|
My first entry for the second page of Ruminations The Roof
(Posted 22 Aug 03)
Where I live, there isn't much rain.
Now, where I grew up, it rained a lot, so that rain was looked on as something of an annoyance. And people would say this verse:
Matthew 5:45 KJV
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. as if GOD sending HIS rain on the just and the unjust meant that GOD sends bad things into everyone's lives. That was how they saw rain.
Having lived now 14 or 15 years in an area where rain does not come very often, and water is something not to be wasted - I now see that verse in the opposite light. It is that GOD sends HIS blessings on both the just and the unjust - HIS kindness HE sends on all.
Having said all that...
We had a rare rain recently, and during that rain, my kitchen ceiling began to drip. OK, it was something more than a drip - we had to put a large pan under it to catch the water. The next afternoon, the dripping began again, even though it wasn't raining. I reached up to the drip and touched the ceiling - and a large section of ceiling panel gave way! I had to clear out a lot of soaked, ruined ceiling board and insulation. At the top of the section, I could see a place about the size of a dinner plate where the roofing itself was mushy and rotted.
So I contacted someone about fixing the leak in the roof. They weren't able to come do it right away. One of my renters said he would do something to patch the leak, but he wasn't able to right away, either.
I didn't figure there was any urgency in the situation. We hardly ever get rain...
The next day, late in the afternoon, I found out there was a tropical storm/hurricane bearing down on this area. It was very late in the afternoon when I found that out - much too late to make any preparations. Much too late to get someone over here to fix or patch the roof.
So I prayed. I asked the LORD, what do I do about my roof? And HE assured me that HE was my protection, HE was my provision - I didn't need to do anything, just trust HIM.
Almost immediately, doubts came against me. I kept seeing in my head the entire kitchen collapsed and ruined. So I had to do warfare against those doubts! I told them they weren't going to rob me of the LORD's promise to me of protection and provision - my kitchen was NOT going to collapse!
At one point, as I was battling the doubts, I had as it were a vision that the LORD handed me a sword, and with it I hacked the demon of doubt to pieces (like Samuel did King Agag of the Amalekites, after Saul disobeyed and spared Agag's life).
And the LORD told me to just go on to bed and sleep. So I did.
The noise of the storm woke me up at about 4 am. I walked into the kitchen, put a pan under the drip, threw a couple of towels on the floor, and went back to bed and to sleep.
The next day, I didn't even bother to go into the kitchen till about 11 am. Why did I need to go and look? I knew it was OK! I had to mop up a bit of water when I did go in - but the roof was intact.
Jesus took care of it. I just had to trust and rest in HIS promise.~~~ The funny part is that, that night, while the storm was going on, I dreamed of my dad. My dad has always been a terrible worrier - worries about things that could never possibly happen. In the dream, the real-life storm was going on, my dad knew about my roof - and he wasn't worried a bit.
Philippians 4:6-7 KJV
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
|
