Did you know God sings?

The Lord your God is with you,

the Mighty Warrior who saves.

He will take great delight in you;

in his love he will no longer rebuke you,

but will rejoice over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

He always shows up.

It seems God has decided that Alice's illnesses, especially her epilepsy, is where he is going to communicate most clearly with me. (Could it be that this is the one thing that has made me kneel, beg, wrestle, cry, seek and submit?) I have never had so many bible verses leap off page and screen, so many immediate assurances in my mind and heart in response to prayer, regarding anything else.

We had another ambulance ride and hospital stay recently. We are out of practice. I had forgotten how you draw on reserves of energy and strength you didn't know you had, then collapse afterwards.

Church friends were amazing. Alice could have had a party, we had so many offers of visits (except she was asleep for the best part of 3 days.) One friend tagged a bible verse onto her text- Zephaniah 3:17. 'Oh yeah,' I thought, 'the one about rejoicing and delighting.' And thought no more about it.

My wrestle this time, was how a girl who is so full of life and joy, and who spreads joy wherever she goes, could be loaded with so many health problems on her little shoulders. How, why, would God create such a precious child and allow so many struggles in her life?

I went to sleep (not an easy task on a hospital ward) still struggling in my heart with the dichotomy of joy and sorrow.

Now I am not someone who generally attributes my dreams to God. Oh, I believe he can communicate like that if he wishes, but I don't have a lot of experience of it. But I am sure I heard his voice in my dream- it was loud, insistent, reassuring, interrupting-  'I DELIGHT in her.'

You know all those bits in the bible that talk about experiencing joy in sorrow? And you think 'huh? How does that work?'

All I can say is, it does.