In the grey of dawn, Emunah, stood on the edge of the Forest Where No Man Come Out Unbroken side of the river with Marpe, the King of All Kingdom’s son, and her guide and when needed guardian. Before she turned to step further into the forest, Marpe took hold of her hands, praying:

“Open [her] eyes that [she] may see the needs of others;
open [her] ears that she may hear their cries;
open [her] heart so that [those lost and suffering] need not be without succor;
let [her] not be afraid to defend the weak because of the anger of the strong,
Show [her] where love and hope and faith are needed,
and use [her] to bring them to [where the lost and suffering] dwell.
And so open [her] eyes and [her] ears
that [she] may this [journey] be able to do some work of peace for [for The King of All Kingdoms]. Amen”  (~ Alan Paton, South Africa, 20^th Century)

Emunah hugged Marpe and turned, wrapping her mended, restored mantle about her, and took her first steps into the forest.  Fear tried to creep into her mind for she remembered how she had struggled in her blindness to follow her Savior before she crossed the River of Living Water that Fell from the King of All Kingdoms home. The fear momentarily dimmed her ability to see without her eyes. Determinedly, she started singing to The King of All Kingdoms a new song, a journey song:

“Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free

Silently now I [journey] for thee
Ready, my God, thy will to see
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!

Open my ears, that I may hear
Voices of truth thou sendest clear;
And while the wavenotes fall on my ear
Everything false will disappear.

Open my mouth, and let me bear
Gladly the warm truth everywhere;
Open my heart; and let me prepare
Love with your children thus to share.

Silently now I [journey] for thee
Ready, my God, thy will to see
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!
(~ “Open My Eyes,” Clara H. Fiske Scott, 1895)

For three days, she and her guide moved deeper into the forest. Her guide, wordlessly advised her through promptings to see traps set, to hear evil things slithering – and through the insight gained from following her Savior, through immersion in the Waters from the Home of the King of All Kingdoms, from the time spent in Marpe’s healing house, and her guide, she was able to skirt around those traps set, to send the evil things slithering away for they were unable to penetrate the power imbued in her from The King of All Kingdom’s son. For those three days, those things in the darkness, out of sight didn’t challenge her, didn’t test this new, deeper faith walk.

By late afternoon on the third day, she found Hannah’s mantle on the ground. “Where is she?” Emunah asked, turning to her guide, but Anhera was nowhere to be found. As she turned in circles, looking for him, uneasiness wound around her, the thread of a spider wraps around its prey. Then she stilled and looked up. She froze. Abover her sat a flock of Fyler, the grey skin on their faces braided with red, hard nostrils jammed just above its moss green beak, a black ruff trying to add dignity to mercenary evil. Its claws scraping the limbs bark in a jarring grouped off-beat, one scraping, one grasping.

Emunah watched as one left its perch, wings stretching, slow beating, lifting it upward at first. She watched, mesmerized, terrified. From a lofty height, it suddenly dove downward, coming straight toward Emunah with a surprising force. She dropped to her knees, barely escaping its attacking. It moved back to its perch and sat watching, evaluating. Suddenly, it once again left its perch, wings stretched, slowly beating, lifting upward. This time when it dropped, its beat nipped her head, its claws tearing into her mantle, pulling away, screaming as if burned by a fire.

Quickly Emunah pulled the mantle’s hood over her head, only for the kin of her fingers to be torn and scratched from another swooping attack, this time by a second Fyler. She pulled her hand into her mantle before a third beat its wings down upon her.

Where, oh where, she thought frantically, had Anahera gone. Surely her savior did not send her with a false guide, like the one who had led her group into a trap, sold out for gold.

The aroma of fear started to creep, like termites from beneath her mantle.

“Sing,” cried a little whispery voice through the noise of the Fylers. Now the entire flock swooped, swiped, screamed with each talon-touch to her mantle, wearing her down one scratch, one tear at a time. . . and Emunah remembered Hannah’s shredded mantle – and fear took her breath away.

Her fingers nervously rubbed their aches, shaking uncontrollably against the mantle’s lining.

Again, the little whispery voice cried, “Sing.”

Emunah’s fingers, stilled on the mantle’s lining, on a strip of song Marpe must have sewn in. Just like her first time in the woods, when she’d lost her sight and had walked in fear in the darkness, she remembered, and at first she sang, matching the whispery voice that remembered what she had forgot: to sing!

“The Lord is my rock.
The Lord is my fortress,
The Lord my deliverer.
I cry to the Lord
who is worthy to praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.

