New Neighbours, Old Ties

Philippians 4:6 – Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

My in-laws live a ten hour drive from us, two of which are on a ferry. At ninety-two, my father-in-law is the sole caregiver for his wife. They won't have it any other way.

Though they did have good neighbours who allowed them their privacy while still keeping a watchful eye, the last eight years have yielded rather transient renters and it has been a bit of a worry. Often I have prayed that someone nice would move next door.

On a recent quick trip to visit them, I learned of new neighbours who had just purchased the house next door, and that Dad had needed to call on them a few nights before. Upon going over for introductions and thanks, I found out that, not only was the wife a Home Care nurse who knows of their situation, but that the gentleman's father had been our Presbyterian minister when I was a little girl. As we parted, the gentleman's words were "Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on them."

We may not be able to hand-pick our neighbours, but it would seem that these ones were hand picked for us.

Philippians 4:6 states clearly that we must make our requests known to God.

We must place our trust in Him, that He will answer our prayers, and that only He knows when and how they should be answered. The new neighbours are one more example that He does hear and He does answer.

Prayer: Thank you, Father for hearing our requests and answering our prayers. In Jesus' name we give our thanks. Amen.