The Jiffy Box

From time to time we’ll have guest writers share their stories of hope on the road.
Today’s story is an amazing example of how God sometimes indulges his children’s desires to hear from him in a tangible way.
Please read on to discover how attentive and magnificent our Lord truly is!
We want to thank Paige for sharing her heart, and hope you find joy and inspiration in her words.

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The Jiffy Box

by Paige Sanders

“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.  Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.” – Psalm 143:8 (NIV)

 

It was a very dark night!  When I mean dark, I mean emotionally dark.  I have to say it was probably one of the lowest times in my life.  I was emotionally battered and destroyed.  I felt worthless and completely alone.  All of my past guilt, shame, and insecurities haunted me.

 

I asked myself, “Why am I even here?”, “What is the point of my life?”  I knew my relationship with God wasn’t where it needed to be, and I didn’t even know if he was still there after all the bad decisions I had made.  I sat there in the dark and cried and cried to the point where I didn’t have any more tears to shed.

 

The only thing I could think to do was to find my Bible.  I didn’t even know what page to open to.  I didn’t know where to look, and I had no idea what to do with it, so I simply hugged it, and kept it real close to my chest.

 

I started to pray, “Lord, if you’re there and you can hear me, I need you to show me how real you are, and that you love me, and that I am something to you.”

 

After praying, I wept for a long while.  I needed answers.  Eventually, I fell asleep holding my Bible.

 

When I woke up in the morning with my eyes pretty much swollen shut from the many tears I had cried, I remembered I had promised my three boys I would make them banana waffles. Although I wasn’t in the mood, a promise was a promise.

 

So, I went to the pantry and pulled out a new box of Jiffy Banana Muffin Mix that I bought a few days before.   When I opened it, I found a folded piece of paper inside the box.  Curious, I took the piece of paper out, and read the following words which were written in handwriting I had never seen before:

 

I will call upon The Lord
Psalm 18:3

I almost dropped the box on the floor.  My first thought was, “Did my husband put this in here?”, but I knew it wasn’t his handwriting.

 

“How in the world did this note get into this new, UNOPENED Jiffy box?”

 

As I was standing in my kitchen, I felt an extreme warmth come over my body.  It felt like an indescribable sense of peace, like God himself was hugging me and letting me know he is, and always has been there with me.

 

I can’t put into words what truly deep emotions I was feeling at that moment, but I can tell you that God knew exactly how to get my attention!

 

I grabbed my Bible, and looked up the verse.   The entire passage reads:

 

“I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.” Psalm 18:3 (NIV)

 

Yes, I can honestly say that the night before I was surrounded by darkness, but when the morning came, God showed me his unfailing light, mercy, and his constant love!

 

No matter how dark life may get, or how far away we may think he is – that is when he is the closest!

 

All I can say is, “Thank you, Jesus for never leaving or forsaking us!”