December of 2007 I took a trip to visit friends who lived several states away. My flight home was scheduled for New Years Day. I had purposely scheduled the flight for early afternoon not wanting to rise early on a day of traditionally sleeping late. This would make my arrival time at the airport in my home state early evening. Well needless to say there were short delays which would deliver me at my home destination even later as well as the lines at the baggage claim.

Finally I have the luggage in the car and am scraping snow and ice from the windshield, and off I go heading home. It is a two hour drive to my home. The snow seemed light but I had been praying before the plane landed, 'Lord, should I just find a hotel room for the night and just call it a day?'. In my deepest knowing I knew I was to go home. In the midst of all this activity I heard a worship song in my spirit. It started when I sat in the seat of the first plane I boarded that day. It kept repeating over and over in my heart all the way home. I hummed the song on the planes then sang out loud in the car. In the midst of a storm I was worshiping!

So off I go down the Interstate not looking forward to my long drive. As I kept driving the snow got thicker. By the time I left the city the snow was really coming down. So once again I said, " Lord should I get a hotel room and spend the night?" Again the Lord impressed me to go home. He told me repeatedly to keep the car straight and steady. On the Interstate the road had been heavily salted and as the cars passed me the gunk on the road splashed on my windshield. There were many times I literally could not see the road. Again and again the Lord said "Keep it straight and steady." What remained ahead were several miles of old highway which very rarely get cleaned or salted by the road crews. By now the snow was blowing very hard and visibility was down little to almost none.

I inquired one more time of the Lord and again the answer was the same. Keep it straight and steady. I was to go home. The same worship song kept coming over and over out of my heart, mouth, and spirit.

What made this experience even more interesting is that in past times I would have reasoned my way out of the whole situation. I would have looked at all the elements swirling around me and said, "You are crazy if you think I am going home in this!" This time the Peace that passes not just all understanding but even any understanding kept my heart and mind through Christ Jesus our Lord. Did I make it home? Oh yes in just a little over two hours.

You see on a good driving day normal driving time is two hours. Need you ask who drove the car? It sure was not me. There were repeated times I just could not see the road. The gentle still small voice said, "Keep it straight and keep it steady."

Just two weeks later I was scheduled to drive to Cincinnati, Ohio. This is a three hour drive for me. Again I am by myself. Driving conditions this time were favorable. Believe me I was grateful, but I did not know the city. I was apprehensive about the locations of lodging and events when I arrived. I had printed directions but I am a country girl and large cities are not user friendly to me. My destination was "The Call" Cincinnati. While checking in early the kindly porter directed me to the arena close by. All the while I prayed that the Holy Spirit would keep me alert to the directions and signs.

After spending seven hours in the arena it was about 4:00pm. The Lord impressed me to leave. No! I could not be hearing correctly. There were six more hours to go! What if I missed something! The impression and knowledge to leave got stronger. I tried to brush it away but could not. After contending with the Lord for almost an hour I knew I must leave. If I did not leave I would be in direct disobedience to the Lord. So slowly I walked around the arena to the entry way where hours before I had arrived. Now I was hesitant and could not understand the Lords' direction. This had been a day of fasting and prayer. I had risen early that morning to get on the road. Now the instructions of the Lord were to leave and go eat. This did not make sense to me. I knew "to leave" meant I was not going to return.

Eating meant I was breaking the Fast. So I found my car, traveled a few blocks back to the hotel, and went to my room. Upon my arrival I found I was really hungry. I made my way downstairs to the Grille for a light early dinner, then proceeded to my room for the night. After a cup of tea, browsing through a book, and a phone call I dosed off to sleep. I had been very tired and I did not realize it. Isaiah 54:5 came alive to me once again, "Thy Maker is thy Husband, the Lord of Hosts is His name, the Holy One of Israel, the God of the Whole Earth He is called." I had been taken care of by the God of the Universe. He had tenderly taken care of my needs.

Toward the end of January I had still not caught on yet what God was doing. I saw some sign posts of Faith building but just didn't quite get it yet. On Sunday mornings I travel an hour and a half one way to church. Now right there most people would be going, "Oh that's nuts!" With all the churches everywhere and almost one every corner there must be a church close by. Yes there is. However, that is not where the Lord has directed me.

By now you can guess I live in an area where there is winter weather. This particular Sunday morning the temperature was to be close to zero degrees with wind chill close to twenty below zero. So on Saturday night in my mind I thought I would surely not be traveling to church in the morning. As I prayed and inquired of the Lord I was impressed to go to church on the morrow. Struggling with that for hours I went to bed setting my alarm clock on the way. I struggled in my spirit off and on all night. I would sleep then awaken. Then the pattern repeated. Then came morning and I awoke and sat straight up in bed as I was saying out loud, "I've been apprehended by the Love of God!" Then I knew! I had been given revelation of that phrase.

Apprehended means grasped, or to be laid hold of. Most of all I understood why in I Sam.15:22 it says, "To Obey is better than Sacrifice." We as humans or even children of God obey mostly for the sake of obedience. That is a sacrifice to our flesh. To obey the Lord out of "Love" that is from the heart. If I obey you because it is my duty to do so it may be a sacrifice but not an expression of true submission. If I am so "Love Sick" for you that I long to serve you at any cost and please you, then I have been apprehended - Laid Hold of by Love itself.

For God "Is Love", He is not just 'loving'. This is the purest form of obedience. That is why I believe Jesus could go to the cross. He too was apprehended - grasped -by the Love of His Father.

In Matthew 14:22 Jesus told his Disciples to get in a boat and go to the other side of the lake. That meant they would get to the other side of the lake. In the middle of the process the earth elements reared their ugly head. The Disciples looked at those elements and became afraid. They had forgotten Jesus' words of getting to the other side. Sometimes our process may be bumpy and we may see the elements around us, but if Jesus said we would get to the other side - we will. I have had the revelation that I am having the ride of my life, how about you?