Continuation of My Life's Story

Okay, as I'm sure most of you have gathered by now, I did eventually join the Holdeman, Mennonite church. Since we are trained to to keep away from cliches like 'wasn't smooth sailing, or a 'bed of roses',  hang on for a sec while I  try to come up with something more original.

There were a few things that were making life difficult at this time. As if being a teenager wasn't problem enough, I was also suddenly thrust into a single parent home in a straight environment compared to the casual one of childhood, or the tumultuous one my father had recently adopted. I wasn't one of those laid-back whatever will-be-will be type of gals either. My sensitive nature caused intense mood swings; yup I know what depression was all about.

And Satan wanted me.

Late one night while laying wide awake on my bed an oppressive presence overpowered me, I mean literally and I felt my hands being clamped against the mattress and this leering face inches from mine. I don't know how many minutes this lasted, but it was plenty long. I remembered trying to pray but it seemed ineffectual.

The Word of God speaks of having 'power on her head because of the angels.' (1. Corinthians 11) Whether this scripture meant that the angels would be able to give me more protection if I had my head covered, or that the fallen angels had more power against me without this symbolic protection, I couldn't say, but it left me feeling defenceless against the attacks of the Evil One.

Eventually with a sadistic laugh and a few contemptuous words the presence faded yet leaving me feeling shaken for days to come. I have never had a casual take-it-or-leave-it attitude about wearing a prayer covering since.

Inky, Smothering Blackness

 Check the accompanying pages for the first two parts of this story. 

 “Dathan, you’re back, you survived!” Rebaethaih sobbed wildly as she flung herself into her husband’s arms. Dathan patted the slim, trembling woman for a long time before her sobs eventually subsided.

“I can’t stand these horrible, horrible plagues,” she gulped. “I’m always so afraid of what will come next. “Oh why is it happening to us, why? Why? Has anything so awful happened in Egypt before? First the flies, then the locusts, and the bloody, bloody river. Oh, I can’t even keep track of what order they came in anymore! Dathan will we survive?—What will the Hebrew god do to us next before—“

“Rebaethaih, hush, you must not be so frantic in front of the children. You are terrifying them.”
          “But-“Then Rebaethaih swallowed her words by clasping her hands over her mouth… her eyes were bulging with fear.

“How did you all manage?” he asked while gently drawing circles on her back.

Manage? We didn’t manage. “We groped around until we found each other and then huddled beside Grandpa.”

“But at least you were safe.”

Safe. “Oh, Dathan how did you manage to keep safe? I expected you would be half way home when the, the darkness fell. Did you, d-did you wander off towards the Nile?”

“No, honey, I did not wander off, in fact I didn’t even leave my work site.”

He squatted down beside the fire pit and stirred the dying coals.

“Remember Eliab; the Hebrew slave that I’ve chatted with sometimes when he comes to pick up bags of corn to deliver to the palace?”

Rebaethaih nodded and hunkered down also. She needed to be close to him at this terrifying time. Their children hovered near, small and frightened.

Dathan found a barely smoldering coal buried deep and blew gently on it. Salke knew he should fetch some kindling but was unwilling to leave the comparative safety of the family circle. He took his little sister by the hand and together they ventured off but quickly returned with a few sticks. Their Daddy nodded in approval.

Soon Dathan continued. “Eliab knew he should be in a hurry because he had a ruthless taskmaster but he stopped to have a quiet word with me.

“Don’t be in a haste to go home tomorrow,” he whispered urgently. “Another plague is predicted; darkness will fall over the whole of Egypt. You’ll be safe if you stay the night here.”

          “How long will it last?” I asked.

As Eliab hoisted the heavy bag on his shoulder, he glanced around quickly to see if anyone was listening. Many people either hated or fear the Israelites.

          “I know not,” he admitted, “Just heed my command and you will be well.”

I watched him go then hurried off to my job, pondering how to handle the situation. I refilled my water bottle and pretended to be busy later when people wandered off for the day. Fortunately no one questioned me about not leaving also.          The darkness fell more suddenly than I had expected, and it was thick, thicker than a blanket. I heard much screaming, mutterings and cursing.”

