Note: This story is taken from my book The Chaplain is In: Journey to Health and Happiness.

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left,
your ears will hear a voice behind you,
saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”
Isaiah 30:21

This is one of the most unusual stories I have ever heard. It is the story of our friend, Ed Conforti, who came to know that God was more than a big buddy in the sky who perpetually had His eye on him.  It involves a perfect stranger who took a big risk by following what he heard from God one morning. This man, named Jim Dawson, had experienced God giving him Ed’s name–then urging him to immediately take a message to Ed. The two men had never met  The message Jim Dawson brought to Ed changed Ed’s life. Ed said, after the fact, “It was my wake up call.”

Ed shared this unforgettable story as a example of how God can do through a complete stranger to meet his gigantic need of that specific day, Ed called his most “unforgettable day” . . . happening right there in his office at the bank.

“I was going about my business as president of the bank when a stranger walked through the doors, asked for me by name–then delivered an astounding message that would change my life.”

A little about Ed. Ed’s career and how it evolved into problem solving and took him to Seattle, Omaha, Bellingham, Boise, and Salt Lake City. However, what he enjoyed most was mentoring people and developing their banking careers. Earlier after completing high school, Ed had set out on a professional baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization from 1946 – 1948 before fulfilling his newly acquired position as a bank president in Washington State.

“Just prior to the stranger’s arrival, I was fielding some heavy-duty challenges in my upstairs office.

“Actually, things usually went well for me in business. Having good communication and management skills, I could meet my goals and enjoy success most of the time. In fact, I was about as self-reliant as a person can be.

But this year was different. Things had begun to change. The economic environment in the country reflected what was happening in the financial markets. I was feeling the burden of keeping the bank going and seeing that it remained profitable despite a myriad of conditions which, at the time, were threatening to the bank. The pressure had been intense for months. Moreover, I was dealing with the pain of ending a marriage of 29 years. Between the pressure of work and the unresolved issues of my marriage, the fabric of my soul was wearing thin.

Seven months before this, I had visited a Trappist monastery in Utah to clear my head and find some much needed rest. I wanted to solicit the advice of one of the monks who is a close friend and confidant. I shared my feelings with him, including the emptiness I felt due to my divorce and the need for a sense of direction and purpose for my life. In response, he referred me to the biblical account of Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, found in the ninth chapter of the Book of Acts.

He pointed out the critical part that Ananias played by leading Paul on a course of finding and following God’s will. He then suggested that I read this passage in Acts each day, prayerfully asking for an “Ananias” to lead me on a path of God’s choosing. My friend promised to remember me at the monastery every day at the 4 a.m. Mass, until our prayers were answered. I committed to be faithful to this request.

June 26, of that year, was the memorable day when things began to happen. The first event of that day took place as a result of the bank’s senior loan officer coming into my office.

He said, “Ed, I am thinking about a career change. I want to leave banking. We need to talk.”

I did not want to hear this. The man was one of my best people. Things were tough enough. It would hurt me and the bank, if he were to leave.

He broke into my thoughts, saying, “I need some good advice from you, Ed. I need to talk with you as a friend, rather than as the president of this bank.”

So I scheduled two hours between 8 and 10 a.m. to meet the next morning. We were to talk about where he was and what his options might be.

Then, as if that were not enough, about 4:30 p.m. the chief financial officer came into my office and closed the door. “Ed,” he said, “I’m having severe personnel problems. I’m having trouble…I cannot handle my work.” With that, he started crying uncontrollably. I did not know what to do, so I stayed with him for the next hour-and-a-half until he could regain his composure.

He asked if we could meet again, saying that he needed to talk out his problems. I assured him that I would meet him at noon the next day at my house and that whatever time he needed I would make that available to him.

As I closed the door of my office that night, there was much on my mind. I had a serious overload. One of my senior people was talking about leaving the bank, and another was having a nervous breakdown.

The next morning, while I am shaving, all the strength suddenly leaves my legs. I fell to the floor. Then I check myself out mentally. I am not faint or dizzy, so what’s the problem, here? There isn’t any numbness in my legs. But there is no strength in them.

