"We wait in hope for the LORD;
He is our help and our shield.
In Him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in His holy name.
May your unfailing love rest upon us,
O LORD,
Even as we put our hope in you."
Psalm 33:18
He is our help and our shield.
In Him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in His holy name.
May your unfailing love rest upon us,
O LORD,
Even as we put our hope in you."
Psalm 33:18
My journey in the Psalms continues. It has been two days of waiting. Waiting on hurricane Isaac to make its way through Baton Rouge and waiting for news of blood tests, schedules of biopsies. As the storm made havoc around us we felt a strange sense of calm in the house. There were no doctors appointments or hospital procedures to attend. Amazingly, we kept power throughout the storm except for about 5 minutes. That is most unusual for our area of town. After hurricane Gustav we had no power for two weeks. It was an opportunity for rest and for taking care of some wedding details. Ken is feeling much stronger, less pain and so I put him on picture duty for the rehearsal dinner. He looked through pictures throughout the day and night and saved them to a disk. And he has managed to narrow it down to just over 500 pictures!!!!!! Oh my, Ken's definitely not the right one for that job. But what a blessing and a good distraction while we wait and hope!
Thank you for all those who prayed for us and for Baton Rouge through the storm. There is much damage and 1000's are without power. I just got off the phone with Sherry B. and they have had no power since 8:00am yesterday and are hoping to be able to get in to sandbag her parents home as the waters are rising over the road to the house now. She just called and asked me to pray that God would hold the waters back. Flooding is a huge issue for us after the storms pass and so many have lost their homes in LA already. Yet I am amazed at the tenacity and hope of the people. I had a call from a dear friend earlier today asking if we needed anything and through the course of the conversation discovered that his business was flooded. Minutes ago a dear friend and her son drove up to the house to access the damage in our yard and offered to come back tomorrow and help with clean up. The compassion and love of others through this storm we are in is such a testimony of His unfailing love.
These dates in August bring back so many memories of how the Lord has taught us to put our hope in Him as we face the storms and trials of life. Isaac hit Baton Rouge on the anniversary of Katrina - a storm that brought devastation to our state and hope as we witnessed the compassion of people. I had the privilege of ministering to hundreds of doctors and nurses from all over the country who came to give medical aid after the storm. Our church set up housing for them for months. They reached out in love and hope and our lives were forever changed despite the devastation for the better because our paths crossed and we saw God move and work miracles. We learned to wait and hope in His unfailing love.
Three years later on August 29th we got out of Baton Rouge just in time to make it to South Carolina for Ken's mom's funeral as Gustav pounded and devastated the city. While we were at the funeral dear friends came to our aid at our home to help clear the trees and debris and empty the freezer and refrigerator since the power was out for so long. They helped to carry us through the storms of death and destruction we faced even though they faced so many of their own personal burdens. They taught us about hope and love in times of sorrow and our lives were forever changed.
And now we approach Labor Day weekend, I think of the anniversary of my father's heart attack and death. I remember the phone call, the pain and grief, and the hope I found in the Lord and in the amazing love of family and friends who prayed for us and comforted us in that storm of life. And our lives were forever changed.
And now in that same time of year we wait in hope, face the trial of Ken's illness and feel the burden lightened through the love of family and friends. And our lives are forever changed because of His unfailing love and the compassion He has poured into our lives through you. His unfailing love rests upon us even as we wait and put our hope in Christ. He is our help and our shield.
Waiting in Hope and Resting in His unfailing love,
Kathy