God actually found a way to give me a real live hug!!! Extraordinary!

Reblogged from He gave me His Word
Stories of Faith, Hope and Love

by Amanda Schaefer


The day started off as usual. After worship I sat down to write. Once again God had already written the story for the day. Ever since I heard Him tell me to start writing again God had gifted me with knit together stories of truth and revelation. I have actually gotten over wondering "what will I write about today?" because I know that by the time I am done with my time with Him I will know. This morning is different though. I knew by last night exactly what I would be writing today.


Yesterday my friend Janine contacted me about going to Lancaster to a YWAM worship gathering of over 800 people. I wanted to go so badly. We tried to make it work, but between the train schedules and needing to stay overnight somewhere, it ended up that I had to pass. She was not wanting to travel alone, but God in His sweetness reminded her that He was traveling with her. Honestly as much as I wanted to go I also wanted to stay. I was tired quite frankly, and emotionally drained to be exact.

My daughter called out of the blue and said that she wanted to bring me a home cooked meal and to visit with the family. I smiled knowing that this was a blessing that would be comforting and settled back onto the couch with my two puppies. I rested and cleaned a little and had a pretty unproductive day which was just what the doctor would have order if he had been asked.

After a beautiful meal together, as we were letting our food settle before desert, I got a text. "Are you home?" my friend asked. "Yes", I answered. "Do you have a minute? I was sitting here praying for you and God laid something on my heart and I just want to be obedient while it is fresh on my heart. Can you meet me outside in a couple of minutes?" Now let me just tell you that last night the temperature outside was one degree. I answered her that I could meet her and put on boots, a sweater, a scarf and my big puffy coat. I had on sweat pants which I awkwardly tucked inside of the boots and I looked a little like a weird female Santa Clause impersonator with my black boots and big burgundy coat in which I looked "jolly" to say the least.

After bundling up I headed outside to wait for my friend. It was hard to leave my cozy home. Candles were lit all over the living room. It smelled like mulled cider and vanilla. We had been under a handmade afghan chatting and laughing and now here I was feeling like a stuffed sausage inside of my lovely winter get up.

 Her car pulled up and I began to walk over thinking that it was strange that she wanted to meet outside. She parked and quickly got out before I had the chance to reach her car. "Hi" she said with that warm gentle smile that she has. She has the kind of eyes that speak without words and they smiled back at me too. "Hi" I said back wondering what this clandestine meeting in the frigid night air was all about. "Okay, I know this is going to sound so weird" she began, "But God was very specific. I was at my house praying for you and God laid something on my heart that He wanted me to do." "Okay" I said knowing that my sister in Christ had heard very clearly from God and that whatever it was she had to say,  I needed to know. It is always nice having close friends who are prophetic and loving and most of all, obedient. She reached forward towards me and hugged me". We stood there for a very long time just hugging each other. We began to sway back and forth, standing in the darkness, in the cold, our breath filling the night air. We swayed back and forth - back and forth - as if we were dancing for what seemed like hours.

 "He said that it needed to be for a long time" she said sheepishly.  "Please don't think I am a weirdo" she quipped. "I don't think that" I said. "He told me to tell you that everything was going to be alright" she offered lovingly. We squeezed each other tighter and continued rocking. "I know it is" I said, "He keeps telling me that too." "We are swaying like a couple of crazies" I laughed as I said it, smiling the entire time. "He told me to" she said. "What?" I exclaimed. "I just thought we started swaying because we were hugging for so long" I chuckled. "No, He said to sway and hug and to keep hugging for a long time and to tell you that everything would be okay." "Ha, it's like the other night when I was trying so hard not to be upset...Polly was dying, my husband was losing his job, I would be losing mine too because Polly wouldn't need me any more and I was okay, truly I was at peace and then the puppy looked up at me and she had this huge swollen snout. I called the vet and they said to give her Benedryl. I gave her some as I had done with many of my dogs in the past, but she started to act funny. Her breath started getting shallow and she could barely keep her eyes open. I started having trouble breathing because I was concentrating on seeing her chest moving up and down. I scooped her up and held her. I hugged her to assure her. I rocked her back and forth all around my living room until at one point she was shaking. I shushed her and told her that "everything was going to be alright" and looked up into the mirror and saw myself holding her and loving her and caring for her and then God said 'this is what I am doing for you right now my beloved!'" "Oh my" my friend said. "Oh wow", I joined her as the light bulbs began to go off. We pulled back from our hug and looked into each other's eyes. "This is the exact same thing!" "God is using you to physically manifest Himself and to hug me and rock me and assure me that everything will be okay" I said in awe of what was happening. "Woah" we said in stereo. We hugged even tighter and I found that I had suddenly become immune to the cold because my heart was so warm. God had spoken to my friend and she had been obedient to come no matter how strange at first His command had seemed to her. And now here we were embracing and He was somehow in our midst. God himself had found a way to hug me and love me through my wonderful sister in Christ.

