Be Still My Soul
Be still my soul.
The words of the song “Be Still My Soul” encourage me to remember that God is faithful “to order and provide” and that in every change, “He faithful will remain.” At every juncture of the road, I seek His face and ask Him to order my footsteps.
After having taught a Bible club in Los Lunas, I was heading back to Interstate 25. As I drove, I asked the Lord, “Should I drive home, or should I drive to Albuquerque to check on Nina?” [Nina is not her real name.] As I approached the interstate, I decided that I should head north to Albuquerque rather than south to Socorro. Nina is always on my list of people to help, and I often pray for her and her son, Seth (name also changed). Sometimes, it is hard to catch up with Nina because she doesn’t have a phone.
When I arrived in Albuquerque, I decided to stop off at the Eagle’s Nest Condominiums rather than to head directly to Nina’s house. I parked my car and headed to the office. How surprised I was when, on my way to the office, I met up with Nina as she was heading to her truck! I had never seen her at the Eagle’s Nest Condominiums before, and I knew that if I had arrived a minute sooner or a minute later, I would have missed seeing her altogether. I sensed the Lord’s hand in this encounter.
“What are you up to, Nina?” I asked. She told me that she had gone to visit a homeless friend who had just been placed in one of the condominiums. She said, “She wasn’t there, but she left me a message, saying that she was in the laundry room.” She added, “. . . but I don’t know where the laundry room is.”
I replied, “I know where it is. Follow me.”
Nina and I walked toward the laundry room, and I noticed that she was wearing pajama bottoms and house slippers with a sole that kept flapping against the ground because it was torn half way up one foot. We met up with her friend and went to see her new place. Nina had given her some old furniture and two chairs that had seen better days. The friend thanked Nina for all of her help. I was pleased to see that Nina was reaching out to others.
We left and went to the parking lot. Nina had parked on a slope, because she had to roll a little before she could get her truck to start. I met Nina at her house. She let me know that her water heater had broken down again and that her heater was not working. She had bought two cheap heaters, but when she used them, they kicked the breaker. My heart ached for her. I had never seen her in this condition before.
I took Nina to get a bite to eat, and she wore a coat that she had patched with matching material from the coat pocket. One night, she had fallen asleep with a cigarette, and she had burned several holes in the back of the jacket. I complimented her on her patch work. All the while, I was bemoaning her habit and thanking the Lord for keeping her alive.
As a single mother, Nina has carried a cross of grief, pain, and disappointment. Yet in the midst of every crisis, the Lord has been faithful to her. I called to request a journeyman and a technician to come to Nina’s house, and now her hot water heater and heater are working. I rest in the thought that Nina and Seth are warm! I rest in the thought that the Lord will provide for them. “In every change, He faithful will remain.”
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