In a previous post, I spoke of reading through the Bible each year. The daily passages, though scheduled, are like whispers from God, adding meaning to the random events of life.
A few days before Christmas a Bible memory app popped up a reminder to go over previously memorized verses. My memory is not what it used to be, and I made too many mistakes in the last review to be “passed” to the next level. The reminder popped up at just the right time to send a message.
“Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God. I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” Isaiah 46:9-10
In a busy month, when I launched my novel Whirlwind and prepared for family visiting over the holiday, the verses spoke a message of peace. I can trust this powerful, all-knowing God. He has worked wonders in the past. Not only the biblical past of Creation, bringing the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, and sending his own son to Earth, but also in my personal past—good from difficulty, joy from sorrow, abundance from emptiness. Nothing is beyond his reach, not even the future, which he knows and directs.
Like many, our income dipped this year, so we were careful and sparing with gifts. At least with physical gifts. Yet this Christmas was peaceful, pleasant, and a time of sweet memory-making.
In the absence of overabundance, the “Christmas spirits” of kindness, acceptance, and gratitude were present. Simplicity shone. Good food and conversation warmed and filled us.
When the kids had other places to be, instead of feeling left-out, my hubby and I used the time for activities we enjoyed. We took a drive, worked in the yard together, and watched a movie and talked about it.
Remembering the things God has done in the past brings peace to the present. He is the all-powerful God. There is no other. If we stay close, everything will be okay.
Dana McNeely dreamed of living in a world teeming with adventure, danger, and romance, but she had a problem—she also needed a lot of peace and quiet. She learned to visit that dream world by stepping into a book. Better yet, hundreds of books. Soon, she began writing her own stories, fact and fiction.
Inspired by the Bible stories of Elijah, Dana wondered why the prophet came to stay with the widow of Zarephath and her son. Who were they? What was their life, before? How did the boy change after he died, saw the other world—and came back?
Those questions led to Dana writing Rain, in which she built her dream world of adventure, danger, and romance. Peace and quiet, however, have remained elusive.
No stranger to drought, Dana lives in an Arizona oasis with her hubby the constant gardener, two good dogs, an antisocial cat, and migrating butterflies.
Her novel Rain spins the tale of a mysterious prophet, a desperate youth, and a relentless queen. Her second novel, Whirlwind, releases December 6, 2022. Sign up for Dana’s newsletter to get her book updates, garden exploits, butterfly effusions, and writerly fiascos.
A king’s downfall and a love that transcends war
Spurned by potential suitors, Miriam travels to Jezreel to care for her cousin’s son. There, the precocious seven-year-old works his way into her heart. When Arameans swarm the land like locusts, Miriam focuses on the safety of her young ward but promises adventures beyond the city walls when the war ends.
Gershon, a quiet and kind vintner, is happily building a life for his wife, son, and aging parents. But when his wife dies during childbirth and war looms on the horizon, he must make a decision—will he take a new wife before his heart can mend?
Meanwhile, Dov, a young officer crosses paths with the “bird girl” he remembers from the past. That she is a beautiful woman matters not, as he is a career soldier. Unexpectedly charged with leading Ahab’s army against the Arameans, Dov anticipates death and defeat in Samaria, but when a prophet pledges victory, Dov vows to fight to the end.
When an unlikely victory brings freedom, a bright future seems imminent. Then one afternoon Miriam witnesses a tragedy and must flee with the boy to keep them both safe. With henchmen on their trail, will they find refuge—and her heart the home she’s longed for?