The Lord Lives!
Praise be to my King!
Blessed be God my Savior!
He is the God who avenges me!
He subdues nations under me!
He saves me from my enemies!
He rescues me from violent men!
I will praise you among the nations, O Lord!
I will praise among to the nations!

He delivered me from the strongman’s minions
who confronted me with calamity
for they were too strong for me
but not for Him!
He delivered me because He
Delights in me
My Savior will lighten my darkness
He will raise his shield of protection
over me and those He’s given me

The Lord Lives!
Praise be to my King!
Blessed be God my Savior!
He is the God who avenges me!
He subdues nations under me!
He delivers me from my enemies!
He rescues me from violent men!
I will praise you among the nations, O Lord!
I will praise you among the nations!

Under his wing is comfort and safety
He is the house of my heeling,
the teacher of my soul
on how to fight the good fight
and not give up
He makes my feet able to feet to run like deer
over the paths He makes for me.
His right hand leads me through the waters
and fills me with strength for courage,
grows my heart to love unconditional,
set my feet to seek the lost
and bring them home.

The Lord Lives!
Praise be to my King.
(inspired by psalm 21)

With each stanza, Emunah rose from the ground, until she stood tall, and one by one, the birds left, nursing their wounds caused by the holiness infused in her mantle and in her song.

Her guard stood behind her, sword glistening in the light of the setting sun.

“And where were you,” she cried, nursing her bleeding fingers.

“Waiting for you to remember,” he said simply.

“You did! You did!” exclaimed a little voice. “You sang praises to our King, good and true – oh, what a glorious battle cry it was.”

Surprised, Emunah looked down to find the voice. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the creature speaking to her. . . the tiny creature who had saved her life by encouraging her to sing. . .

“How do you do,” the speckled and lined chipmunk said, curtseying. “I am Henrietta, at your service.”

(Next week, Emunah (Hebrew for Faith) finally rescues her dear friend, Hannah, with the help of Henrietta and a few of her friends. Henrietta and Emunah find it is no easy challenge to save her lost friends, but with Faith lining Strength for Courage, they are able to succeed!)

Remember Me Monday: #133 Link-up

“I’ll make a list of God’s gracious dealings,
    all the things God has done that need praising,
All the generous bounties of God,
    his great goodness to the family of Israel—
Compassion lavished,
.    love extravagant.”
~ Isaiah 63:7, The Message

In the Old Testament, God repeatedly, quietly and loudly, tells his children, “You have forgotten me!”  (Jeremiah 3:32, Ezekiel 22:12, to name a few). It’s a heart cry from a father to a child who has forgotten all the love, all the saving, helping, little and big blessings – and it leaves me stunned when I realize our Father, the creator of the universe, who knows things I cannot begin to fathom, who authors storylines that leave me amazed, delights in all of us so much, He cries out, “Remember Me.”

While every day is a Remember God Day, I am inviting you to join me on Monday mornings to come by and remember what God has done for you, for your family. Maybe God sent a cardinal darting out in front of you, as if to tell you, “I’m here,” or broke a child’s fever after you laid it all down at His feet in a 2 a.m. bedside vigil. Maybe He stood with you in the wait of a prayer sent out, or brought someone you loved to Christ. Maybe He healed your broken heart, gave your courage, or you gave Him your dreams as a love offering only to have Him give them back in an unimaginable way. Maybe God helped you survive to bedtime after a crazy Monday, or forgive yourself for missing it with your kiddos –– Whatever it is, let’s Remember Him. . . in a “Remember Me Monday” love letter.

“My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
Of your salvation all the day long,
Though I know not its measure.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord”
~ Psalm 71:15-16.

Let us delight in Him by telling the  stories of what He’s done!  If you wrote a blog post remembering what He’s done for you, join the linky. If you didn’t but still want to praise Him for what He’s done – write it in the comment section. Then visit a comment before or after yours! One of the beautiful things about the blogging community is the relationships it builds!

Rules?  Write long or short, a list or a story, include photos or not. Just Remember Him and what He has done, and let the gratitude of your heart guide you. Let’s make Monday so Rejoice, that the goodness of God spills into the rest of the week! (Link opens Mondays at 6 a.m.)

Places I’m Linking at This Week:
  Instaencouragements, Legacy Link-Up, 
Let’s Have Coffee Wednesday 
Recharge Wednesday, Scripture & a Snapshot
 Grace&Truth, Sweet Tea & Friends