
A few days before Thanksgiving, I realized how much I missed our own stove
and oven, which was packed away while we were renting. And I made a mental
note to clean the oven before baking my pies the next day. It was a gas
stove, and although I liked cooking over gas, I'd always had an electric
stove before.
We were planning on grandparents, aunts, uncles and other family members to
come and share the day. I also sent a note up to the gal in the apartment
and invited she and her daughter to join us. She stopped by later and
thanked us but said they would be going home that night to visit her family
for the holiday.
That evening after the children were in bed, I remembered the oven and
asked my husband if he would spray the oven cleaner inside and lay papers
under it. He took care of it while I busied myself with other things, then
we went to bed.
A little after midnight we awakened to someone banging at the front the
door, and while grabbing our bathrobes, realized there was smoke all over
the place. I ran to the children's rooms as my husband went to the door.
There stood our new neighbor and her little girl. They had just arrived
home, and she smelled smoke and called the fire department. Within minutes
they came with the siren on and burst into the house. I had gathered the
children onto the front porch, wrapped in blankets, far away from the
kitchen area.
Immediately the firemen realized where the smoke had started and what had
happened. In my haste to have a clean oven, I forgot that the paper to
catch the grease doesn't go under a gas oven, and although it had taken a
few hours, it had caught fire and the smoke was spreading around the house.
We felt awful. The damage was minimal, but the most important thing to us
was our three children who had been sleeping nearby were safe. After airing
the house out, with the help of our friendly fire department, we went back
to bed, thankful everyone was okay.
Thanksgiving came and we enjoyed pies baked in a clean oven! A turkey,
roasted in a clean oven and sweet potato soufflé, cranberry sauce, other
vegetables and favorite dressings and trimmings. We were truly grateful
for the Lord's protection over us and for a kind neighbor upstairs.
As we looked forward to the Christmas holiday, I watched for our neighbor
and her little girl, having made some eggnog and cookies, I wanted to
invite them in. I also had a special gift for each of them. But, the truth
was, after that evening when she came and knocked on our door, I hadn't
seen them. I made a trip up to their door and peaked in through the
window, the place was empty, as if nobody had even been there. I tried
contacting the landlord, but he didn't know anything about them. It seemed
incredible that they just disappeared and the more I thought about it,
the more I realized their short stay had possibly saved us all in an old
house that could have gone up in flames so quickly.
A Thanksgiving Day doesn't go by that I don't think of the young mother and
her entrance and exit in our lives. I will never know why she was coming
home at all that night, as she had been going to visit her own family for
Thanksgiving. I know God brings many people into our lives for various
reasons. An Angel? Perhaps. What I do know for certain, is that each
Thanksgiving I remember an old house with young children, and I especially
give thanks for the messenger He sent, allowing us to celebrate many more
Thanksgiving Days, and that is my special blessing from Him.
By Diane Dean White
Please visit my website!
http://www.dianedeanwhite.com/
Read and meditate on these scriptures:
Psalm 103:2-5 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems
your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender
mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is
renewed like the eagle's.”
Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not
be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Psalm 100:1-5 “Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the
Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the
Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are
His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with
thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and
bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His
truth endures to all generations.”
All of these scriptures can be found in the New King James Version Bible.
Today’s Selected Poem: QUOTES FOR A NEW YEAR
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/inpoem111.htm
Today’s Selected Testimony: JESUS IS ENOUGH
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony197.htm
In Christ’s Service,
Dwayne Savaya
Gods Work Ministry |
