The LORD says,
"I will make my people strong with power from me.
They will go wherever they wish, and wherever they go
they will be under my personal care."
(Zechariah 10:12 ~ Living Bible)

Those words became meaningful to Margaret and me some years ago. It was at the time we were looking forward to beginning a ministry with the Ewage people of Papua New Guinea. Our purpose in going to live in one of their villages was to learn the language so that we could translate at least the New Testament for them. The 12,000 speakers of the Ewage language live in numerous villages along the coast between Bakumbari and Pongani. Other villages that would be well known to those who took part in World War 2 are Gona, Buna, Sanananda, and Oro Bay. The Kokoda Trail begins in the village of Gona at the coast. It was here that the Japanese forces landed to begin their march across the trail towards Port Moresby.

After consultation with the District Commissioner, an Australian at that time as PNG had not yet attained independence, and the Bishop of the Anglican Church based in Popondetta, himself an Ewage speaker from the village of Gona, we had decided to build our village home in Beama village at Oro Bay. For several reasons. It was accessible by road, more or less central in the language area, and was a beautiful place to live, with the mountains coming right down to the sea and the cool, but not cold, tropical waters to enjoy swimming in. Most importantly though, we would be surrounded by Ewage speaking people, an essential factor if we were to learn their language.

Help and encouragement was coming from all directions as we landed at Girua. On the way down from our headquarters at Ukarumpa in the highlands, as we flew along the coast, we had seen below us the shadow of our single engine Cessna plane in the centre of circular rainbow, moving along with us. This is a somewhat rare feature known to air travelers as the "airman's halo." We took it as a covenant sign¹ that the Lord was with us. Another encouragement had come from our visit with Bishop Ambo following a survey of the language area. He said to us, "I have prayed for many years for someone from Wycliffe to come and do my language." All of the Anglican missionaries had also assured us of our welcome among them. They had said to us, "The people want the New Testament in their own language. None of us have had time to do it as we are so busy in looking after the churches, our medical work in the clinics and hospital, and the schools." We were so much looking forward to being part of the team.

Meeting us at the airstrip was one of the Anglican missionaries with a four wheel drive vehicle. He drove us to the leprosy hospital at Embogo, about ten kms. from the village at Oro Bay. It was in the process of closing down because, due to the work of the Anglican mission medical workers over the years, leprosy was no longer a major problem in the area. The District Commissioner had arranged for us to stay in one of the former doctor's houses while we built our house in the village. Our own vehicle was on its way down by ship. We would travel to and from the village for the six weeks it took to build our house with the help of six young village men and one of our colleagues who worked in an adjoining language. The District Commissioner eight years previously had asked for a Wycliffe person to "come and help the Ewage people." And here we were, a couple of ordinary, not overly talented people, ready to take up the challenge. But ...

One day in the village we noticed a young man with 'Elephantiasis.' This is the condition in which a person's legs, and/or other limbs, enlarge with skin folds that take on the appearance of the legs of an elephant. The parasite causing this condition is transmitted by the filaria bearing mosquito, one of the day biting mosquitoes. We immediately became anxious for our children, the two youngest who Margaret would be day-schooling in the village and also for the older ones who would be with us during school holidays. We sought advice from the mission doctor. He confirmed that the condition existed in the area and explained how to recognize it in its early stages. If we became worried that any of the children might have been exposed to the filaria carrying mosquito we should part their eyelids during the night while they were asleep. If filaria was present we would see the filaria parasite in their eyes. There followed a day of testing for us. Had we done the right thing in coming to this place with our young family? It was a beautiful area, but oh! the mosquitoes by day and night, not to mention the sand-flies. Had we chosen the right village to live in? Should we have chosen another village? Or even another language group to work in?

It was then, in our anxiety for the children and doubts over where we were at, that we took a day off and drove up into the mountains as far as Kokoda. Perhaps this would be better place for the family? And after all, the language of the people living in this area was related to the Ewage language wasn't it? We weren't really convinced by our reasoning, as deep down we knew that we were called to serve the Ewage people. But we needed some reassurance. It came next day in my morning reading of the Scriptures, when the words quoted above caught my attention. It was the assurance we needed as the words became very personal for us in our situation. It didn't matter which village we chose, because, as the Lord was saying to us, "They will go wherever they wish, and wherever they go they will be under my personal care."

There was something in this assurance that we would need to understand however, an important principle to be aware of. It is this. Things still happen in life. Troubles, difficulties, dangers, sickness, still come our way. We are not kept from them. But it is in the midst of the trials that the Lord cares for us, that we remain under his 'personal care.' And so it was for us in the years that followed.

