Deuteronomy 26:11b

Rejoice in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household.

The Lord promises to be with us always. Wherever you are now, in the car waiting for your child to finish his soccer game, outside the school on a wet evening- he is with you. As you fold laundry and wash and put away dishes, he is with you.

I like to remember some verses using my own paraphrase, making it easier to remember. One such verse is Isaiah 41:10.

God is near

So do not fear

That is how I remember it!

We do not see God but how then do you know?

A few years back I started noting down God moments in my journal- times when I feel like God is giving me a hug. The miracles-small and big!

Let me tell you a few instances, though there are several.

Arriving at work and finding a slice of soft banana loaf near my computer with a hand written encouraging note, finding a Priscilla Shirer book at an op shop when I had just read about it that very morning, finding a car park in a crowded mall when I needed it are just few of the many times.

On a particular March 7th I woke up thinking of my dear mother who had passed away several years back on that day. As I went about my day I thought of the yummy treats she had cooked for us and at 4 pm in the evening a friend of mine Mona walks in with a big bowl and the most delicious banana fritters. I felt I had to make these for you, she said as my eyes welled up with tears. I had never told her that mother often made these for us! Now that was a hug from God.

I was sitting at a café in Hamilton when Meshak, our son who was completing his thesis there for his MS, sent me a text. ‘Amma I have completed and submitted my paper, he said- have a look at it’. I knew I wouldn’t understand much of it but the excited me quickly opened my email. On the first page Meshu had written ‘Not by my might nor by my power’.

I was thankful for that hug from God which told me that my child depended on God more than his own wisdom and abilities.

Zechariah 4:6 NIV

Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord Almighty.

A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles!

(I saw this quote at my hairstylist’s shop today.)

The more we thank God the more we SEE miracles. They are always happening around us but our eyes open to see them as we thank God.

A sudden call from our Mike and his family at a time we don’t expect, bumping into a friend at the mall and spending some moments together, a beautiful rainbow, a splash of color in the garden-these I note as my hugs from God.

Last week I admired some beautiful Alstroemeria at the flower shop. A couple of sprigs were priced at 9 dollars. I paused and decided that our living room could do with the succulents and fern from the garden. So, I walked away not buying them. The following day I visited my friend Ann and in a corner of her sprawling garden were a heap of cut Alstroemeria- the same color as I had seen at the shop, only these were fresh and beautiful. The gardener has trimmed the plant she said and these will be binned! ‘What!?’ Ann was only too happy for me to have them. I brought them home and for the last 2 weeks Ranjit and I and all friends who visited have been enjoying the scarlet beauties! (Photos of the flowers have traveled far and wide!):)

When my articles are published and I get feedback from friends and sometimes women I don’t know and may never meet- that feels like a hug from God. I thank God that they have had the courage and love to write a few lines to encourage. I thank God that they were blessed through the words God helped me write. I love this platform which connects all of us living in different countries, women of different ages, cultures and backgrounds.

In 2020 one of my nieces sent me an article from Tirzahmag to read. I enjoyed it and then scrolling down found that they accepted articles. I wrote my first one for them ‘Delight in the Lord’. I was very excited when it was published the following week. I had been praying for an opportunity to share my experiences and learning from God’s word, with younger women. God led me to do that through this website. That was a God moment for me.

 May God enable us to rejoice in all the good things the LORD has done for us!!  

 

Psalm 34:1

I will extol the Lord at all times

His praise will always be in my mouth