They both reached out to their tearful children and cuddled them close.

“I was glad to have my water bottle on my belt. It was like a form of security.”

Rebaethaih leaned her head against his shoulder.  

“Pretty soon,” Dathan continued, “I noticed there was an opening between two buildings where I could see a natural twilight. Far on the horizon there were lights moving here and there and I knew that in the Israelite camp they once again hadn’t been smitten.”

Rebaethaih placed a pot of beans on top of the now smoldering coals and stirred them absently. “Would that we could be one of them,” she muttered.

Grandpa seemed to know what she had said although he was nearly stone deaf.

“Get such foolish wickedness out of your heart,” he rasped. “We have our gods, and them will we serve.”

Rebaethaih looked nervously at the old man then bent her head closer to her husband’s, “Aye, but these evils that befall us seem to mock every type of  idol that we worship. “

Dathan nodded and said in a hushed voice, “I will learn more of Eliab’s god and his ways.”

“Cursed be any man who strays from the beliefs of his fathers.” Grandpa’s voice seemed surprisingly strong for a change. He tried to raise himself up by his elbows but fell back down. “I will call curses upon you if you entertain evil thoughts.”

The group fell silent as they waited for the warmed over beans.

Early the next morning, just as the dawn made it light enough for Dathan to make his way between the mud-brick buildings, his youthful wife watched him go. She hoped that whoever those foreign neighbours worshipped, would keep him safe. Please help him to find out more about Eliab’s God.

Are there calamities in your life also? Would you like a safe haven, a Heavenly Father to cling to, to guide you? Trust in Jesus, He will bring you to the Father where you can find forgiveness, freedom and safety.

Don’t run off too far. I’m planning to post again soon. 

I Will Help You

It was dark. And cold and here we were skimming along the highway reaching 130kms per hour now and then. If you’re not metric please don’t look it up because I’m not bragging.. It’s just that we had places to go. Fast. The text messages had been coming in rapidly.  They started with this one.

“EMERGENCY. We locked ourselves out of the vehicle and the library closes at nine o’clock.” Well, when our daughters are in trouble we want to help. Of course. But they were nearly an hour away, depending on traffic and weather conditions. So we tried to give long distance instructions. Call AMA. Call a locksmith etc. etc.  One couldn’t get there for two or three hours.The library would be closed long before that kind of assistance arrived.  Leave our daughters standing out in the cold at night? Not a chance. Another company would do it to the tune of $130 dollars but it would be far cheaper for us to grab the spare key and go in ourselves.

        So that’s why we were rushing along the highway, passing all those big trucks, and just a humming along. Of course I was keeping my eyes open for those flashing red and blue lights, but had a feeling most police officers would have been sympathetic to our predicament. And I kept texting back and forth with one of the girls while my hubby drove. To comfort them. Ease that panicky feeling, you know.

Hurrying in to town was a good time to pray. And thank God. I was glad that the roads were dry. It would have been so much worse if they were slushy, or worse yet, black ice. And what if they had been snow blowing in our faces, blinding us as we tried to pass, which we probably wouldn’t have dared to do.

But my prayers were not only ones of thanksgiving. I pleaded with God to help the girls realise how much God loves them. How much an effort He takes to bring them back to safety. When the prodigal son was still a long ways off the Father ran out to meet him. Our daughters were far away, but we gladly came to help them in their distress. Oh that they would call out to their Heavenly Father and discover how willingly He would come to their spiritual rescue. We arrived while they were locking the doors. Their Heavenly Father will

come even if there are only minutes to spare, but I sure hope they won’t wait that long!

I thought of other prodigals also. There’s so many of them. Far too many. Oh, that they will also cry out to the Heavenly Father who will surely help them if they are sincere.

Maybe you know of someone in that situation. Maybe you are yourself. Pray, and pray some more. God hears and answers the earnest prayer. Amen.