It was 7:35 a.m. when I entered my office this bright Monday morning. I had no idea the
blessing I would find awaiting me there. I was hurried to get there during my usual 50 minute commute. I was
tired and
rushed, as is the case most every Monday morning.
The weekend had been quite eventful, in fact, only adding to the tiredness. I had worked on Saturday morning, helping lead a memorial service for families who had endured miscarriage in recent months. I hardly call it work, since this is something I am so deeply passionate about. Following the service, we had a Mommies with Hope Board Meeting (amazing!) and then I was racing off to the in-laws who had been charged with the task of caring for our children, our oldest whom they had cared for all week long! My husband was on his way home from picking up our 16-year-old niece (who now lives with us...that's a story for another day) from a music camp that was 3 1/2 hours away. Dinner consisted of Chinese delivery, one of two food venues that will deliver to our small town of 900, and the loads of laundry quickly piled high as we hauled kids' bags and suitcases in from a week away.
Sunday morning worship as a family was a much-needed and blessed time of refreshing. More rushing as we embarked on our 45 minute commute home from church (we are one crazy, commuting family!) and indulged in Chinese leftovers for lunch. Did I mention they are one of two food venues that deliver to our tiny town?? Moving on... Dishes, cleanup, more laundry - all before a Target trip and getting the older kids back down to church - 45 minutes away - for the start of Vacation Bible School and my teenage niece's youth missions week, where she will be helping with VBS, camping out all week, and doing service projects throughout the community. Revved it up at VBS, full-throttle for God! Writing at the cafe down the street while the kids learned and played and praised Him. Drove home - 45 minutes - and all kids tuckered in by 9:30 p.m. Thats a feat! More laundry, more dishes, filling out camp forms and gathering documents for a busy and dreaded Monday morn.
Then, a bold reminder as I walked into my newly de-cluttered office. Right there, on the clean and clear table in the center of my office space lay a bible. It had been pulled from the shelf and was open to the book of psalms. The only two colleagues I could think of who might have placed it there weren't even in yet and I knew that they hadn't been there over the weekend. In looking further, I was speechless to see that it was open to Psalm 84, which in its fullness reads:
"How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty.
My soul yearns, even faint, for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young - a place near your altar,
O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.
Blessed are those who strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
Hear my prayer, O Lord God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob.
Look upon your shield, O God look with favor on your anointed one.
Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
O lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you."
Psalm 84 (NIV)
Big deal, right? Yes, it is a big deal. It was as if the bible was strategically placed in a manner that was intended for me to read it. It was as if someone had placed it there, opened it to that specific page, for some specific purpose. It was even angled neatly toward the corner of the table, facing the direction that faces the pathway through my office, toward the computer armoire. Here are the pictures I took before placing the bible back on the shelf...
Still, you may be wondering why I'm making such a fuss over this. Well, I don't know who was responsible for laying the bible open on my table in such a fashion, to that particular passage no less, but I firmly believe that God intended it to be a bold reminder to me fresh off a weekend of craziness. Life is hectic, hurried, and far too busy. I needed something to stop me in my tracks and help me refocus. In all of the words of the bible, Psalm 84 would do just that. You see, Psalm 84:1, which reads "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty" is the very verse that ordains the back of Chloe's headstone. The significance of this Psalm comes in the fact that it was this psalm, set to music, that was playing in the hospital room at the she went to be with Jesus. Just after hearing the nurse say, "Time of death - 3:55 p.m." the music rang forth, declaring, "Better is one day in your court! Better is one day in your house! Better is one day in your courts than thousands elsewhere!"
I have been blessed to experience a number of "God moments." This, I believe, was a message sent directly from Him, perhaps through an angel, to give a bold reminder of His Power, His Love, His Mercy, and His Might.
Lord, I trust you in all things - from the death of my babies to the call to take in my 16-year-old niece. I trust in You alone, O Lord Almighty! Even amidst the everyday craziness of our busy, hurried lives, you care to boldly remind me Who You are and Who I belong to. Thank you for loving me so.
Have you experienced a "God moment" that you'd be willing to share? What about your own visit from an angel? Please share in the comments!
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