(Written in 2016. I thought it was appropriate to share on the day after mid-term elections.)

God never declared that “man" would heal our nation. He said that HE would heal our nation if His people would humble themselves and pray. Never, ever, ever, ever, EVER put your hope in mere man....put your trust and hope in God.

These are just a few things Pat and I have seen in our time together:

We have seen poverty so deep that we didn't have an extra dime to put in a roll of dimes to cash at the bank.

We have seen a time where we didn't have enough money to even buy oatmeal and milk for the kids.

We have seen sickness and disease, kidney stones, migraines, allergies and we wondered how we would be healed and how we would pay for treatments and medical costs.

We have seen unemployment off and on for our entire 14 years of marriage.

Our family has BEEN the family to which the church delivered the Thanksgiving meal.

We have seen stress so thick and the tension so high wondering "what in the world is going to happen to us".

I could go on and on and on....

Do you know Who provided for us during those very difficult times? Do you know Who healed us, provided money for treatments, and money to pay bills out of the blue? Do you know Who opened up opportunities for us to buy a house with no money down and even allowed us to MAKE $1000 in closing? Do you know Who provided mortgage payments and groceries on our front porch and a Thanksgiving meal when the company Pat worked for closed down? Do you know Who wrapped His loving arms around us and cared for us when we were hurting and fretting the most? Do you know Who stayed up late with us, til the wee hours in the morning, and gave us hope and Words to stand upon in our darkest moments? Do you know Who healed Pat's migraines, Pat's kidney stones, and Lance's legs that ached, preventing him from walking for 8 weeks straight? Do you know Who gave us unity as a family and put a song of praise in our hearts?

It was Jesus. It was our God. It was Holy Spirit.

Our God gave us a beautiful church to be a part of and amazing people who prayed for us. They visited, they laid hands on us and prayed for us. They gave us scriptures to hold onto for hope.

God is the One Who will forever get all the glory and honor and praise for doing what a government couldn't possibly do. He reached down to us and became our Provider, our Strength, our Hope, our Healer, our Deliverer, and our Source.

Some put their hope in horses and chariots (or the strength of the government) but WE put our trust in the Lord our God.

No one will ever convince me that anyone in office or in leadership can do what my God has done for me and my family. I will never allow them that place on the throne of my heart. That place is reserved for my King and it's for Him alone.

Photo Credit: Kimberly Johnson Glover took these pics for us last year! Amazing work.