More From Kathleen R. Brewer

Hello, friends!

It has been several months since I wrote this meditation. Psalm 37:5 has proven itself valid to me in my life over and over again. I have continued to spend a set amount of time with the Lord every day, reading a portion of scripture and sitting quietly, praising God for blessings and thanking God for answers to prayer—also asking God how I can minister to others or grow in God. This time also allows me to share my concerns for personal needs or pray for those who have asked me to pray for them. I was asked to be the Prayer Coordinator for my church’s prayer line during this time, which has been a great blessing and ministry.

I have learned, however, that I have to be flexible when I have this time with the Lord. On October 2, 2022, my older sister Carolyn, whom I live with, fell and was hospitalized with a broken bone in her hip. She spent 14 days she was in the hospital; since then I have cared for her at home, with some help. The day she fell, I was terrified. For the next two weeks, I spent most of my time running to and from the hospital, then answering the phone and doing laundry in the evenings. Since she returned home, she has been slowly recovering with the help of physiotherapists.

Life brings challenges to our lives, and we need to adapt. I often prayed while driving back and forth to the hospital and then for a short time at night. My time with God looked different during this time. But I felt that because I had a strong relationship with the Lord before this happened, I knew I could trust God with answering my prayers.

I experienced many answers to prayer during this time. I will share one with you. On the first day at the emergency department, we were there from 10:30 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. Doctors had done an X-ray on Carolyn’s left hip and said nothing was broken, so they came in and announced, “She can go home.” However, Carolyn was still in immense pain if she stepped on her left foot, so the doctor sent her for a CT scan. The nurses told me privately that I would need to take my sister home if nothing showed up on the scan. This was at 10:30 p.m. Carolyn had come to the hospital by ambulance; if they sent her home right then, I didn’t know how I would ever get her into the house on my own since it has six steps. I knew I couldn’t lift Carolyn, and I prayed that the Lord would take care of her. A short while later, the doctor said that she had broken a small bone in her hip and that they would keep her, as she was in too much pain to go home. I thanked the Lord. This is one of the many prayers that God has answered in the last few months.

God is faithful! As Psalm 37:5 says, “Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you” (NLT).