Mosquitoes abounded in the hot tropical climate of Oro Bay. At night we lit mosquito coils to repel them. We set up one of them on the floor at the foot of our young daughter's bed. Sometime during the night she turned herself around and placed her pillow at that end of the bed. In the middle of the night we were woken up by the howling of a cat outside and just below our bedroom window. Margaret sensed danger as she cried out, "I can smell something burning." We jumped up and there in the moonlight could see our daughter's long hair falling out over the end of her bed and directly above her pillow which had fallen down over the burning mosquito coil. Margaret grabbed up the pillow at both ends, raced to the door and dropped it out side. It immediately burst into flames as I followed with a broom sweeping out the hot embers which had dropped from the pillow. We poured water on the smouldering floor boards. Our daughter slept through it all.

Next day we were telling the village people about our night time adventures. With tears streaming down her face as she thought of what could have happened, one of the ladies said to us, "God sent that cat to wake you up." It was true. Danger had threatened, but the Lord had said, "... they will be under my personal care."

On another occasion the Lord watched over me during an anxious six week period after I had gone down with a chloroquin resistant strain of malaria and hepatitis at the same time. Under his personal care I recovered as I slowly regained my strength. David offers this assurance for those who put their trust in the Lord.

   The LORD nurses them when they are sick. And eases their pain and discomfort. (Psalm 41:3)

No matter what troubles come our way we may take shelter in the Lord. Listen as David talks over his troubles with the Lord.

   O LORD, I have come to you for protection. Don't let me be put to shame ...
   I am overcome with joy because of your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul ...
   Your goodness is so great! You have stored up great blessings for those who love you. You have done so much for those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in your presence, far from accusing tongues. (Psalm 31:1, 7, 19-20)

Here is a promise for us to keep in mind when we are anxiously waiting for the resolution of a matter that we may be worrying over, a job application, an exam result, the declining years of a loved one, a dispute with someone, or on the edge of impatience while waiting for a service person to come to fix something in the house.

   Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. (Psalm 91:1)

And another reassurance for those times when the storms of world events rage around us, or when in the pressure-cooker of everyday life things start to get too hot for us to handle. Isaiah writes ...

   To the poor O LORD, you are a refuge from the storm. To the needy in distress, you are a shelter from the rain and the heat. For the oppressive acts of ruthless people are like a storm beating against a wall, or like the relentless heat of the desert. But you silence the roar of foreign nations. You cool the land with the shade of a cloud. So the boastful songs of ruthless people are stilled. (Isaiah 25:4-5)

There is also a special promise of shelter for the people of Israel, as the storm clouds gather around them. And as the noise of the thunderous hoof beats of the horses and the shouts of their riders is heard.² Listen again to Isaiah ...

   The LORD Almighty will come and fight on Mount Zion. He will not be frightened away. The LORD Almighty will hover over Jerusalem as a bird hovers around its nest. He will defend and save the city. He will pass over it and rescue it. (Isaiah 31:4b-5)

   Then the LORD will provide shade for Jerusalem and all who assemble there. There will be a canopy of smoke and cloud throughout he day, and clouds of fire at night, covering the glorious land. It will be a shelter from daytime heat and a hiding place from storms and rain. (Isaiah 4:5-6)

Are you carrying a load of care that seems to get heavier every day? As a former successful business man as a fish exporter, Peter knew what the cares collected in the work-a-day world were like. Do what he suggests.

   Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you. (1 Peter 5:5)

We can also look forward to that day when, because of our faith in Christ and the acceptance of his sacrificial death for the forgiveness of our sins, we enter into that eternal shelter of his presence. John describes the scene as it was revealed to him.

After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count,
from every nation and tribe and people and language,
standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb.
They were clothed in white and held palm branches in their hands.
And they were shouting with a mighty shout,
"Salvation comes from our God on the throne and from the Lamb!"

Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me,
"Who are these who are clothed in white? Where do they come from?"
And I said to him, "Sir, you are the one who knows."
Then he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.
They washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.
That is why they are standing in front of the throne of God,
serving him day and night in his Temple.
And he who sits on the throne will live among them and shelter them.
They will never again be hungry or thirsty,
and they will be fully protected from the scorching noontide heat.
For the Lamb who stands in front of the throne will be their shepherd.
He will lead them to the springs of living water.
And God will wipe away all their tears.
(Revelation 7:9-10, 13-17)

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¹Refer to Genesis 9:12-17.
²Revelation 6:1-8