I begin crawling out of the bathroom into the bedroom, thoroughly puzzled. I try to get onto the bed. The struggle takes 20 minutes. My legs are dead weight. When I finally do succeed in pulling myself up onto the bed, I sit there for long moments trying to figure out what is going on.

Looking at the clock, I remember my appointment with the senior loan officer at 8 a.m. Using every available resource, I push and pull myself forward until I can manage to stand on my feet. Awkwardly, I finish shaving, get dressed, and even drive myself to the office. Feeling shaky, I congratulate myself for at least being back on my feet.

I arrive at the bank at 7:45 a.m. and think I might as well start this meeting early. I had seen the senior loan officer enter the building a few minutes before, so I start down the hall to get him. Suddenly, my legs go out from under me again, and I slump to the floor.

I am relieved that no one is around to see what just happened. As best I can, I crawl back into my office, push the door shut, and sit on the floor, completely perplexed. For the first time today, I begin to think about the seriousness of the situation.

It occurs to me that I should start to pray. “God, will You please come and help me? Will You clear my head?”

Right then, it comes to me that I had been running my life as if I could solve all my problems by myself. I see in an instant how this is my lifelong pattern. Whenever I ran into difficulties, I had always beaten the problem by working harder, or working longer, or just toughing it out. The habit was formed without regard for the fact that God was the One in charge. With these thoughts, my prayer changes.

“God, I acknowledge that I have been running my life as though I am in charge of everything instead of You. I promise You that I won’t do that anymore. From this day forward, I will try to remember that You are the Boss. I am going to tie into You and see You as the source of my strength.”

After having said that, I told God that there are three things that I really need this day. “First, I really need my legs. I have a stewardship here at the bank. The employees, the stockholders, the board, and the customers are all depending on me.”

I get bold and say, “I need to be able to do my work here. God, I want that strength back right now, and I believe You will answer my prayer. And, while I’m talking to You, I need, above all, to know if You love me. I’m not sure whether You do or not.”

I believe that doubt had to do with the guilt that I felt over the failure of my marriage. Am I outside of His love, now? I need to know.

Finally, I tell Him that the morning’s happenings brought me to wondering whether or not it is His will for me to be in this bank, doing what I am doing. “I’m here quite by my own choice,” I tell God. “And, I am not too sure if this is what You want me to do. So, will You please make it clear to me, somehow, what it is You want me to do? Then, I’ll do it.”

I thank God for hearing my prayer. As I stand up, I find my legs are good again. It is now 8:00 a.m. Immediately, I go down the hall to get the loan officer for our appointment. We return to my office where we spend the next two hours. Once finished, I start out to meet the operations officer to go over the plans for the construction of a new branch bank.

Just as I move across the reception area, I see a stranger standing by the receptionist’s desk. The receptionist is away from her desk, so I stop to ask, “Have you been helped?”

“No, I haven’t,” the man said,

“I’m sorry,” I say, “The secretary is probably in the back room making copies or getting herself a cup of coffee. Tell me who you want to see and I’ll direct you there.”

“Well, who are you?” the stranger asked.

“I’m Ed Conforti.”

“Mr. Conforti, you’re the man that I came to see. And I need to see you right now, if you have the time. My name is Jim Dawson.”

I said, “Well, okay, I’ll see you now, if it’s important.”

“It is,” he said.

I take him to my office, at which time he tells me he is a local real estate broker, and then adds, “I do not know you at all. I just know who you are. I don’t even do business with this bank. So, we are complete strangers.” He is obviously uneasy.

I close the door to my office. He continues, “Ed, do you believe in God?”

At this point, I begin to wonder about this man, but I answer, “Well, yes I do.”

“That will sure make this a lot easier, because what I have to tell you–well…if you weren’t a believer in God, you would probably throw me out.”

He seems a bit more comfortable. He begins to tell me about selling a large piece of real estate six months ago and how earlier this morning he had a legal hearing to attend concerning the property. The hearing was scheduled for 9:30 a.m.

