Barb opened the blinds in her kitchen window early one morning. She stood there for a while, looking out, staring at the mountains that surround her log cabin home. She whispered, “another day alone.” Her coffee wasn’t perking up her spirits. 

Her today was coated with memories of yesterday, or what she called, “the good ‘ol days.” After she poured a second cup, she sat down at the same table her family used to gather around. She remembered the boisterous laughter. She looked around the room, in hopes of finding something new and different to focus on. 

After putting on her glasses, she noticed the tattered Bible, she used to read from, write in, and pray over. She got up and pulled it from the shelf where her grimy cook books stand. She plopped it on the table and thought, “What have I got to lose?” 

As she opened it, she recalled the comfort of the Psalms. She started flipping through the thin pages. She came across verses she highlighted years ago with a yellow pen.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills-where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip- He who watches over you will not slumber; The Lord watches over you-The Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm-He will watch over your life; The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” (121, 1-8, NIV)

Tears raced each other down her wrinkled face. She uttered,

“God, You are all I’ve got, but You’ve got me!”

Barb realized she had kept her heart guarded for far too long, after her kids moved away, and her husband died. She turned the pages again, going further into the Old Testament and found  more hope.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43: 18-19, NIV)

As she read, and cried, and prayed-God’s promises back to Him, she started feeling a peace she thought was long gone. She noticed a colored tab that stuck out toward the back of her Bible. She pulled it open. The verses read:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4: 6-7, NIV)

Barb started to turn a corner spiritually, as she began to thank God for her loneliness. She prayed for emotional strength to face it, and she started supporting a local widows ministry. Oh, if we would apply God’s word to our specific life-situations, like Barb.

pictures courtesy of “Nelson & his Nikon”