Violated!

I had a cute cottage style house located on a street where the trees graceful branches hung from both sides to meet giving the effect of a quiet hall and it came to a dead-end at a beautiful golf course. One of Atlanta’s best elementary schools was just up the hill from where I lived and it was our intention to send a child there, when we had one. My parents home was about six houses down the same street and usually after my husband left for work I would walk down there for a cup of coffee with my folks. One beautiful Spring morning I walked down there and while I was there we decided to go grocery shopping and run a couple of other errands. By the time I got back on the street I asked my mother to walk to my house with me so I could show her how my redecorating was coming along. We walked up the sidewalk and I stopped to get my mail from the little mailbox located on my doorpost. We talked for a few minutes and for some reason that I can’t remember I decided to walk back up to her house without going in having forgotten the original reason I asked her to go in the first place. It was a Friday and since my husband was working late and wouldn’t be home I went on to the prayer meeting that I led at the church I attended. During the meeting someone came in and told me my husband needed to speak to me on the phone. I was shocked because he knew I was in the middle of a Bible lesson and prayer, so I ran to the phone knowing it must be some sort of emergency. “Where are your house keys?” he asked, “In my purse, why?” I answered thinking about the absurdity of the question. Because our house has been broken into. I left the church and dreaded to see what had happened in my little house. The drawers all opened, clothes hanging out, the TV in my bedroom had been unplugged and was halfway pulled off the top of the armoire. The silver that my mother’s family had all pitched in to buy as a wedding present for us was gone, and in that chest a precious gift I had received from a friend, Ivory handled carving knives. Now I am going to back up three days from that day to the preceding Tuesday. I woke up in a panic, I was having a dream, I was seeing two men both dressed in camo, breaking into our basement door and coming up the stairs toward our bedroom. I told my husband about it and asked him to get someone to come and put a heavier lock on that back door, and possibly even block it. He put me off with “It’s just a dream, don’t worry about it.” “What is he thinking?” I thought silently, doesn’t he remember all the dreams I have had that have come to pass exactly as I dreamed them? I had told my dad about it and decided that what I needed was a guard dog! When I had gone there earlier the day it was broken into I didn’t realize that it was the angel of the Lord that stopped me from going on into the house. The policeman said that the way the TV had the cord wrapped around it and was pulled halfway off something must have happened to scare them and they ran back out satisfied with the goodies they had already stolen. The feeling I had when I walked into my home was that I had been personally violated, almost as if I had been raped, it felt that personal. God had warned me and nothing had been done about it, however He protected me by putting guardian angels at my door to prevent my going in while the robbery was taking place. I thought of Psalm 91, which says

^1-13 You who sit down in the High God’s presence,
    spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow,
Say this: “God, you’re my refuge.
    I trust in you and I’m safe!”
That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps,
    shields you from deadly hazards.
His huge outstretched arms protect you—
    under them you’re perfectly safe;
    his arms fend off all harm.
Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night,
    not flying arrows in the day,
Not disease that prowls through the darkness,
    not disaster that erupts at high noon.
Even though others succumb all around,
    drop like flies right and left,
    no harm will even graze you.
You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance,
    watch the wicked turn into corpses.
Yes, because God’s your refuge,
    the High God your very own home,
Evil can’t get close to you,
    harm can’t get through the door.
He ordered his angels
    to guard you wherever you go.
If you stumble, they’ll catch you;
    their job is to keep you from falling.
You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes,
    and kick young lions and serpents from the path.

^14-16 “If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says GOD;
    “I’ll get you out of any trouble.
I’ll give you the best of care
    if you’ll only get to know and trust me.
Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times;
    I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party.
I’ll give you a long life,
    give you a long drink of salvation!”

If you are feeling violated for whatever reason, whether physically, mentally, spiritually or financially, know that God will help you, He has already protected you, you just were not aware of it, I am the perfect example of that!