It felt like a crisis. It wasn't really a crisis at all, when I later put it into its proper perspective. But trust me, earlier today, it felt like a crisis.
I work one or two days a week in a chiropractor's office to help pay my bills. The chiropractors are two young women in their twenties, and it is their first year in practice. I just go in to keep up on all the insurance claim filing.
Today, I accidentally deleted a year's worth of claims files. One wrong click, and poof! They vanished into thin air. (What is "thin air" I sometimes wonder?) I spent the rest of the day and into the evening tonight trying to restore those files, but to no avail. And I spent a lot of time fretting about the many, many hours I would be spending in the near future to try to restore all that data by typing in all those claims again. You know the kind of day I had. You have them too. Computers are often our friends, but sometimes become the bane of our existence! And instead of helping my precious bosses today, I set them back.
By 7:00 pm, when I realized I had lost the battle to restore the files, I came home. "It is the Shabbat," I told myself, "no more work! No more worry! No more fretting!" And so I gave it over to Abba. In the light of the two Shabbat candles, I gave Him those lost files - and all of my frustration. In my e-mail was the news that a Denver radio station has begun broadcasting my Bible teachings. And then there was a story from Channel 7 News in Florida about a man that was "raised from the dead" - returning to life after being dead over one hour of a massive heart attack - because his doctor felt led to return to his dead body and pray! And then there was news from the 2 families in Maui where I ministered last fall. They are getting ready to go into a recording studio to record the Messianic songs the Lord has given to them, and they learned that the producer who will be helping them with their music is Jewish - and seemed greatly blessed and interested to know about what they believe!
I guess losing the files wasn't such a crisis. I guess I don't need to feel so ashamed of my mistake. What was lost will either be restored, or the Lord will give me the memory and stamina to re-create it. And just as I shared with the women in Kansas last weekend, God spoke through His prophet Joel and made us a promise about these days:
"And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten, the canker-worm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, My great army which I sent among you. and you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and shall praise the name of Yahweh, your Elohim, that has dealt wondrously with you; and My people shall never be ashamed."
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Your computer files WILL BE RESTORED, even though they appear to be LOST in the computer somewhere and you cannot find them...
ReplyDeleteJust like Ephraim, the LOST 10 Tribes of Israel; even though they (we) appear to be LOST among the nations and the House of Judah cannot find them (us), we WILL BE and ARE BEING RESTORED! The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is re-gathering and in-gathering us to His Kingdom! Glory be to God!!