The Way That I Take

I took my husband to the hospital last night.  I've now lost track of the number of times I've rushed him to the ER in the last two and a half years since he came home from Iraq in 2009.  He has suffered with some intense digestive issues, and he is scheduled for surgery to remove a portion of his colon on December 30.  After a really rough day, I called our doctor who called the surgeon, and we were sent to the ER at about 6 pm.

My husband was eventually admitted, and I drove home by myself at 4:30 this morning.  As I drove home, I thought, "I never imagined that I would know the way to the hospital so well."

And then the Lord in His great lovingkindness brought this to mind: "He knows the way that I take, and when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold." (Job 23:10)

I will travel that same road many more times in the next few weeks.  My Lord knows the way that I take too.  He travels it with me-- whether it is driving to and from the hospital or navigating my way through the trial of physical hardship that He has ordained for us right now.  He knows who will watch the kids and how we will pay the bills while Paul is recuperating from surgery.  He knows the way that I take, and He is refining us day by day.  What a grace.  I know the way to the hospital.  He knows ALL things.

Dear perennial heart, bloom with joy-- even in this wintertime of trial-- for He knows the way that you take and in HIS time, He will bring you forth as gold.