For Thy pleasure [Updated 2017]
Will you be alone on Christmas Eve? I was in 1978.
My parents had moved to Pittsburgh; my sister was in Oregon; and my brother was AWOL as far as the family went. I was a substitute teacher with very little income and couldn’t afford the flight to PA. So this 23 year old braved the cold and attended Grace Christian Center’s Christmas Eve service alone.
As I joined in the worship, the carols ministered to my quiet melancholy, drawing my attention off of myself and onto the newborn King. Then, a song welled up from the worship team—not a carol—but a simple worship song honoring the God of creation. It went like this:
For Thou hast created, hast all things created.
For Thou hast created all things…
And for Thy pleasure they were created.
Thou art worthy O Lord.
My eyes were closed and as these words played: “And for Thy pleasure they were created…” I saw something flash across the screen of my consciousness…
A gentle snow was falling, and I saw a little raccoon waddling down to a very familiar, half-frozen creek—the creek that traversed land that my family once owned and where I used to catch crawdads. As I watched, the raccoon took a sip of water at creek’s edge.
It surprised me—it wasn’t a Christmasy-type of “vision” at all. But then I heard the Lord say softly on the inside of me, “This just happened, and I wanted to share it with someone. I knew you’d like it, too.”
And ever since then, I’ve known I’m never alone, really. And my friend, neither are you.
My prayer for you—no matter what’s going on in your life—is that you will experience Christmas this year with the One who created all things.
—Dorothy
© 2016, Dorothy Frick