“The buyer and seller are suing one another,” Jim says, “and I am the broker in the middle of it. I went to my office about 7 o’clock this morning to prepare some notes. Consequently, I was absorbed in thoughts about my testimony. Then suddenly at about 7:45, your name came into my mind. I couldn’t understand that, because I did not know you personally. There was no connection. So I tried to push your name out of my mind and get back to my notes.”

I think about interrupting him. A different time can be set for us to talk; but I cannot bring myself to do that. He continues, “But you kept coming back into my mind, again and again! So, after the third or fourth time, I just pushed myself back from the desk and gave up on finishing my notes. It seemed fairly likely that God was trying to speak to me about you.”

Jim explains that he is a member of one of the churches in town and that he believes that God uses “messengers” to touch the lives of others from time to time. He continues, “I began to talk to God about this. I asked, ‘God, is there some reason why this man’s name keeps coming into my mind?’”

Jim leans forward and clears his throat. “Now, Ed, I’ve got some things to tell you. I know, now, that it was the Lord who spoke your name to me this morning. He was urging me to get over here immediately to see you. I knew that, for this one morning, I was to be his personal representative to you. That meant that when I spoke to you, I would be speaking directly from Him.”

That was a little heavy, but I let him go on. “Now, this is really going to sound strange, but I’ve got to say it.”

He looks me straight in the eye and breathes deeply. “First of all, I have been told to tell you that you have been making a big mistake all of your life by trying to see yourself as the source of all your strength. You’ve got to remember that strength comes from the Father, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. And, I’ve been told to tell you to keep that in your mind and to operate your life that way from this point on. If you do that, strength will be there when you ask for it.”

He asks me if I have that straight, and I say, “Yeah.”

“Now, the second thing I have been asked to tell you is how much Jesus loves you.”

Right then I am pretty over-awed, but he is not through. Jim says, “He has loved you so much from the moment of your conception–and He has asked me to assure you that you have never been outside His love. He asked me to tell you that.”

And lastly, Jim says “I don’t know what this one means, but He has asked me to tell you to keep on doing what you’re doing now and that He will tell you later what He wants you to do.” Then he says, “Ed, does any of this make sense to you?”

I tell Jim the story of what had taken place with me during that same time frame of 7:45 and 8:00 a.m. When I finish, we both fall silent–fully aware that something extraordinary has happened. It is obvious that God had heard my prayers, and those of my monk friend, and is “getting back to me” through Jim.

It feels as if I have found the unlisted number for God, even the area code! I am unspeakably grateful to Jim for his courage and obedience to God’s request. And, I am full of joy, sensing how much God loves me.

Jim laughs, “You can’t imagine how hard it was to come over to this stuffy old bank and look you up–the president–who didn’t even know me, and deliver such a message.”

He describes to me how that, after attending the hearing, he had driven to the bank. “I arrived here at about 9:30 a.m. But, I had to park my car in front of the bank three times. Each time I would start the car again and drive away. But then, I would turn around and come back, because it felt as if a force was pushing me towards the bank. Believe me; it took a while to get up enough nerve to carry this out!”

We part with a hug and hardy slaps to the back.

That night I think back to my early twenties, recalling how I read numerous books in hopes of answering my questions: Does God exist, or not? At that time in my life, I came to the place where I felt I had found faith. Still, I questioned, at points, through the years. Now, after my experience with Jim Dawson, I know I will never, ever, have to question again. This is a fact for me, now. From that time on, God was real. He sneaked up on me! Using the face and heart of a man named Jim Dawson, God reached me, leaving no doubt that He loves me and that He wants to guide my life.

From that point on, I am God’s man, seeking His direction daily, desiring for God’s will to be done in my life rather than my own. Although this “intervention” with Jim Dawson is an unusual one, I have come to a new understanding of the interconnectedness of God’s people. For this reason, I listen more and more for the inner directives that are there for me.

