Lord! I’m bursting with joy over what you’ve done for me!
My lips are full of perpetual praise.
I’m boasting of you and all your works,
so let all who are discouraged take heart.
Join me, everyone! Let’s praise the Lord together.
Let’s make him famous!
Let’s make his name glorious to all. Psalm 34:1-3
Monday night during the heaviest part of the storm, I had a Zoom meeting to celebrate the success of Operation Christmas Child. Although I forgot to write down the statistics (I think my mind was snowy, and I will share the stats at a later time.) I can tell you the churches in the Lehigh Valley sent almost 15,000 boxes down to the distribution center in Baltimore MD. Whitehall Bible Fellowship Church our carton drop-off location filled 2 1/2 tractor trailers 1/2 a load more than last year! All in 2020 the year of COVID. We also watched some videos, we rejoiced and praised God for all of them, but one truly touched my heart. We always say about how the boxes are prayed over that each box will go to the child who needs its contents the most. If I ever doubted that God doesn’t hear our prayers or that He truly doesn’t inhabit our praise, they were all dispelled last night. A little blind girl that was 3 or 4 was laying in a hospital bed opening her box and everything in that box either was very tactile so she could feel or had an aroma so she could smell it. She pulled out a stuffed doll and she felt the hair, then the eyes and the mouth and a smile came over her face and she hugged it tenderly. If Jesus can make sure that box got into the hands of that little girl, then He will also meet our needs in just the way we need them.
My heart was so full and I was just praising God for His love and caring that I didn’t even grumble when I opened the deck door to find a wall of drifted snow that I had to dig through to get to the deck to shovel. But as I went to close the door, Holy Spirit told me to turn on the spot lights so I could see better. As I was singing praises, I happened to look over and see my lilac bush had branches that were bent from the heaviness of the snow and they were blocking the heating vent. Praise God! If I had not seen that, my heat would have eventually stopped working! My heart was so blessed I thanked Him as I walked through at some places waist deep snow for legs that were strong enough to get me through, for warm boots and clothe and the strength to break off the branches so they wouldn’t cover the vent again. I couldn’t stop thanking God.
Then today as it was snowing again, I looked at the snowflakes and said it looks like they’re dancing because everyone of them is different and they were created by the loving hands of God. I had no reason to celebrate, my drivenway was going to be inaccessible until at least tomorrow when a neighbor with a plow could get to me. But I was warm and safe and able to keep the deck clear for the dogs and I had everything I needed, so why would I be discouraged. Then a neighbor called me to see how I was doing and if I could use some help digging out. I said of course, and she told me her husband was home today and he was helping everyone and she’d send him down. What a blessing, becuase his tractor is much bigger than the one I use, plus when I got out to the barn I realized the tractor didn’t start and it was the battery. I quickly found out it was because it was so corroded. So I got them cleaned up and got it started just in time to meet him in the driveway and together we got things done. How great is our God!?
Today was one of those days where God showed the more we praise Him, the more He shows up in big ways. I know we’re all tired of shoveling and the cold. But grumbling and complaining doesn’t help, it doesn’t make the snow go away and truthfully only makes the job we have to do even more of a drudgery. I know it’s not easy, but praise Him for all the blessings you do have and before long, you will see more blessings than you every thought you would in your most trying times.
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