One cold, dark North Carolina morning, I walked out side with my last two suitcases after saying goodbye to my sweet hostess. I started the engine and the temperature gage read 30 degrees Fahrenheit. My windows were caked with ice. I realized I should have come out earlier and started the car, but since it wasn’t an extreme cold,  I sat and waited for the car to warm up. I had left my headlights off, so my car could expend all of it’s energy on warming up, pumping the fluids and heat to defrost the front and rear windows.

After about five minutes and sitting in the dark I looked over at my pillow which was sitting on the passengers seat and thought, “I could have spent another half hour  in a nice warm bed. Just then the front porch light went off leaving me in complete darkness. I turned on my lights so the dash lights would come on. and then a couple of minutes later I see this little petite shadow come over to my window, so I rolled it down and there was my hostess checking on me.

I quickly told her,

“I’m ok, I’m just letting my car warm up.”

She hurried back inside and I thought, “I could have stayed inside, chatted and had a cup of coffee, oh well live and learn.”

I knew she and her husband had a very busy day ahead and they had just come back from a really long and exhausting trip in Asia.  By the end of the month, I would be on that same 8,553 mile journey across the world to Asia. The Lord opened up a miracle opportunity to travel, be with family, and be on “assignment with Him”. My God adventures are always full of love, joy, surprises, and usually some crisis and trauma care. One thing is for certain, it will always include sharing the “good news” and searching for God’s treasures. It could be on the way, on the way back, or while I am there, or all three!

I’m certainly excited but also a little nervous! Being a crisis and trauma care missionary is very rewarding, but sometimes challenging and even scary!  The Lord knows me very well and one of the things I love the most is watching God move miraculously in the midst of crisis and trouble. He is our Savior, Deliverer and Healer. Sometimes I forget the Lord is right there with me even when I don’t see, feel or hear Him. When someone is in crisis, this is when they need reassurance the Lord is on the way to their emergency!

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, ²⁴ and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Matthew 14:22-33

As I was thinking about traveling alone, and realizing the Lord is always with me, I looked up and the ice had melted from my windshield.

So, off I went … on my 9 – 10 hour 500 mile drive back to Florida!  I whipped into McDonalds and got me a Senior coffee with two creams. Ahh Nice! Now I was really ready!

Just before I pulled out of the drive-thru I decided to ask Siri for directions.  The night before I had been doing some experimenting on my phone for my upcoming flight to Asia. I had turned off my GPS tracker and forgotten to turn it back on. I’m really not a great multi-tasker anymore and it was still dark; so I pulled over on the side of the road, turned my GPS on, plug in directions, and enjoy a sip of coffee.

Driving down the winding North Carolina road and I began to thank the Lord for the trip, for my safety, and for everyone else He brought to mind.  It wasn’t long before I began to think about the different things we put our faith in. The conversation went something like this;

“I sure do hope that people can see better in the dark while driving than I can, and that the Lord will help me see clearly.

I hope my tires last the next 500 miles and beyond for the next few months like the guy at the tire store said they would.

Lord please watch over my tires, and don’t let me have any blow outs or cause anyone any harm.

Help the other person, like me, drive defensively and not take any wild chances!

You know God, the guy said to be very careful in the rain, ice and it’s pretty dark and foggy!”

“Now, I’m really praying and repenting Lord, maybe I should have stayed in bed at least until the sun came out and dried up all the ice. Lord, please help me. Plus, I’m thinking about others like me whose vision, reaction time, etc. isn’t what it used to be!”

By this time I’m in an area where I’ve switched interstates and I have to stop for an ambulance and a police car. They are both going in opposite directions to two different accident scenes.  For years the Lord has had me intercede and pray for emergency responders, fire and police men, as well as the victims in the accidents.  Even when my boys were little, and we would be late or taken on an alternate route, we would always arrive upon the scene and begin to intercede and pray for the victims and their families. Today was no different.  Then came a sudden change in my route.

My GPS told me to get off the interstate and take an alternate route. A couple of minutes later, “Accident Ahead, You are on the fastest route.” So, obediently I followed the directions and was riding along in bumper to bumper traffic.  Evidently several people had been rerouted!  Another 10 minutes later, again the GPS said, “Accident Ahead, You are on the fastest route.” In another 10 minutes the GPS routed me back onto the interstate and it was smooth sailing until I got on the interstate and there was a huge fog cloud blocking everyone’s vision.  In the distance all you could see was a couple of car lengths ahead. But, you could see the car in front of you pretty clearly.

The thought entered my mind. Now I’m having to trust the guy or gal in front of me and they are trusting the one in front of them. Lord help me as I looked over for the third time that morning at my pillow.

In about thirty minutes the fog lifted and the letters to the word FOG reminded me of the Favor Of God.  God promises His children favor.  Even though we might sometimes be in the middle of the crisis or a fog, we can always depend and know that God is with us even through the trials and traumas of life.

I began to pray again for those who were in the accidents this morning and pray they would have the peace, comfort and favor of God on and in their lives.

Just as the Lord helped me through the most stressful part of my morning driving in hazardous conditions, with limited and dimmed vision and reflexes, I began to realize the trip to Asia that would be coming up very soon and the traveling alone part, through unfamliar territories would be much better if I was praying for those like myself who might be feeling apprehensive, fearful and jet lagged.

After a few hours driving and talking with the Lord, I pulled over to get gas and a bite to eat.  Then I realized I had been driving on Airplane Mode.  I had been playing with my phone the night before and I had left the mode turned on. No wonder my phone had been so quiet!  I turned it on and several messages had come in!

One from Crisis Response International Intercessors, another from Florida Abolitionist and a prayer request for a rescued sex-trafficking victim, and a special note from a friend who said my email about getting your 2nd wind had come just in time!

God is so faithful. I knew God was speaking to me about the imperfect and traumatized world we live in. It is full of crisis. What God wants is for it to be full of Christ. When we exchange our lives for Christ’s then He exchanges the crisis and trauma for a renewed life, and gives us the ability to walk by faith and not by sight!

Now I could look forward to the trip to Asia and the many wonderful divine appointments God has already ordained before my feet will ever hit the ground there!

Please keep this trip and my family, friends and others who are already there and the many believers who risk their very lives daily in countries where Christians are persecuted.

Searching for God’s Treasures,

Marlene
Marlene has been called to go and serve others
wherever God calls her.

She combines teaching, prayer, worship
with the prophetic, words of knowledge and
wisdom to bring salvation, deliverance &
healing to those who are lost, hurting & sick.

from ashes to beauty…
Cinderella Released
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