Consequently, I too have been used by God through a few words spoken to an employee, a friend, or a family member as “directed by Love.” Such moments have sparked life and truth, consolation and hope, at times, when I knew God was again at work.

Each day has become an adventure as I watch for opportunities to hear what God is speaking within, and to let Him work in and through me. As long as I stay in that “walk with God,” there is no room for self-centeredness or boredom, only joy and satisfaction in the certainty that each of us is truly loved.

God has surely connected us, as if by a silken thread. He has weaved us into what has sometimes been called “the mystical Body of Christ.” So much is missed when we act like single units. Why do we not hone in more to that connectedness, letting God use it?

Endnote: Following Ed’s retirement from banking, he and his wife, Shirley, found opportunities to help others in various ways. One of those ways for Ed came through his volunteering for hospice. He sat with people who were mostly bedridden, which offered hours of respite to their caregivers.

Ed and I spoke of this work at times. Within one conversation, he said, “I never knew, as a banker, that at some point I would one day change the diaper of a dying person.” Ed’s heart was deeply committed to any assignment given to him while being with patients. He smiles as he says, “This is not something I was expected to do as a hospice volunteer. But, sometimes a circumstance arose wherein there was no other good choice.”

During our last conversation, before his own cancer experience that led to death, Ed said, “As a banker, God used the goodness He placed in my heart to help people meet their financial needs. This became the focus of my life within my career at the bank. At times, I had to pit my ability and skills against factors within a ‘bank gone wrong,’ exerting the needed corrections. During those times, I prayed for God’s guidance and found that guidance. In each instance, circumstances were changed because of God’s help. But, in hospice volunteer work, I depend on God’s help in different ways. In the end, being at the bedside of dying people became the high point of my work life. There was so much love given in return for the time I spent with them. I kept remembering, ‘God is love.’”

~~~

As believers, there is more for us than we have ever dreamed. The Lord’s intent is to heal our souls of all that holds us back from being an expression of His presence on earth. The Lord wants to exhibit through us what truth looks like when it walks and talks. He will lead each of us as we listen, move forward, and follow God’s guidance with due diligence.

We are to be a “peculiar” people, different from those who have their sights only on what the world can give them. We are chosen by God. What a privilege it is to hear and to answer God’s call to be His friend and His servant.

We are people in progress. God wants to move us onward toward “the prize,” of receiving all God has for us . . . becoming what He knew we could be at the moment of our conception. The Apostle Paul called us “partakers of the heavenly calling” (Heb. 3:1).

If you have heard the Lord’s call, “Follow me. I will make you fishers of men,” the greatest of all adventures lies ahead. I pray for each person who finishes this book, to desire to forsake all that stands between you and healing, and the growth of your soul. I am with you as an imperfect human being, knowing the cross each of us is called to carry consists of the call of Christ to serve God through serving others…which means we seriously watch to keep our spirits clean. In this way, we are ready for when the voice of the Lord says, “This is the way, walk in it.”

The above is one of the chapters from my book titled, The chaplain is In: Journey to Health and Happiness. The greatest of all news is that Ed Conforti whet to spend eternity in Heaven upon his death. He was one of the most amazing people my husband Gary and I have had to honor of calling “our friend.” When we met Ed, he was President of the Idaho First National Bank back when Idaho was our home.

By Chaplain Joy Le Page Smith, MA

Some people say the Bible is too hard to understand. Once I heard “reading the Bible is like eating fish, savor the meat and leave the bones on the plate.” That makes sense because there is hardly ever a time of reading the Scriptures in which we do not find help, meaning a passage or two that scratches where we itch—or is supportive during  a difficult time.

We do not have to understand it all!  Our understanding advances as we continue reading. What we need is to be consistent in reading God’s Word—ideally daily—along with taking time to ponder what enriches or piques our interest.  Then thank God for the discovery found.

