In my country, a state of emergency has been declared and all this has very personal and public implications and in a time such as today, where the smell of fear saturates every conversation and the news is like fuel to the flame, it is easy to get drawn away by what seems like an overwhelming river…
I have just nodded in agreement, expressing the same sentiment that “How on earth could someone survive in this environment,” but yet in my heart resides a hope that refuses to die-I will not let it. ..
The part that says “God heard the cry of the boy” jumped out at me, and as I took a few moments to reflect, i became profoundly aware that the story of Ishmael is to us, a testament of the abounding mercy and love of God. It is a glimpse into the workings of God that should give us confidence when we pray.
Would we sing of the God who parts the Red Sea, had the Israelites not faced an enemy in the rear and in the front? And death stared them in the eye, but God delivered them? Would we talk of Jesus as the healer, if there were never sickness? Would we be talking of a God who heals the lame, the blind and the deaf if these never existed?
I myself remember crying when my Form 4 results were made known to me, and my Shona result was not what I had wanted. I had invested late nights, reading of novels and research to try to get that elusive A. And when it did not come, I was so frustrated. And though the example may seem petty; my point is simply that I can relate to the feeling of a heavy heart from an unfulfilled dream.
There is so much that is profound about someone testifying and telling their own story about what the Lord has done. I have myself many times felt intimidated and as if my story was good for me to know and just to experience as God’s goodness towards me. Talking or saying something felt like it