Keep Circling. Imagine what they thought when Joshua told the Israelites to keep marching around the walls of Jericho? Not once, not twice but seven times in seven days. That must have taken such great faith and trust in God. I could only imagine what the inhabitants who lived behind those walls, had to be thinking? They must have been scratching their heads; these Israelis are loosing their minds! But they did, just as the Lord commanded. And on the seventh day, when the trumpets sounded, the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. Some say it was an earthquake or just good timing, but we all know, it was Gods’ mighty hand reaching down and doing what God does best. Shaking things up!

I think of the many prayers I’ve prayed over and over and over again, circling prayers with permanent black markers. Right after my loving mother Wanda passed, my father grieved inconsolably. My sister Kari left her world in Alaska to take care of Dad. She dropped everything, left behind her family and job, and stayed with our father for more than a year and a half. That was a huge sacrifice and selfless act on her part, but Dad was more important. When it was time for her to return to Alaska, my husband and I asked Dad to move in with us. My father Jerry was not ready for that and decided to live alone, then moved into a Care Facility and another, and finally one more. Those two years, George and I prayed many times, tried our best to get Dad to reconsider, driving back and forth from NorCal to SoCal, but he was adamant about staying put.

Fast-forward to September 2024, I received a call from the Lankford Clan. The time had come to move Dad one last time. He had lost his dear companion Buddy, a Bichon Dog, to the clutches of a coyote, and Dad was shaken to the core. The Lord had prepared our heart as well as my father’s, and when the timing was perfectly orchestrated, Dad moved in with George and I. Our prayers were answered and my earthly father was willing to put his pride aside. I can’t imagine how difficult it was for Dad to make this decision, but our sweet Jesus had paved the way.

I never gave up on the idea of Dad living with us, and God didn’t either. He had to march Dad around a few towns to make this possible, and after circling for months on end, Dad came to live with us. I’m grateful for God’s timing, knowing that George and I needed to prepare our hearts too. But now that Dad is home with us, we stopped circling this prayer knowing there are new prayer circles to follow!

“Don’t lose heart. Don’t lose hope. Don’t lose faith. Don’t lose patience.” Sometimes God pushes us to our limits just so we can lean on Him and grow some heart, know greater hope, gain more faith and learn a little patience. Something to ponder.