During 2024, I was determined to begin reading the Old Testament while watching not so much for the stories the books are loaded with, or the events, but rather to look for the characteristics of God revealed within the 39 Old Testament books (49 in the Roman Catholic Bible.)

I became deeply moved in seeing the love and loving care God showed to those He called His own. Also mercy and forgiveness stand out in amazing measures. “Second chances” were extended persistently just like we find in our own lives.

God’s chosen people as shown throughout the Old Testament were the Jews.  Jesus was born into a family that began with Abraham who left his home in Ur of the Chaldees to follow God.  Given time the family grew into 12 tribes.

While reading, I saw how at every turn God’s protection was with His people—along with corrections.  What stands out is how God sought relationship with His people while also helping them become a strong, resourceful people. He granted them many successes within the battles necessary for them to gain their “promised land.”

However, the obstinacy of human nature shows big time as we read the Old Testament. Like people of all times since, God’s people of those early times majorly wanted to go their own way and to forget about the fact God had plans for them.

Human nature is seemingly the same in all times and all places. We, by nature, want to call all the shots—and do it “my way” as Bing Crosby proudly sang, “I did it my way.”

There has always been a number of people who truly “get it” about God, who desire to relate with Him, discovering what God wants of them. They read the Scriptures and live out what they see portrayed there as God’s Word. They remain faithful to God in the midst of the difficulties that come their way throughout life. These are the ones who are referred to in Scripture as “the remnant.”

This truth is verified within the writings of several Old Testament prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Micah and Zephaniah. Best of all, in the New Testament, the birth of Jesus is recorded. He comes as the Messiah, Savior of all who call on His name and place their trust in Him. In the New Testament Galatians 3:29 tells us that “if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

The prophets of old also gave copious predictions of the coming of “the Anointed One” who would come as Savior. The consequence of that commitment is of tremendous value, which includes those of us making that choice, those counted among the children of Abraham. In the New Testament Galatians 3:29 tells us that “if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

In Romans 11: 5, the Apostle Paul wrote of devout believers in Christ as “a remnant according to the election of grace.”  So, as God called Abraham, He also calls us. Although we think we make the choice—it is God who calls us forth to receive salvation.  We are enlightened and grow as we read the Scriptures for the Holy Spirit of God dwells within us bringing comfort along the way—while also helping us perceive what God asks of us within our souls.

Joy Le Page Smith is a Board certified-clinical chaplain. Her articles and blogs are read in up to 32 countries. Her four books are available on Amazon and at Healingwithjoy.blogspot.com

By Chaplain Joy Le Page Smith, MA

Early in my mid-20’s divorce became part of my life for safety’s sake. I married at 17 and gave birth to my first of three sons at age 18. Eight years into the marriage I could clearly see I had no other good choice but to divorce. This event held considerable sway as the church I attended was very important to me. Feeling a part of the congregational family had woven my soul to God in beautiful ways. But when the pastor thought I should not end my marriage it was not long before feeling like I no longer fit in.

It was one of the most difficult times in life. I struggled as if I had lost my moorings. Then, one early morning while sleeping soundly I was awakened by the most beautiful singing I have ever heard—sung by a choir! The song was powerfully present in reverberating words wherein I kept hearing “abide with Me.” The music captured me for long moments. Then it was gone.

I knew it was a song of assurance. God was not holding anything against me. Through the magnificent experience of having angels sing to me, I felt God’s benevolent arms . . . beckoning me to find love and comfort through Him. Soon after, a church was found in which the pastor and his wife befriended me and my children. That was many years ago, but the quest for finding joy in life and being “a joy” to others, once again was readily resumed.

