T WAS A BEAUTIFUL spring morning. Except for a few lazy clouds drifting overhead, the sky was a bright blue. Birds sang as the sun's warmth gradually melted the dew from the night before. It was the kind of morning that made me glad to be alive and filled my heart with love and gratitude to God for the beautiful world He's given us.

When the trials of life seem overwhelming, I love to take off on my bike and ride. Something about the freedom, solitude, and beauty makes me feel close to God. I love to sing and talk to Him as I feel the wind blow through my hair.

Rough Road Ahead
This particular morning I was struck by the freshness of everything around me: the world washed by the rain from the night before, the freshness of new leaves just beginning to show, the spring flowers poking their little heads up through the soil, and the birds caroling their songs of praise to their Creator. As I pedaled slowly along, I took it all in, and my soul began to feel relief from the pressures of life.

"Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer," I prayed with King David. "From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I" (Ps. 61:1, 2). My heart was overwhelmed. On this particular morning I needed answers; I wanted to feel the peace only God can give.

As a single mom of four children, I often struggled to find balance in a crazy world. Two years before, after much prayer, I had decided to give homeschooling a try. Two wonderful years followed, filled with many blessings. But trying to balance homeschooling while working had taken its toll, and I was tired. The thought of doing it another year overwhelmed me; I just didn't feel up to the challenge. As if in answer to my prayers, a small church school was opening nearby, but the cost of tuition was completely out of reach for me.

I had also promised my children we would try to go on the Maranatha Family Mission Project during the summer, but I hadn't been able to save the money. The new school and the mission trip seemed beyond my grasp.

My heart was heavy, and as I rode along and told God the burdens on my heart I couldn't stop the tears. Something about the beauty of the morning made me feel God's presence and love. "Thank You, Lord," I prayed. I did not know the answers, but I felt a sense of peace. I knew that even if I homeschooled again, God would bring me through. Even if we didn't get to go on the mission trip, God was in control. After all, "All things work together for good to them that love God" (Rom. 8:28). I felt at peace because I knew I could trust God with my problems and with my children.

Consider the Birds
At that very moment, as I looked into the blueness of the sky, I noticed a bird flying overhead. It dropped something just as it passed. This "something" fell softly through the air and landed on the road in front of me. Getting off my bike, I picked it up and found it was a piece of bread. I looked back up and watched the bird fly out of sight.

The story of Elijah immediately flashed through my mind. I could see him sitting by the brook Cherith, alone and probably more than a little worried. After all, he knew there was a price on his head. Perhaps he worried about where he would get enough to eat. As I watched that bird fly away that spring morning, I couldn't help comparing my feelings with how Elijah must have felt as he reflected on God's promise: "I have commanded the ravens to feed thee" (1 Kings 17:4). A sense of awe filled my soul because I knew God had heard and cared enough to send me a token of His care, just as He had to Elijah so many years ago.

As I rode home, I felt as if I had been touched by God's hand. I couldn't help thinking of the words of my favorite song:

"I know not why God's wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own.
But 'I know whom I have believed,
And am persuaded
That He is able
To keep that which I've committed
Unto Him against that day'"

(Daniel W. Whittle, "I Know Whom I Have Believed," Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, no. 511).

Promises Kept
A miracle happened that day in my heart! The next week we received word that the expenses of our mission trip had been paid. The day before we left, I received a phone call informing me that I would have the help I needed for my children to attend the new church school.

I'm thankful I serve a God who understands my heart and answers my prayers so simply and so powerfully. And why not? Jesus said, "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? . . . For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6:31-33).

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Shirley Johnston writes from Rising Fawn, Georgia.