A few weeks ago I had to carry 12 tablecloths in a plastic bag and they were surprisingly heavy. I was able to walk out of the lift easily as the doors opened for me but when I got to the door leading into the car park I was just wondering how I could balance the bag of tablecloths, keep my handbag on my shoulder and hold the door open long enough to walk through it, when I heard a voice behind me say, 'Let me get that for you'. It was the the young girl who had been in the lift with me and she opened the car park door with a smile and a kind look on her face. She seemed like an angel to me and as I walked to my car my life suddenly felt easier and my burden felt lighter.
I immdediately felt the Holy Spirit say to me, 'Let me get that for you'. I knew what He was talking about and it wasn't the tablecloths. I had been sharing with Him how I wasn't sure how I was going to get everything done; I felt stressed and burdened by my work. He had already been talking to me about this over the summer. P and I lost track of how many sermons we heard, whilst visiting churches on holiday, on the same theme and the same Bible verse; 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and......you will find rest for your souls' (Matthew 11 v 28/29). Even during the half term break we popped into Kidderminster Salvation Army on Sunday morning and on the screen at the front of the hall was the word REST. I had a feeling I knew what the preacher would be preaching.
Soul rest. Rest for the soul. Rest from the striving, the worry, the burden of trying to get it all done and get it done well. He's not telling me to take a sabbatical or a holiday or even a day off; it's a reminder that I need to rely wholly and completely on Him.
We kicked off the week after half term with a prayer walk around the Wood Green SA perimeter before any activities began. Some of our leaders prayed at work or at home that morning and two of us were able to actually walk and pray around the building. At the same time my husband, P, was on the phone to PFS (maintenance) asking them to send someone round to repair the front and back doors of the church building as the locks were not functioning properly. I am not exaggerating when I say that just three hours later I walked down the corridor and saw a maintenance man working on the front doors. Within minutes all doors, both front and back, were secure - there may be some people reading this who agree with me when I say that was a modern day miracle!
The following day an angel literally walked into my office; his name was Angel and he worked for London City Mission. He lived up to his name because he asked me how his organisation could help us. At the end of our conversation I remembered there was something quite urgent that he might be able to help me with - the speaker for our Women of Hope Breakfast had just informed me that she couldn't make it (with very good reasons might I add) and I needed to find someone to fill her place. Would he be able to help? By the following weekend a speaker from London City Mission was booked - one less thing to worry about! 'For my yoke is easy and my burden is light' (Matthew 11 v 30).
Like most church leaders at this time of year I have several Christmas events to organise and I need to find volunteers willing to help provide refreshments at each of these events. Actually I don't, because since the prayer walk someone different has come to me and offered to take responsibility for the refreshments at each event.
Something else that was on my mind was the need for one more person on the hospitality rota. Last week, a new lady, called J, spoke to me before the Bible Study began and said that she would like to get involved in the church in some way - 'Do you have any jobs I can do?' she said. She was very happy to add her name to the Sunday rota and I was able to introduce her to the lady she would be working with to make the teas and coffees as she was also attending the Bible Study that morning.
Even today I had another answer to prayer. During the year I had received several invitations to speak at local women's groups, as church leaders often do, but I was sure I had mislaid one invitation. I remember a lady speaking to me but at the time I wasn't able to give her an answer and I was feeling bad that I hadn't got back to her. I couldn't remember what she looked like or where she was from. I attended our Women of Hope breakfast this morning and this lady spoke to me after the meeting and invited me to speak at the Edmonton Women Aglow meeting in January. She told me that she had invited me last year but when I didn't respond she had asked God whether she should pursue it and He told her that I was too busy and that the time wasn't right and so she left it. January is a much quieter month for me and so I was able to accept her invitation and rather than it being a burden I am looking forward to sharing more stories about Brazil with the ladies of Aglow.
So, I guess when God says, 'Let me get that for you', He really does mean it. There is alot of work to be done, especially at Christmas time, but He is going ahead of me and taking the worry and strain away. I don't think that I am anyone special - I think the promise is for anyone. 'Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest' (Matthew 11 v 28). Let him get that for you.
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