To Them Who Love the Lord

By Annalee Sanders

Through grief, tragedy, divorce, sickness, aging, death, and other storms of life, God shows up. But we must be open to his holy presence; we must know that he is a rewarder to those who diligently seek him. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

A book composed of short stories, prayers, journal entries, and scriptures, To Them Who Love the Lord, is inspiring and reminding of God’s love, goodness, mercy, and grace. It reminds us, as humans, that when we have no strength, God is our strength. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Apr 12, 2019
• ISBN: 9781728307787

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© 2019 Annalee Sanders. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 04/11/2019

ISBN: 978-1-7283-0779-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-0778-7 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

KJV

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 From Hopelessness to My Only Hope

Chapter 2 From Death to Life

Chapter 3 From Tragedy to Refuge

Chapter 4 From Sacrifice to Obedience

Chapter 5 From Fear to Peace

Chapter 6 From Judging to Judgment

Chapter 7 From Trials to Blessings

DEDICATION

Being shy all my life, spoken words have never come easy for me. I enjoy listening and learning, then writing my thoughts. Throughout my life Mother encouraged me to write a book. After 50 plus years, I knew it was time to get it done.

I pray that this book is pleasing to Jehovah-Jirah (The Lord will provide) and that the reader will be edified, encouraged, and assured of God’s faithfulness along the way. Because of Mother’s encouragement and the power of The Holy Spirit, this book was made possible. I dedicate this book to both of them.

…TO THEM WHO LOVE THE LORD…

(Romans 8:24-34) KJV

24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27 And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.

29 For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30 Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified.

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

32 He who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God who justifieth.

34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

CHAPTER 1

From Hopelessness to My Only Hope

Imagine you feel totally and completely alone. You are spinning in a bottomless pit. There is no gravity yet you are falling. Your eyes are closed because you are overwhelmed with fear that sight could make your hell worse. You grab for something, anything that will make you feel safe and secure. The table under you feels like a board attached to your back but it is falling with you. There is no time. One minute and one hour are the same. You are trembling with extreme terror. Death is welcomed but does not come. You are in a state of no mercy, no peace, no hope. Your arms and legs flop like a fish out of water as you try to become stable again. You feel your eyes rolling in all directions in your head. You can not control them. You struggle to breath but cannot make your lungs inhale. Your heart is trying to jump out of your chest. It seems like eternity is passing and hope is non-existent. The Earth has come off its axis. Your brain cannot bear any more stimulation. It is hell on Earth. You plead for Jesus to help. You plead and plead. Your thoughts tell you that you have been abandoned by God but your heart tells you that He will never leave nor forsake you.

And suddenly, bam! Hope hits you like a brick, a very welcomed brick. Jesus has come as your trembling voice shouts out for Him. You begin to sing, Peace, peace, wonderful peace, that comes from the Father above. I’m saved and He’s keeping me perfectly whole. And peace like a river flows into my soul. It’s a hymn that you sang as a child.

Your body continues to quiver as Scriptures start popping into your head and out of your mouth, scriptures you haven’t read in ages: But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6 KJV). You struggle for air as you continue to yell The Words of your Creator. Nausea, oh dear, the nausea is unbearable! You continue to shout scriptures, stopping only to dry heave and then continue shouting: Seeing then that we have a great high priest, who is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our profession. For we have not an high priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we, yet without sin. We therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16 KJV).

A thought flashes through your mind: Hell? Am I in hell? The answer comes: No, hell is the absence of God. God is here. He promised: And the LORD, He it is that does go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed. (Deuteronomy 31:6 KJV).

You pause and wonder am I really saying this? It’s my mouth talking but how am I remembering these scriptures? Then you realize it’s the power of God like you have never experienced before. It’s like that precious moment when you first realized that Jesus is your salvation from a devil’s hell. It’s the power of a Holy God engulfing a lowly sinner.

The scriptures keep flowing. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5 KJV). The nausea is beyond anything a human can bear on her own. You hear the doctor telling you what to do and what she is doing. You think: these tests had to be invented by Hitler or Satan himself. You hear the doctor page for assistance and you are rushed down to the emergency room. The doctor says, In all my years of performing these tests, I have never seen a case so severe! Fluids shoot from every opening in your body, even sweat from every pore.

You fall into a semi-conscious state, hearing people talk, people coming in and out of the room, tubes poking in your body, and wires attached all over your chest. You lay there completely and totally helpless. And time passes on….

Finally you are released from the hospital to go home but traveling is impossible. Movement is a raging, devouring, merciless enemy.

