By Pat
"Whenever the spririt from God came upon Saul, David would take up his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better and the evil spirit would leave him." (1 Samuel 16:23)
Do you ever feel the need for a comforting word from God? I know I do. In this scripture passage from 1st Samuel, Saul was being tormented by an evil spirit. But God provided comfort and relief for Saul in the form of David playing his harp.
What harps does God send us? My harps have shown up in various forms; a call from a friend, a timely song, the right passage of scripture, a word of encouragement (sometimes from a person I would not expect to hear it from). My harps have been the sound of a child's laughter to chase away the blues, or the soulful eyes of my beautiful dog. Whenever it's needed, God finds just the right thing to send my way at just the right time.
We all receive our own little personal, comforting touches from God. The question is do we recognize them as God's personal message to us? We must always seek God's touch, and strive to recognize it when it arrives. God sometimes uses very unconventional means to reach us. He knows exactly what to do! We must also allow God to use us to be a "harp" for someone else, and to obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit to reach out to others with a smile, a hug, a random act of kindness. Who knows? It could be just the personal touch from God, just the harp song that's needed! God always finds a way to reach us when we need to feel His touch.
"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion for the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." (Isaiah 49:15-16)
Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.