Marylynn Langbein

About a year and a half before my husband took his life, God just spoke to me one morning and said "Every morning when you wake up I want you to say "It is a brand new day full of surprises and you are going to look for God's goodness in every surprise"".  So that morning I said this to John and each morning for the next year and a half.

Little did I know ... God was preparing me for the biggest surprise of my life...

All surprises are not good!  But with His constant confirmation during the mourning process to only look up not down, continually telling me and reaffirming me to put my total focus on Him "My Last Chapter" began ...

I found this was not always easy to do, but God also teaching me obedience which follows trust.  (One of my favorite songs as a child "Trust and Obey".)  So as I continued one day at a time, another story ... reality took place!  Registration ... Bills ... Petrol ... Oil ... Tyres ... Shopping - now that was hard - seeing people!!  - another story ...  Then the little thing of something called GST ... Now what in the world is that??

I found out soon enough!!  I received a letter from a department which said "Tiki Take" or something like that, telling me that I owed this huge amount of money, which I didn't have, and the second letter confirming that if I didn't pay it I would go to jail!

Like I really needed this news!

These letters were like from another world until I remembered I had just read Merlin Carother's book, "Prison to Praise" - awesome teaching!!!  (One of God's coincidences!!!)  In this 'coincidental' book the instructions were to apply a biblical truth "In everything give thanks" - it worked!!  Odd how truth works when we apply it! 

So before the GST helper man came I began just praising the Lord. "Yeah!  I am going to prison.  I won't have to cook any more.  No more dishes!  No more housework!  There'll be friends all around! ..."

And the GST man (who was a Christian) said It is all Nil!  No prison!  

This might seem silly to you readers but when I found myself in this situation and feeling so alone, my mate gone, it truly was the next step in my salvation.  The most loving and largest step God has given me ... So though this God led me to Liberty Trust and now God's storehouse has repaid my loan interest free, which has given me a greater financial freedom to be able to go to help my children in a time of real need.

I am not a scholar but God has given me a handle to grab a hold of at all times from Thessalonians 5: 16-18:

Rejoice evermore.  Pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks - for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

If you notice ... there are no loop-holes in these Scriptures.  Don't you just love that you can trust Him!  

Praising the Lord has enabled me to carry on for this last exciting chapter with a peace and joy that truly passeth all understanding.

Sincerely with thanks and love

Marylynn

Waioeka

September 2005