[Friday's Devotional] - A True Fairytale

A True Fairytale Yesterday I shared how, after a tough couple of weeks, work aboard ship has become easier.  The God-given dream I am living no longer feels like a nightmare.   Many things can be restored, jobs, houses, cars, finances….. aboard the Mercy Ship we have the privilege of being part of a ministry that helps to restore health, both physically and emotionally, from a lifetime of disability, disfigurement and rejection, if not death.  Sight is restored, huge tumours removed, cleft lips, limbs and also dignity.   For us God also promises the impossible: Joel 2:25 "I will restore the years that the locust has eaten" [NIV]. The immediate meaning of this promise is clear. God's people had suffered the complete destruction of their entire harvest through swarms of locusts that marched like an insect army through the fields, destroying the crops, multiplying their number as they went, but God restored those years by giving bumper harvests. Joel 2:24-26 "The threshing floor shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. . . . You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied" [NIV].   This wonderful promise is for us too, we may have many lost years…. fruitless years, painful years, selfish years, loveless years, rebellious years, misdirected years, but they are not beyond God's redemptive plan.   A real privilege for me last week was a visit Ganvie (Africa's Venice) stilt village, chugging down river felt like a scene from The African Queen (another childhood dream of mine).  There was such poverty, but excited children shouted 'Yavo' (white people) and they would ask for 'cadeaux' (presents).  We are not allowed to give presents, but we can give our presence, I had fun dancing with the children and next time I will take balloons and bubbles for more fun playtime. In April, on our return to the UK, I will be able to give my presence to my grandson, due on 5th April.  Due to lost years, for many of the reasons above, I was not always able to give my presence to my son, but today it is a very different story, it is a miracle. We were always told by doctors that my son would never be a father, due to his Cystic Fibrosis, yet in April I will be a nana. I never allowed my heart or mind to go to such a place, being told this was impossible. With the help of IVF, Dan and Ellie are to have their own biological child, being Disney mad, it is their fairytale, a true story. Never give up on your dream, for all of us the impossible really can be possible. Jesus looked at them intently and said, Matthew 19:26 "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible." [NLT]    Dawn Milward   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!