Month: August 2024

Whom have I in heaven but Thee?

And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth.

The Lord Jesus blessed me with an Arabian mare whose name is Randi. This blessing was multiplied by God’s love for me. She was to have a baby. About a month before she was to foal, I began a nightly habit of going to the pasture to check on her before going to bed. After a week or so, Randi became tired of the ritual and would not allow me to touch her. So I began to check on her condition from a distance using a large flat-sided flashlight. One night I deeply felt the Spirit of God. There was a Holy Silence with a full moon and a calmness there that only God can give. So I turned off the flashlight and laid it on the ground before me. I wanted to enjoy this time to its fullest. I began to talk to the Lord. The moment became overwhelming and I cried out to God, “I wished I could kneel down before you to worship.” I have some medical problems, so kneeling was impossible. Then I sense something to my left. It was Randi. I put my arm around her neck and she helped me to lower myself to the ground to a kneeling position. Without any thought, my knees rested on the flat side of the flashlight. God had found a resting place for my knees without pebbles to give me pain. Randi stayed and steadied me while I worshipped the Lord. When I finished praying, Randi raised her head so that I could stand once again. Then she walked away to another part of the pasture. Randi would not allow me to touch her again. A few weeks later, Randi foaled a palomino filly. The Lord blessed me again with the desire of my heart. I wanted a palomino filly. This Morab filly I named, Manuela, which means God is with us. for on that special night of prayer, God’s presence was undeniable with us.

A question was asked, “How do you know that God is with you during severe pain? Do you feel His presence?

This question caught me off guard. I have never thought about this event. I use the word “event” due to the lack of what to call it.

During a painful event, it is hard to feel anything except sometimes hopelessness when the pain keeps continuing. But even that feeling is consumed by the pain. But I know He is with me because I feel Him all other times before a painful event. Jesus says He will not forsake me (Hebrews 13:5B and 2 Corinthians 4:9). He will not leave me when I need Him most. God’s word and my faith carry me to the other side of a painful event.

I do not fully understand why God allows such things as physically painful events. But my faith and love for Jesus tell me He has a reason. So I trust Him in all things. We live in a world that groans because of sin (Romans 8:22). The Holy Spirit intercedes for me (Romans 8:26-28) with all being worked together for my good, and even prove to the angels (Ephesians 3:10). I am proving that I can love Jesus without seeing Him and through hardships. The angels do not have the Holy Spirit to help through such times of severe pain. How can one explain the Holy Spirit living inside a person? The angels can only see our reaction. May your and my reactions be pleasing to the Lord God Almighty.