God has done some amazing things for me. When I was an adolescent I happened to be in the middle of a prayer meeting. People were giving words to each other and doing the “sit in the chair so we can pray for you.” After telling everyone else that they were going to do amazing things for God, they realized that I was there. As sort of an afterthought, they decided to let me sit in the chair. I was thirteen. I wanted to hear like a friend who was a bit older than I was, that I was going to marry a godly man and be a missionary. This friend did tell me afterwards to never repeat that to anyone. I don’t know who she married but I don’t think she was ever a long-term missionary.
So as I waited expectantly for powerful words of my future, I just knew it would be amazing. Maybe they were tired, maybe they thought I was young and insignificant but finally, someone, my youth pastor, said “Thus saith the Lord: I will never leave you nor forsake you.” WHAT? That’s a Bible verse. I knew that… what kind of “word” was that!? I took it as a rejection at the time. I was devastated. I said a few thank you Jesus’ – I was well trained in how to behave spiritually. I wanted to know I was going to be some great for God.
However, over the years I’ve learned that the fact that the great, all-powerful, all-knowing, omniscient God would never leave me to be the most wonderful way God shows how big he is. As I have pondered the bigness of God I have realized He is most big in my life when He is the most person and intimate. Times of worship, times of repentance, times of fellowship with God are when He is biggest in my life.
There are many times I’ve realized He had never left me. Oh sometimes I think He has, and then He shows up. As a young mother, living alone in a rather trashy trailer court. Having been abandoned by my husband, their father I lived on welfare, food stamps, commodity foods, WIC and anything I could find to get by. I couldn’t get a job so I was in college. I had a long-range goal to be able to always provide for those children. I knew an education would be my ticket out of the trailer court.
I always went to church. I had three small children and we would sit in the back of the church, barely known to those around me. But I was faithful, and people knew my name.
The blue trailer I lived in, a 12x65 single wide had an empty middle kitchen. Like Old Mother Hubbard, my cupboards were bare. I lived out in the country on RR#2. One day, a white-haired woman came to my door. Her name was Bea. We may have spoke briefly or shook hands at church. I didn’t know her, or she me.
I was shocked to see her in front of me. How did she know where I lived? Why was she here? With embarrassment, I invited her into the trailer. We sat on my orange couch and she told me the most incredible story. Like every day, she started it with a time of prayer. During that time, she said God told her to come to my house, that I had a need.
She called the church office; it was closed. Determined to find me, she did the most unusual thing. She asked God to show her where I lived. This was before Google map, this was before MapQuest, and I didn’t even have a phone so my address wasn’t in the white pages. With an address like RR#2 you are pretty hard to find.
I still have no logical explanation for her visit. I’ve tried and tried to figure out how she got to my house. Her answer, “I prayed and God told me which way to turn and then when I got to the area, He told me exactly what trailer you lived in.” She only knocked on one door, and it was mine. She spent her afternoon at the grocery store buying food that filled my empty cupboards and my children’s empty stomachs for days to come.
A God, my God, the God of the universe, the Creator, decided to show a poor single mother in poverty, the person everyone over looked, just how big He is by using a virtual stranger to fill my cupboards in run down blue trailer. God was big enough to come to a trailer court, just like He was big enough to come to a stable in Bethlehem and grow up in Nazareth.
He has never left me nor forsaken me. Since that promise is the Bible, you don’t need a prophetic word to believe it. He’ll never leave you nor forsake you either.
4 comments:
Our wonderful, loving and right on time, Jesus!
Prophetic words are really encouragements - they are destiny and hope for our future. But a testimony like this is hope for encouragement for everyone that reads it!
Wow!
All I can say is I love you Joyce...sharing a story of testimony like that gives so much glory to our Father. What a blessing.
Joyce: This was an amazing story of the lady led to your home by God. And Yes those types of miracles are hapening today. The mobile home doesn't look that bad or I am just used to seeing them all the time.
After retiring a few years back we chose a mobile home park to buy a used manufactured home so we could practice the Gift of voluntary poverty ( actually it was unvoluntary poverty). I wanted to retire early and not have a high mortgage on a house hanging over my head for another 20 years.
It wasn't that bad of a park but had some issues. Surprisingly the corporation hit on me to run the park as the part time park manager 5 years ago. We made some major inprovements and cleaned out some major issues.
The one thing I came to realize was there were others in the park such as I ( retirees) and young families on limited income. All were looking into only living a decent life with in their budget or lack there of.
It was after my second year that I realized these peope looked to me for answers, help,guidance, and prayers. I always rounded up gifts for the children during the Christmas season discretely for ones with financial issues. I helped others apply for programs to assist in their times of crisis. Others I gave them money to help pay the bills. Many looked to me for prayers and guidance with domestic and health issues.
One says her Downs Syndrom Daughter was not going to survive a heart surgery urgently needed, but me praying over her saved her daughter. I had to remind her it was the Lord and the surgeons that saved her daughter. Many told me my prayers to God helped heal their illnesses when I said I would pray for them. Others accepted Christ as their saviour. Some say I can work miracles but I have to remind them it is the Lord. All I did was pray and the Lord took care of the rest. They were told they too can enjoy the grace of God if they believe.
In reflection, I realized that it was God that led me to this mobile home park and serve Him in a ministry to these people. All 108 families are my responsibility and I look over them as a shepperd would his flock.
It is not easy but I felt led by God to serve them as best as I can and be there when they want council, guidance, or a shoulder to lean on.
Yep. I live in a trailer park but this is where I think God wants me to be serving Him.
Thanks for sharing -- I think so often people are marginalized because of where they live, etc. Yet, God is very concerned for those people. I thank God He sent you there. And I thank God you obeyed.
I was a young mother whose husband had deserted her. We had no place else to go. I paid $17 a month to live in that trailer because I was able to get Section 8.
Most people who see me now have no idea of my past. No drugs, no alcohol, no major vices, just poor -- I never have any difficulty sharing my story though, because it gives Glory to God for His faithfulness.
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