About three years had passed when I met a marvelous man named Gary Smith who became my husband and very soon after became “Dad” to my three little boys. He exhibited what it means to be the blesser of a family. We were married on Christmas Day as he had a Navy obligation to meet. Today, I write on the eve of our anniversary! Truth is this dear husband brings joy to my life. Yet the highest of all joys comes through the blessing of attempting to live out God’s call to “abide with Him.”

I found in Scripture that to abide means to set our love on God while dwelling in his truth throughout the uncertainties of life. In John 15: 4, 5, Jesus asked His followers to “Abide in Me . . . . He who abides in Me, bears much fruit. 

It is within that stance of attempting to daily “abide” that I heard the call to prepare my heart, mind and soul for becoming a chaplain. It took a master’s degree and a year of training within a teaching hospital before I could become Board certified as a clinical chaplain. Thirty years of service at hospital and hospice bedsides still finds me intrigued and blessed within the work.

There is an aspect untold in the above which played a very large role in my becoming a chaplain. Early in life I had a serious brain concussion at school at age six. Then contacted encephalitis at age 17. My doctor called my recovery a miracle! Then at 18 years old I was having pulmonary emboli, blood clots, forming in my legs and abdomen and traveling to my heart and lungs. Good doctoring along with having lots of people praying for me saved my life. After so many hospital stays I became acquainted with what it meant to go through such uncertainties bordering on death and seeing others experience this. Looking back, it seems as if all I experienced during those early years was preparing me for what God knew in advance would come.

I feel a beautiful empathy toward sick and dying people. Being a listening, praying presence while with them often brings comfort for me as well as to them as God is with us.

A blog titled “My Spiritual Journey,” will tell more about what it took to release difficult emotional wounds along with the fear these can leave, rising above both mental and physical hardships. And, for sure, God fixes the pot holes by filling them with His glory.

About the author: Joy Le Page Smith is a Board certified clinical chaplain. Her articles and blogs are read in 32 countries. Joy’s four books are available on her home page at Healing-with-Joy.com where readers can view her children’s book titled, The Little Mountain Goat Who Was Afraid of High Places. For another opportunity to read this author’s writings go to Healingwithjoy.blogspot.com

It was easy to recite the blessing of Numbers 6:24-26 from the Holy Bible on the day the young doctor asked, “Could you give me a blessing?” It is one often recited for patients.

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
²⁵ The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;

²⁶ The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.” ’

The Lord bless you and keep you;
²⁵ The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;

²⁶ The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.” ’

After the fact, I realized that this doctor is of a culture wherein the Bible is  not commonly seen as the “easy to get, easy to understand” Holy Writ of his homeland. So, I searched the Bible for passages within which he could rather quickly gain access to some of the most often desired blessings God has to extend for those to walk and talk with Him. For, there are many!

***

DWELLING IN SAFETY;

SHELTERED ALL DAY LONG;

Deuteronomy 33:12

. . . “The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him, Who shelters him all the day long; And he shall dwell between His shoulders.”

***

ABILITY TO LET GO FEAR AND NOT BE DISMAYED

Joshua 1:9

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, nor be dismayed.

For, the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

***

FREEDOM FROM WANT, RIGHT LIVING, RESTORATION OF ONE’S SOUL

NO FEAR OF DEATH

CONTINUAL COMPANIONSHIP WITH THE LORD

GUIDANCE, PROVISION. COMFORT

ANOINTING, JOY

GOODNESS AND MERCY

A KEEN KNOWING THAT LIFE AFTER DEATH IS AHEAD

Psalm 23: 1-6

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
³ He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.

***

A STALWART, DETERMINED HEART

STRENGTH,

ACCEPTANCE

Psalm 19:14,

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

***

DELIVERANCE FROM LIFE’S AFFLICTIONS AS THESE COME AND GO

Psalm 34:19

 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

But the Lord delivers him out of them all.

***

A TRIUMPHANT WALK WITH GOD

Isaiah 50:7 (Living Bible translation)

