Through the Years
"...these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee;..." Deut. 2:7
"And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years..." Deut. 8:2
Today is a day I've been looking forward to for a couple of years: my 40th spiritual birthday. On July 18, 1984, I became a child of God through accepting the atoning work of Christ on my behalf. I've written my salvation testimony before, and it can be read at https://poemsfortheking.blogspot.com/p/about.html. Tonight I want to take a look back at each of those years, summarizing in a line what comes to mind as a lesson that God was teaching me from the time I became His at 4 years of age until this my 44th year.
The verses above are from some of Moses' last words to the children of Israel, as he reflected on the 40 years after the Exodus deliverance. I remember my dad quoting Deuteronomy 2:7 when he had been saved 40 years. The principle of remembering, highlighted in Deuteronomy 8:2, is often found in Scripture, and is applicable to us today. Remembering God's faithfulness in the past steels our souls to face the future.
At 4, You became my personal Savior.
At 5, I daydreamed adventures with You.
At 6, You brought Uncle Mark to live close by. He has been a reflection of You in so many ways.
At 7, Mrs. Otwell washed our feet in SS.
At 8, You gave me the chance to teach a devotion to my third grade class.
At 9, Our family continued singing together for You in church.
At 10, You used Patch the Pirate Club to instill in me the habit of daily devotions.
At 11, I surrendered to be a missionary, and I learned Psalm 139 in Aunt Marcia's SS class.
At 12, Mom taught me how to start a teaching file and teach a SS lesson, emphasizing dependence on the Holy Spirit.
At 13, several things stand out:
Dad and I discussed Your Word Saturday mornings on the paper route.
You were my Friend in a school year shen I got made fun of a lot.
You provided Thanksgiving dinner for our family.
At 14, I started high school and met Mr. Pinkston, who always believed God could do big things through kids/teenagers.
At 15, You let me go on the SJCA mission trip to Mexico, and Mrs. Jeffers taught me piano.
At 16, Dad was diagnosed with cancer, and we all began a new level of experiencing You as our Abba, Father.
At 17, You provided for me to go on the Brazil mission trip.
At 18, Our family moved to Chattanooga, TN.
At 19, You gave me a lot of good car conversations with Uncle Mark.
At 20, Dad went to heaven.
At 21, You gave me a summer internship in Israel.
At 22, I finished college and we went on our family mission trip.
At 23, You taught me that Your being with me was my strength, even when You didn't answer all my questions.
At 24, You gave me a great year teaching at FMCA in Lima, Peru.
At 25, You brought the man I had long prayed for.
At 26, You gave me the privelege of becoming Mrs. Bill Hall.
At 27, There were many opportunities to serve as the pastor's wife at Wayside Baptist Church.
At 28, You gave us wonder when William John Christopher Hall was born.
At 29, We continued serving You at Wayside.
At 30, You gave me the joy of developing/teaching a "How to Study the Bible" series to the church ladies.
At 31, You gave us awe when Peter Joseph Sterling Hall was born.
At 32, We continued serving You at Wayside.
At 33, You carried us through the valley of our first miscarriage, CB Hall.
At 34, You carried us through the valley of our second miscarriage, Riley Hall.
At 35, You gave us hope when Bethany Hope Kiersten Hall was born. Also that year, Bill encouraged me to go ahead and start the poetry blog.
At 36, We continued serving You at Wayside.
At 37, You gave us happiness when Felicity Marie Eliora Hall was born.
At 38, You led Bill to leave Wayside after pastoring there for 14 years.
At 39, We continued waiting on You to clarify the future.
At 40, While I was working in the kitchen one day, You gave me the idea for Targeted Global Prayer.
At 41, Bill and I celebrated our 15th anniversary.
At 42, I knew You as my Light in a dark place.
At 43, You let Mom come to live with us before she went home to heaven.
At 44, We stand at the brink of a move to the Northeast for Bill to serve as pastor of Open Bible Baptist Church.
"As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!"
(Thomas Chisholm)