“This is my first time Dad! This is my first time Dad!” said the exited voice of my beautiful six year old, Jemima. As I heard her joy over the phone I felt the power of God coming on me even though I was hundreds of miles away in Cape Town The presence was so strong I was almost overwhelmed with the joy of the moment. Standing beside my friends pool in the dusk of a Cape Town day I literally staggered with the drunken joy of a Daddy awesome. It just doesn’t get any better than this!
We are in the throes of moving house. It is a sensory rich experience to say the least. We are excited, elated, frustrated and exhausted by turns every single day. It is no easier for the little people in our lives. So last week Wednesday was our first moving day (unfortunately I was in Cape Town for a meeting) and Debbie and the kids spent a lot of time at our new home moving our stuff over. At some stage Jemima came to her Mom and expressed her strong mixed feelings about going to live in a new place. “Mommy,” she said “I am excited about our new house but I am also a little bit scared”her Mom listened and comforted her as best as she could and they decided to pray about it together at Bed time. When bedtime came they prayed together and told the Lord all about how Jemima felt. Then Debbie randomly selected one of the bedtime devotional books on Jemi’s shelf and began to flip through for a story to read to her. All of a sudden Jemima just put her hand onto a random story and said Mom read that one. To Jemima and Debbie’s delight the story’s opening lines were; “Have you ever moved house? It is fun but it can also be a little bit scary…..” Jemima’s eyes grew wide as she realized that her own words were written into the story and it hit her that God had led her and her Mom to the exact story that answered her need. The story went on to teach a simple lesson of faith and trust in God. It was the “first time” that God had spoken to Jemima out of her bible time.
It stikes me that If God has the time to answer the fears of a little six year old girl in her own words, know that he is listening to your prayer today. Transition is exciting, fun and at times a little frightening. Our new house is really our dream house our new season. I am blessed but at times I gulp fearfully and wonder if everything will work out okay. Will I manage in the new season that God has brought me into? Then I remember that the smallest prayer of the youngest amongst us is the subject of the Lord’s forbearance and I find the power to trust and move on with faith. God is just so good! That was enough for me to get totally wacked over the line in Cape Town.
