MARNIE'S STORY

Psalm 139:16; "and in Your book they were all written, the days fashioned for me. When as yet there were none of them."

My testimony is not of salvation, but God's faithfulness to me. My assurance is that I am His and He takes care of me.

Psalms 139 tells me that God, Himself, "fashioned my days." He knew I was being born into a violent home. My mother was eventually diagnosed schizophrenic and she had always been extremely violent verbally and physically.

My earliest memory of my mother was one of fear. I was about three years old crouched in the back of a dark closet, knowing I needed to stay quiet. I was afraid to be found by her. In that memory I was not alone. Someone was crouched with me, comforting me, and assuring me that I would be okay. It was Jesus.

At seven years old, I remember waking in the middle of the night to the noise of violence on the other side of my door. It was the most fear I ever remember feeling. Suddenly, at the foot of my bed, there sat Jesus, flesh and blood, not ghost like. I knew instantly who He was and felt safe.

Jesus laid His hand on me and told me that I never needed to be afraid. He promised me He would always be there to protect me, even when I could not see Him.

I never saw Jesus in flesh and blood again, but I felt His presence many times in many different circumstances from that time until now.

God knew the life I would face. He "fashioned my days". God knew I was going to need an experience to hold on to. The blessing of an unbelievably violent, fearful childhood was being allowed to know how very close Jesus always was to me.

Today there is no place I go, there is no difficulty I face, that Jesus is not there with me. I have nothing to fear. I have a book of promises of God's faithfulness to me.

It is never about whether God is in my midst, it is only about wheather I realize how extremely close He is.

God is not only in my midst, He is sovereign and promises "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5 NKJ). God sits beside YOU, stands next to YOU, puts His arms around YOU to comfort and encourage and strengthen YOU. There will never be anything for you to fear. God has fashioned your days and intimately created you for those days. He will always be with you and nothing is to big for the Lord.