What you have endured are called vestibular testing and audio gram.

Description of the Tests

The drive to Lafayette was fairly easy considering that I was not allowed to take any medication because it would interfere with the tests. Before the trip, I had been fearful because I had not ridden anywhere, not even short distances, in the past few years, without taking medicine for motion sickness.

When my husband and I arrived at the hospital in Lafayette, we praised God for getting us there without me getting sick. Heaven knows, it was only God’s intervention that made it possible to travel. I checked in and after a short wait the doctor came. She asked us to follow her to the testing room. I walked anxiously, at times I grabbed my husband’s hand for support. He and Jesus were my Rock!

I followed the doctor in a small room with all the testing equipment. I had already researched the tests on the internet to see what I was in for. But reading about it and experiencing it are two totally different things.

The first tests were a MRI, CT scan, and standard hearing tests.

The purpose for the MRI, which uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce cross-sectional images of the brain, can reveal the presence of tumors, stroke damage, and other soft-tissue abnormalities that might be the cause of my dizziness and vertigo. An MRI of structures in and around my inner ear help the doctor to diagnose vestibular disorders.

The CT scan took an x-ray of the bony structures, temporal bone, in my ear. The scan was used to look for abnormalities around my inner ear, such as fractures or areas with thinning bone.

The Audiometry measured my hearing function, which is important to evaluate because the inner ear contains both hearing and balance organs. More than one hearing test was done because there was not so much evidence of hearing loss, but of a sensation of fullness in the ears, and tinnitus - ringing or what I call crickets in my ears. The audiometric test battery was done in a sound-treated room. I wore earphones while sounds at different pitches and levels were presented, and I responded when I heard a sound. Another part of the hearing test was called tympanometry, which helps to detect problems between the ear drum and the inner ear. Tympanometry uses a small earpiece that creates pressure and plays sound in the ear canal to gather information. It was also used for acoustic-reflex testing, which measured the reflex of my muscles in the middle ear in response to pressure and loud sound. This test was difficult because I get sound-induced vertigo.

Next, we followed the doctor upstairs to a small, dark room, the place where Hell evolved into my experiencing God on a whole new level.

The following are descriptions of each test, as boring as they may be, they are important. The descriptions include some information from Vestibular.org.

The vestibular system (ears) and the visual system (eyes) are connected to each other and to the muscles in the eyes and neck that help maintain good balance. Head movements or other stimulation of the inner ear send signals through the nervous system to control eye muscle movements. This forms a reflex pathway called the vestibulo-ocular reflex, or VOR. This system is designed to generate eye movements that maintain clear vision when the head is in motion. Many vestibular tests use equipment to monitor the eyes for normal and abnormal movements when the vestibular system is stimulated. In other words, there’s a connection between the ears and eyes. They work together. VOR tests the muscle movements around the eyes that move due to turning the head or hearing sounds.

Next came Electronystagmography (ENG), a group of tests that used small electrodes placed over my skin around my eyes.

The next tests, Videonystagmography (VNG), was the same test but used goggles with video cameras to monitor my eyes. Both the video cameras and the electrodes measured my eye movements to evaluate signs of vestibular dysfunction or neurological problems. My doctor asked me random questions to occupy me and keep me alert. ENG/VNG tests are the most common set of tests administered to people with dizziness, vertigo, and / or imbalance. I clearly remember this test. As a natural response, a person with vertigo learns to close her eyes to help relieve the vertigo and nausea. My struggle was to keep my eyes open. At the moment I thought this test was rough, but it was only the beginning. At this point, the Bible scriptures started flowing from my mouth.

ENG/VNG tests evaluate the movement of the eyes as they follow different visual targets and observe eye movements as the head is placed in different positions. A third component of the ENG/VNG is called the caloric test, which uses changes in temperature within the ear canal to stimulate part of the vestibular system. Air or water are used to modulate the ear canal temperature, which may be warmer or cooler than body temperature. This test provoked jerking eye movements (nystagmus) for a short time. I clearly remember each one of these tests because they were so difficult. When the warm water, in a balloon, was placed in my ear, that’s when hell came into the room. It was the most unbearable moment of my life! Because I was having a terrible time tolerating the tests, the doctor had to repeat many of them to get an accurate result.

Rotation tests are another way of evaluating how well the eyes and inner ear work together. These tests also use video goggles or electrodes to monitor eye movements. The head is rotated side to side at moderate or slow speeds, and associated eye movements are analyzed. Rotation tests provide information beyond the ENG/ VNG about how well the balance organs are functioning.