A Series of Unfortunate Events

Have you ever had a a day you'd rather have just slept away? Or a few days, maybe even a week or a month?

I have.

For me, last week was one of those weeks. By the time Saturday came around I was hesitant about getting out of bed. Wednesday I was in a minor car accident, Thursday I got sun-poisoning and Friday my 9-month old nephew got bit in the face by a dog while in my care. In those same 3 days 2 other more personal events occurred that sent my insides into backflips and spun my mind into such a whirlwind I thought surly this all must be a dream.

It wasn't.

As I lay in bed Friday night my mind was replaying the events that had happened. What could I have done differently to avoid the accident or why didn't I put sunblock on more often, why did I leave the baby for those 2 seconds? Why this, why that. I should have...

My mind tried to make sense of the craziness that had occurred and falling asleep was near impossible.

Lord, help me. I prayed. Help me.

The only one awake in the house I began to shift my thoughts to the Lord. See, when we seek Him, He'll be found (Jeremiah 29:13). When we ask Him for help, He gives it. As my mindset changed I began to thank Him for the last few days. I thanked Him for keeping us safe in the accident, for my nephew not needing stitches, for opening my eyes to Jesus in each and every situation.

On the wall directly across from my bed is a plaque that reads Be Still and Know That I AM God. Over and over in my mind I said this until I eventually slipped off into lala land.

Saturday greeted me with thoughts of not wanting to go out of the house, fear crept in and doing anything seemed impossible for me. Has this happened to you? You give something to the Lord, set it at His throne and no more than a night's sleep goes by and you awake with it right back in your own hand.

Ugh! It happens to me.
By the time Saturday lunch came I had turned to crying. Everything I saw, did or heard brought me to tears. I sat down with my Bible again and began to read Psalm 139. A familiar passage of comfort, reminding me that nowhere we go, no situation we're in can remove us from God's presence. That each situation we're in has a plan and a purpose much greater than we know.

Verses 7,8 say "Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there."

Verse 16b "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

Over and over I read these words, at first they were just words, not making much sense even though they had many times before, but slowly I began to get it. The words sunk into my heart flooding my mind and insides with peace, with understanding, with the comfort of God's love.

Dear one, if life has thrown you a series of unfortunate events lately cling to these verses, cling to God and His Word.

There is no where you can go that God is not with you and on those days where it seems everything has gone wrong, remember that He, the Creator of the universe journaled about that day long before it came to be. It may not make sense, it may even be crazy to think God could allow it to happen, He uses all things for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28). Take comfort.

Thank Him for that. Meditate on His words, even if at first they are just words. Seek and you will find. God's Word brings peace in the midst of a series of unfortunate events.

Be blessed.

~Michelle