screaming ankles and cries for help

I had a very busy day today. I spent much of it in my best athletic shoes, running up and down the porch steps and back and forth through an unfamiliar super Walmart. By bedtime my ankles were screaming!

I took something to relieve the pain and went to bed. After dozing and waking and turning over and over again--kinda like a rotisserie chicken--I finally told Byron I was getting up for a while--but before my feet actually hit the floor, in a split second prayer--I asked the Lord why I had to get up. He said I needed to answer a friend's request for prayer. I had intended to send her a letter in the morning, but the Lord showed me that I needed to encourage her NOW.

So, that's what I did. I got up and wrote to her but since it was so late, she may not get it until morning, but I feel like I did what the Lord told me to do. It makes me wonder how many other sleepless nights the Lord tried to show me something and I didn't hear it or see it. Now I wonder if I had even asked Him why I was awake.

What strikes me most about this event tonight is the Lord's compassion for his children. Yes, my ankles hurt badly--but He knows how much my friend needed to hear from her friend. Her cries for help touched the heart of God himself. Her pain moved the Lord to allow me a bit of misery so she could receive support from her friend.

I am so glad the Lord will get one of His children out of the bed to help another one. I'm sure there have been times He's done it for me. I pray that next time I can't sleep--for whatever reason--I will ask Him, "Why?" If I were a betting woman, I'd bet He'd tell me!

Father, thank you for having compassion on my good friend. Thank you for answering our prayers for her. Thank you for your total and merciful love. I love you with all my heart.

Suz