“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:7 ESV
The gate shown above was the gate of our home that was handed down to me by my Dad because he was installing a new one to our family abode at that time. The gate is fabricated by steel grills and an open-type gate wherein you can see who is passing along the road. It was once a silent witness during our teen years as well as when we left our abode to raise our own family. That piece of steel was very sentimental to me so I installed it in our house and it continues to witness what is happening to our lives.
That steel gate became an opening to many opportunities and served a ‘gateway of blessings’. Thru that opening, we had witnessed how the PPE-clad men disinfected our place during the early COVID days as our place was considered a hotspot at that time. With what was happening all around us plus considering my disability and impairment, those circumstances were a nice brew for a perfect storm of depression. But I thanked God that I and my family were not overwhelmed by the situation. We prayed instead of murmuring about our condition. I and my family witnessed the peace of God that was instilled in our minds and our hearts, as help came from the delivery errand boys supplying our essentials, my siblings and friends waving Kumusta (hello). I thank God, our needs were filled up daily.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
– Philippians 4:6 ESV
Past forward 2022 and five years after my stroke, we are still experiencing the hand of God working on us. I am glad that He heard my prayers. I told my kids to include in their daily prayers that all our physical needs and essentials be delivered right in front of our gate. Surely, that gate continues to be a silent witness to the handover of our essential needs – from weekly grocery supplies, our food rations as well as my supplements. There is no need to go downtown for errands and I thank God that He made us thrive despite my condition and even in the midst of pandemic as well. He calms the ‘storm’ in us. From what I am witnessing, miracles do happen even today!
Truly, God never leaves us nor forsakes us and Jesus is only our ever-present need. He’s just a word away!
Postscript: Before I was stricken by stroke, I considered God like a genie in a bottle wherein you wish and it will be given. I am very fortunate that He granted most of my wishes in the affirmative. However, despite His many blessings, my relationship and the commitment to know Him was too shallow. In hindsight, I may had experienced uneasy circumstance but thru this, I am glad to know my sense of purpose – that is to glorify Him. When I say Jesus, is a nice song depicting our dependence on Him alone. It is a powerful rendition by Abigail Davies Ginsterblum which can be viewed here
Bike Buddies 