Thursday, 25 October 2012

Answered Prayer



Don’t you just hate those days; you know where nothing really seems to work according to plan. I find them so annoying don’t you?
Today was no exception, after a pretty sleepless night Son knocked on the door to ask for a lift to work; his colleague was sick today. I grumbled as I looked out of the window, it was such thick fog outside and I was having people round for a writers meeting this morning, I had not even planned it yet! But you know what they say about the best made plans? Due to weather conditions that ended up not happening as people had so far to travel. But on the bright side that gave me a chance to catch up on all the washing and ironing. Since returning from our trip to South Africa the piles of laundry seem to be getting higher and higher!
After putting the washing in, I made some tea and listened to a favorite song. It is a special one as it reminds me of what led me to writing ‘On Earth as it is in Heaven.’ My little miracle as I like to call it. Well it’s true. I never thought it possible that I could ever do such a thing as write a book. I grinned, its amazing what you can do when you take a leap of faith!
I found myself singing along to the song, ‘in the evening I will fly you to the moon to the top right hand corner of the ceiling in my room, where we will stay until the sun shines.......chasing rainbows across the water.’
I found my mind wandering back to June 2007 (I remember the date as I had written about it in the book) to that wonderful vision, I call it a vision but it could have been a dream; anyway it had proved to be a life changing event for me. I remember I had had trouble sleeping that night too. But for different reasons back then. I had just received a reply to my letter sent to South Africa, saying that it would not be possible to meet my birth father. ‘As a mother’ the letter had read, ‘you must understand it would be too much of a shock for our daughter.’ As I lay in bed that night I had felt a tear trickle from the corner of my eye. ‘Why was I even bothered about this?’  I argued with myself. I had never met the man and anyway, I had a wonderful family. I sighed why did feelings have to get so complicated?
Then something quite remarkable happened. As I wiped the tear away I felt another spring out and then another, and another. Suddenly there were tears running all down my face but I wasn’t crying. I know it sounds strange but I could feel this soothing sensation. It was as if my tears were soothing me. It was then I felt someone wiping my tears away.
I looked up and gasped in recognition. ‘These are my tears and they will heal you,’ He said.
I felt they were caressing my whole face and it filled me with a sense of such love and peace.
‘Come child,’ He said to me, ‘Take my hand and walk with me, for you are my child. I will fill your heart with my love, and heal all your hurts.’
We walked only a few steps, and holding my hand we stepped up onto a steel platform. Like an elevator it went up and up. The darkness of my bedroom had long gone. Suddenly we were out in the bright sunshine. He raised His hand up towards the heavens.
‘Stand up and look,’ He said smiling at me, ‘look what I have for you.’ I looked up high into the sky. Above me was a line of liquid gold, it was stretched across the sky. Then before my eyes it ran down like a small waterfall in front of me, I was totally mesmerized, it was so beautiful. I really didn’t know what to say, I was so consumed by this feeling of love. So I simply thanked Him for His love and for all the good things He had given me. I thanked Him for my husband. ‘I have always thought of him as a gift from above,’ I said.
‘Ah yes, I gave you a good one there, didn’t I?’ He replied. I thanked Him for my two beautiful children, ‘They are such a blessing to me.’
I saw Him smile. ‘I know the plans I have for you’ He said, ‘I have also placed a sister for you.’ I knew immediately who she was. ‘Take care of her,’ He said.
He waved to me and smiling walked off ahead, but I knew he had not gone. His hand was in mine always. The next thing I knew I was sitting under a beautiful tree, the leaves were all around me, as the wind blew gently the leaves rustled. I heard them whisper, ‘Write write.’
‘Write, write,’ they whispered again.
I thought this is the tree of life. This is my chance to make my life worthwhile. The Lord is leading me to live my best life from now on. What a blessing! I was then reminded of a verse from a book I had been reading. It was as if the words suddenly flashed in front of me:-
‘And on either side of the river was there the tree of life………. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.’                                                                                              Revelation 22:2
Well this is now October 2012. I have just returned from a holiday in South Africa, and it had proved to be a life changing event. I had spent two glorious weeks meeting my sister and her family.
As I sat sipping my tea I re-read the card she had given me as we had parted at the airport.
‘To be able to call someone sister has changed my life.’ The rest of the message, as it is personal, I will keep to myself, but I have to confess it really touched my heart.
And while we are on the subject of the heart I would also like to confess another one of my prayers. It had been: 'I want to help change peoples lives. If everybody had a touch from Heaven what a much nicer place the world would be. I want to help people to be the best they can be.'
It had seemed such a big prayer back then, in 2007.
But here now in 2012, I know He heard me.
He helped me to do what was best and then He done the rest.
So I conclude my story with a prayer.
I pray for you who are reading this
I pray that you receive a touch from Heaven too.
Because one touch from Heaven is all it takes to change your life.
God answers all prayers.
Put the date down.
See what happens.
Who knows?
He knows.

Yours Truly
Julie.

Other inspirations can be read in ‘On Earth as it is in Heaven’ by Julie Prentice £8.99. Available on Amazon or email julie.jules2007@hotmail.co.uk for stockists.