Just where is God ?

No I have not lost my faith or suddenly become an atheist, but over the last couple of weeks it has been really easy to lose focus and to get so caught up in what has to be done that you forget why you are doing it.
Susan has been very ill and so I have had to do her jobs at work as well as mine. This has also meant that I have had to do some extra things at home (probably not as many as Susan would have liked !), we are in the process of moving home, our bosses have just gone on holidays for four weeks, I was at court last week with a young guy I have been working with, etc etc the list just goes on.
And then on Tuesday morning we received a call to say Susans Nanna had passed away in Mulwala. This was obviously a very emotional time as Susan was very close to Mama, and then the preparations began to get to the funeral on friday (A six hour drive away from us here at Warrnambool) Through all of this you get so busy doing what you can that at times you forget to seek Gods heart and try to do it all through your own strength.... Big Mistake !
It was at this stage late last week that I found myself losing my temper easily, and for someone who doesnt usually stress too much I was getting very stressed. Why hadnt we received this phone call, when were we going to find out, what was happening, when was Sue going to start to feel better, when were we going to be able to start packing ...... just writing this makes me stress again ! But it was at this time that I felt God ask me to "Be Still", we are singing a beautiful song by this name in songsters at the moment and the words came back to me at just the right time "Come rest your weary head upon my breast and listen to the heartbeat of God"

It is so easy to get so busy that we forget to seek God in everything, when really when times are like this we should be spending more time with God. I pray that the next time I find myself in this situation it will not take so long to seek the heartbeat of God.

Tess' Miracle - This is a true story

Tess was a precocious eight year old when she heard her Mom and Dad talking about her little brother, Andrew. All she knew was that he was very sick and they were completely out of money. They were moving to an apartment complex next month because Daddy didn't have the money for the doctor's bills and our house. Only a very costly surgery could save him now and it was looking like there was no-one to loan them the money. She heard Daddy say to her tearful Mother with whispered desperation, "Only a miracle can save him now."
Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door. She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it! "And what do you want?" the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. "I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages", he said without waiting for a reply to his question. "Well, I want to talk to you about my brother," Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. "He's really, really sick... and I want to buy a miracle." "I beg your pardon?" said the pharmacist. "His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?" "We don't sell miracles here, little girl. "I'm sorry but I can't help you", the pharmacist said, softening a little. "Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs."

The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, "What kind of a miracle does you brother need?" "I don't know," Tess replied with her eyes welling up. "I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money".


"How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago.


"One dollar and eleven cents", Tess answered barely audibly. "And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.

"Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man. "A dollar and eleven cents--the exact price of a miracle for little brothers." He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need." That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed without charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well.

Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place. "That surgery", her Mom whispered. "was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?" Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost... one dollar and eleven cents ...... plus the faith of a little child.


A miracle is not ALWAYS the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a higher law......