Are we attentive to that ‘still quiet voice’?

For the first time I realised (I had been a Christian for approximately 10 years) that Salvation can only be gained and kept individually!! For the first time I realised I couldn't put the onus of my walk upon someone else, it was my responsibility.

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Some years ago we had some people come to stay with us from Joinville, Brazil for a month and the following year we were preparing to go and visit them. My husband, myself and our daughter were all excited about the prospect and were busy making preparations. It was a country we had never been to and our household was a frenzy of activity. Two days before we were due to fly out I was sitting having a quiet time and I clearly heard a voice say ‘take out holiday insurance’. My response was; ‘Lord, we have been on numerous holidays before and we have never taken out holiday insurance, we are young, we have no medical history and more frustratingly I don't know where to get travel insurance from’ (grump grump!!). I spent a few more moments putting forward my 'best arguments' but the words ‘take out holiday insurance’ just kept coming back. I finally gave in and remembered a correspondence that had arrived with a credit card statement about holiday insurance and went and searched it out. Due to the fact that we were flying out at 5.30 the next day there was insufficient time for them to send us a policy so we flew out with just a telephone number a policy number and the dial code from Brazil to England.

We arrived in Brazil at midnight on Saturday feeling tired after three flights but cheered up to be greeted by about 20 people we knew cheering us on!!  We had two great days of fellowship with our friends but on the third day my husband woke up with excruciating pains in his stomach.  I thought he had eaten something that had disagreed with him.  Our friend’s friend was a doctor so he decided to take him to be checked out while his wife and I went to the mall for a coffee.  We had been apart for about an hour when my friend’s husband came to the mall but my husband was not with him.  I was a little perplexed and as I couldn't speak any Portuguese and our friends knew very little English it took a few moments to realise he had been taken to hospital.

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We rushed to the hospital (the best one in Joinville) where he'd already had all the tests taken and results obtained!! and they had decided that they wanted to remove his gallbladder. Due to an infection however they kept him in for a couple of days under observation because if they operated he wouldn't be allowed to fly back to England for at least 30 days.

The dilemma then was that we had made lots of arrangements and the interpreter that was going to come with us was now staying at the hospital to interpret for my husband and hardly anyone else spoke English!!  I remember kneeling on the floor and saying ‘Lord you know how much I depend on my husband,  what am I going to do’?.  The answer was ‘you know what to do, these people have put themselves out and are expecting you’, but more surprisingly was the words ‘no-one gets to heaven hanging on to someone else’s shirt-tails’. For the first time I realised (I had been a Christian for approximately 10 years) that Salvation can only be gained and kept individually!! For the first time I realised I couldn't put the onus of my walk upon someone else, it was my responsibility.  What a life giving life changing moment!! If ever I had received a Eureka moment this was one such occasion. I kept all the appointments and with God’s help had a smile on my face and a joy in my heart that transcended all human understanding.

The Insurance paid all the costs and even offered to pay for someone to escort myself and my daughter home to carry our bags, if my husband had the operation, or pay all our expenses if we chose to stay in Brazil.  It was decided to send my husband home with strong medication and he had the operation back in England.  Praise God for prompting me and that I eventually listened!!  The outcome could have been very different.  Isaiah 28:23 ‘Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say’.

Proverbs 2: 1-5 ‘My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God’. Amen

Author: Lyn Hunt

May God bless and enrich your life

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