⁷ Because the Lord God helps me, I will not be dismayed; therefore, I have set my face like flint to do His will, and I know that I will triumph.

***

REACHING OUR HEART’S DESIRES

REST

Psalm 37: 4-7

Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. 7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;

***

KNOWING THE EVERLASTING ARMS OF GOD ARE THERE

TO CATCH ME EACH TIME I FALL

TRUST

Psalm 91:1-2

He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

***

TAUGHT OF THE LORD

Psalm 119:10-12, Psalm 119:16, Psalm 119:32

With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
¹¹ Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.

¹² Blessed are You, O Lord!
Teach me Your statutes.

***

DELIGHT

STRENGTH IN MEMORY

Psalm 119:32, Verse 16

I will delight myself in your statues; I will not forget Your Word.

***

ABILITY TO KEEP GOD’S COMMANDMENTS

AN EXPANDED HEART

Psalm 119:32

I will run the course of Your commandments, for you have enlarged my heart.

***

A PLACE TO HIDE

SHIELDED FROM HARM

HOPE

Psalm 119:114

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word.

***

SAFETY

Proverbs. 18:10

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

***

FORGIVENESS FOR BEHAVIOR WE REGRET

Isaiah 1:18-19

“Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land . . .”

[T IF YOU REFUSE AND REBEL  . . . WELL,

LET’S JUST SAY THINGS AREN’T GOING  TO GO SO WELL . . .]

***

PERFECT PEACE

Isaiah 26:3-4

You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
⁴ Trust in the Lord forever,
For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.

***

BELONGINGNESS NEEDS ARE MET

Isaiah 43: 1

“Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine . . .

***

FORTITUDE

ABILITY TO BE A SURVIVOR

Isaiah 43, verse 2-3^a

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. ³ For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior . . .

***

KNOWING OUR SOULS ARE PRECIOUS

RECOGNIZING THAT WE ARE HONORED AND LOVED

Isaiah 43, verse 4^a, 5

. . . since you were precious in my sight, you have been honored, and I have loved you . . .Fear, not for I am with you.

***

FOUND BY GOD

TAUGHT HOW TO PRAY

BROUGHT BACK FROM THE BURDEN SIN BRINGS

Jeremiah 29:11-14

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity….”

***

HEALING FROM LIFE’S WOUNDS

HAVING A HEALTHY SOUL

Jeremiah 30:17

I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord…

***

REST FROM HEAVINESS

ABILITY TO LET GO THE BURDENS OF LIFE

Matthew 11:28-29

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

***

TRUTH ABOUT WHO THE LORD IS

AND HIS PLAN BECOMES CLEAR

WE GAIN THE RIGHT TO BECOME CHILDREN OF GOD

John 1: 1-5, 10-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. ¹¹ He came to His ^[a]own, and His ^[b]own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the ^[c]right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

***

INHERITANCE: HEIRS AS GOD’S CHILDREN

COMING TO KNOW FATHER

Galatians 4, 6-7

And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” ⁷ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

***

ETERNAL LIFE:

DEATH CANNOT HOLD GOD’S CHILDREN IN THE GRAVE

John 3:16-17

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

***

NO FEAR OF DEATH

PROMISE OF HEAVEN

John 14:1-6

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And where I go you know, and the way you know.” ⁵ Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

***

NO CONDEMNATION: SINS OF THE PAST ARE COVERED BY THE

FORGIVENESS OF CHRIST

BECOMING ABLE TO WALK IN TRUTH WITH A PURE SPIRIT

Romans 8:1-2

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

***

SUFFERING UNDERSTOOD

”GLORY” SHALL BE REVEALED

Romans 8:18

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

***

EVEN MY MISTAKES WILL BE TURNED TO GOOD

AS MY “WALK” IS COMMITTED TO GOD

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called

according to His purpose.

***

POWER

A STRONG MIND—FILLED WITH GOD’S TRUTH THAT DISPELS FEARS

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

***

PATIENCE

LACKING NOTHING, COMPLETE

WISDOM FROM GOD

FAITH

KNOWING GOD HEARS MY PRAYERS

PROFITING FROM TRIALS

James 1:2-7

² My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

***

UNDERSTANDING AS GOD’S PLAN UNFOLDS

SEE GOD AS TRUSTWORTHY AND LONGSUFFERING

ABILITY TO TRUST THAT GOD HOLDS THE FUTURE

UNDERSTANDING AS GOD’S PLAN UNFOLDS

SEE GOD AS TRUSTWORTHY AND LONGSUFFERING

ABILITY TO TRUST THAT GOD HOLDS THE FUTURE

Rev. 3:20, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.[1]