We stood outside just a bit longer marveling at God. We spoke about His faithfulness and His goodness and tears were in our eyes. We wiped them away before they became frozen and hugged again. "I just had a flashback" she said. "Of what?" I asked. "do you remember years ago, the night when our women's group prayed over each other?" I knew exactly which night she was talking about. "Yes" I answered. "He told you that you needed to be vulnerable and weak before Him". "Yes I remember" I said. "It's funny because He has been highlighting that. The blog that I have been writing, He told me to be vulnerable and to talk about Him being strong in my weak places. He said that this is when He will minister to me and He will also receive glory. "Yes" we both said again together.

We smiled as we disengaged from our hug. My dear friend smiled again at me with love in her eyes. "I love you sis" she said. "I love you too sis" I replied. I watched as she got into her car and drove away. As I walked back into my house I could feel that I was still smiling. I took off my coat and scarf and boots and put them in their places. I walked back into the living room and shared what had just happened with my daughter. We praised God. We smiled We smiled a lot. Lauren went into the kitchen and returned with luscious chocolate cupcakes piled high with chocolate gnash and full glasses of milk. As we ate the sweetness and drank in the warmth of the night my phone text alert went off one more time. "Just was reminded of something I was hearing when I was praying before I texted you earlier. I know you already know this but God was saying, 'You are not alone, I will never leave you or forsake you' and as I kind of argued that you already knew that the interesting thing is that He said that 'You can have people all around you and things going on and still feel aloneness. So I am reminding you that you are not alone.'" "Wow" I thought, God is so amazing. "Rest in Him <3" came the last text from her. "Thank you" I responded. "Tonight I experienced the manifest presence of God through you twice now! Very cool!". "HE IS A FAITHFUL GOD" She answered in all caps. "AMEN!" I answered back likewise. Amen in deed.

God had orchestrated it that I couldn't go to Lancaster with Janine. He had prompted Lauren to bring me a meal and company and a present (A beautiful painting that she had gotten because she said that it "was so good to see me praising God through the storm") The painting fit right into the quiet comfy evening that God had planned just for me.

Then He sent me a friend to Hug me and rock me and tell me that "Everything would be alright" He told me that "if I was weak, He would be strong". He told me that "I was loved" and He lavished me with that love.

I know that there are many people that don't think that God can talk to us. I want to tell you that God can do anything that He wants to do...And that what He wants to do is love on His children.

It wasn't lost on me that God went traveling with Janine last night and made a lovely evening for her with her old friends from YWAM and  a night of worship, and at the very same time He came and had supper with me and hugged me and loved me all the way down to the desert.

I once read a quote that said,"Hold on to your fork. The best is yet to come" As these words came to mind I felt God prompting me that the meal indeed was over, but not to let go of my fork because the sweetness of desert was on it's way as surely as Lauren had walked into the living room with those chocolate cupcakes. "We have much to talk about together and all of the time in the world to sit together and joy in each other's good company ", He said.

"God You are fantastic and I love You to the moon and back!" I answered, joyful and expectant for what would be next...