Feathers, Petals and Songs

                          Feathers, Petals and Songs
Dear Friends,
     This summer has been so unusually rainy and when I go to the garden my flowers are covered with raindrops. The sunlight is coming out from behind the clouds and glistening on the delicate petals of the Hibiscus.  The sun  shines through the petals like a sunbeam shines through a curtain made of lace. The intricate details of the life sustaining veins inside each petal is visible. Yesterday the flower was still curled tightly like an unborn baby is curled inside a womb. The birth happened unseen by my eyes. The rain and the sunlight provided the life giving nutrients bringing birth to the flower. I saw the bud yesterday and I see the blossom today. Beautiful! 
     So often I am reminded of Naghmeh Abedini who is the wife of Saeed. He is in prison in Iran for his faith in Jesus. She asks for prayers as she goes before officials, or when she is being interviewed on news programs. She has shared how she is naturally a very quiet person and is very nervous to be in the public eye.  I heard it said that courage is doing what you know that you should do, something good and right, even though you are afraid. Even through the pain she speaks out and shares the Gospel.
    God sees the tears on her pillow, and He hears her trembling heart when she gets behind a microphone. He know the sorrows that she faces each day when her children cry for their daddy. When she has the opportunity to tell people about Saeed she also tells them about God's love and about her faith and how God is sustaining them through this time of extreme pain. 
   I see Naghmeh blooming as this flower is now.  Prayers can be life giving much like rain and sunshine are to a garden. Let us remember to pray for them. God is working and will be glorified!
Psalms 34:18
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed."
Hebrews 11:30
"It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down."