[1] C.S. Lewis calls the incarnation of God the Son the “central miracle” of Christianity. He is right. The redemption, restoration, re-creation, and reconciliation of sinners—and all of creation besides—depends entirely on the supreme fact that God, without ever ceasing to be fully who he is, became fully who we are in and as Christ Jesus. Why did God do this? Why is it, in other words, that the “Word became flesh”? The principal reason underlying all the other magnificent reasons that God the Son united himself to our humanity is this: that by the Holy Spirit we may be united to Christ and so enjoy his fellowship with the Father forever. This is eternal life (John 17:3). Taken as a quote from: https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-things-you-should-know-about-union-with-christ/

Prepared by Chaplain Joy Lepage Smith, MA, BCC

Author info.  Healing-with-Joy.com holds many helps for readers searching for personal assurances within a time of huge national and international tensions. More of Joy’s writings can be read at Healingwithjoy.blogspot.com. Her children’s book has been favored by adults as well as children as a YouTube on either of these websites. Joy has readers in up to 32 countries.

By Joy Le Page Smith, MA, BCC

Reading the Bible brings truth to the soul. It holds a lot of wonderful words full of truth and hope–promises that reach deep within prompting love toward God and towards others. The Bible is laden with concepts and conditions that heal our hearts and greatly enriches our lives.

Yet, God extends clear expectations and there are consequences when we ignore those directives and do whatever we please. This is as true for nations as it is for individuals. Take China for instance.

During the 70’s and the 80’s the government of this communist country decreed that married couples have only one child. Abortion was made available and heavy consequences followed people who defied the government’s directive. Consequently, this ruling curbed the birthrate.

Within the decades that followed couples espoused the stance of “one child only” and adapted to it. Given time, this took root in the depth of China. Couples came to believe that more than one child would create an unbearable load of work, timewise, taking more from their lives mentally, financially and physically than believed manageable.

Today, the Chinese government is doing all they possibly can to promote couples to have more than one child. They are now urging three children per family and monitoring couples closely, tracking the numbers.

In the very first chapter of the Bible, Genesis 1:28, we read that God blessed the men and women He created and said, “. . . be fruitful and multiply fill the earth and subdue it.”

A belief in God is not part and parcel to communism of course. Yet the Chinese government is presently pursuing God’s directive “be fruitful and multiply.” One of the posters governmental officials are using states, “Life is the continuation of love.” Sounds like something with which God could easily agree.

However, atheistic China is not promoting the love of God or the truths of Scripture. They are simply faced with a declining population that threatens economic growth. Consequently, China’s policy makers are once again inserting themselves into the lives and choices of couples pressing them to make babies. Guess what: they are no longer promoting abortion. The motive behind the switch of policy is not repentance over loss of many millions—perhaps even billions—of babies. Rather, it is about economic losses.

Their new practice of knocking on doors, questioning and supplying prenatal vitamins are now in place stating clearly, “Our country needs more people.”  They are trying to correct a huge mistake by pressing again into matters of procreation.

In 1 John 4:8, we are assured, “God is love.” And, we are “made in the likeness of God,” according to Genesis 1:27. Loving and the sharing of love are part and parcel to God’s plan. This element of humanity needs to be highly valued by all due to its all-inclusive benefits. Ideally, the rules of governments will respect and defend such “paybacks.”

After all, it is not “treasure on earth” or the power of “gross national product” that matters. What matters is coming to know what God wants of our lives and following it as best we can. We make mistakes, but can readily correct them. God totally forgives through the redemptive work of Christ—once we ask. Following Jesus’ teachings makes way for Him to do a glorious work in one’s life. The surprising part is the abundance of peace and joy that result!

Author information: Joy Le Page smith is a Board Certified Chaplain who is also a newspaper columnist. Her four books are on Amazon and also at Healing-with-Joy.com. Visit her website where you will also find hundreds of FREE helps to people who are hurting. Also view her children’s book, The Little Mountain Goat Who Was Afraid of High Places FREE.