Rest in God's Arms
Author: Ann Van Hine (New York, US)
Late on the evening of 11 September 2001, I opened my door to two representatives of the New York City Fire Department. They came to tell me that my husband, a fire-fighter, was unaccounted for. With those words, my teenage daughters and I embarked on a journey we had never expected to take.
A few weeks earlier, we had been on holiday at a campsite. A friend’s young child had got into trouble, and his dad picked him up to carry him back to the camp. The child wasn’t happy and had gone kicking and screaming. God helped me see that whether the child went kicking and screaming or resting in his father’s loving arms, he was going on that journey. Now I realised that I had a similar choice: I could rest in the loving arms of my heavenly Father, or I could choose to resist the Lord. Either way, I was on the journey that began with losing my husband.
Through the many years since then, God has carried me. After a time, he put me down to walk. He allowed me to run ahead, and when needed he picked me up again. The Lord has never left me and has proved to be trustworthy over and over again.
Prayer: All-powerful God, help us to rest in the assurance that your loving arms are strong enough to hold us. Amen
