Mamre's Oasis

I AM HERE. The effort to be still in the face of the destructive and frightening news took a Herculean effort. My world felt as if it had imploded around me upon the receipt of the dreaded diagnosis. I had called a friend to deliver the devastating news to my mother who was peaceful as a lamb. Her reaction was puzzling but, knowing her, meant that she would be calm and not want to divulge that information to many people. She was a very private person. We had to construct a plan of action to fight the disease. Her sight was fading. She has just had surgery and had new glasses. Those bills were unpaid. She was unemployed. My salary was grossly inadequate. We only had each other and she was calm? That was unbelievable. Was she going to have a meltdown? Were we going to be destitute? As I pondered, the thoughts seemed to race around my mind like a freight train. A humungous headache caused my head to pound incessantly. As we considered our bleak future that was approaching mighty quickly, God gave me a peace that passes all understanding. When I was supposed to be miserable and hysterical, I was as pleasant as a lark. A friend of mine kept asking me what I was going to do. She kept reminding me of the circumstances and sometimes I would be sad momentarily but then that moment of sadness would always be fleeting. I had no idea about what lay ahead but I knew God had told me to be still. Fortunately, I knew who held and still holds my future. I taught school as usual; went to the store and church on the weekends and continued with whatever chores were assigned. My mother was not having any pain, just a few bouts of weakness. I bought more vitamins for her and we changed our diet. We tried to eat healthy, as often as possible. One day while I was washing the dishes, God spoke again. He said, "I am here!" I stopped in my tracks and He repeated it again. "I am here!" Gratitude bubbled out of me as I began to cry out to Him in praise. My mother came to the sink and told me that she had heard a voice. I asked her what the voice had said. What she said next, shook me to the core of my being. It was just confirmation that I was not hallucinating. She had heard a calming voice that had spoken these precious words. "I am here!" From that point on, many miracles began to take place in our lives. All the words of comfort I had heard in church were being manifested daily in our lives. God says in His word that “He will give people for our lives” and He surely did. Friends and strangers were supportive and showed the love of God in many ways. Some of them went out of their way to assist us in any way possible. God spoke to many people and all our needs and wants were miraculously being supplied. This proved that God is truly Jehovah Jireh (Provider). Whenever I had a concern and began to worry, I was gently reminded of the precious words of life that God had spoken to us. He said "Be still." His second words were "I am here." God has always been here for us and will always be here for us. He sticks closer than a brother to everyone. All we have to do is trust and believe in Him. His invaluable word is what sustained me in the lowest time of my life and so I can attest to the fact that His word is true in season and out of season. God's word never fails. It stands the test of time and circumstance.