Living in the ‘Edge’

Pastor Arnie Wyllie

Edge’ is a model of a Ford Ranger pick-up truck. Gail, Snowball and I lived “in” the Edge for 51 days! We just recently got back from a cross-Canada trip to Newfoundland. For all you trivia fans, we travelled 17,528 kilometres and used 2,711.024 litres of gasoline, averaging $1.33 per litre. We also towed behind us our “appliance” – a 6 x 9-foot trailer in which we slept and cooked. To get to Newfoundland meant we were going to travel through nine provinces. So, just so we could say we did it, we went over to British Columbia for one night so we could honestly tell our friends “we slept in every province”. It goes without saying that Snowball also “did her business” in all 10 provinces. For the most part, we had a very carefree, trouble-free trip. Praise the Lord! Every province of Canada has unique and wonderful qualities. There were places and people in every province who tempted us to stay there. We found places we had only seen in magazines and postcards. Every province has history that makes us very glad that we are Canadians, eh! The trouble we had was very insignificant (all new brakes in Newfoundland) compared to the adventure we had and the memories we will always have. Every night wherever we stopped to camp, I would take a moment to appreciate where I was. I would look at the stars and realize the very same stars were shining down on High Prayer-ie. I came to appreciate High Prayer-ie all the more. Many people would ask us where we were from. They would almost always say, “Oh yeah. I was in High Prayer-ie once. That is a beautiful part of Canada.” God does not make junk! We may become so familiar with our surroundings we fail to appreciate it. When things are going good, or things are going bad, either way, you need to remember God’s providence and presence in the past. When things are tough, it is good to remember that God has always helped you and He certainly will again. Sometimes your situation may be so good; it is easy to forget God. The good times can cloud your memory of God and His presence. So remember, God at all times and in all situations. In the Bible, Joseph (not Jesus’ dad) remembered God in all his situations. Joseph’s father spoiled him. This made Joseph’s brother so jealous they sold him as a slave. Because Joseph was faithful to God in each and every situation, God was faithful to Joseph. The Bible tells us, “While Joseph was there in prison, the Lord was with him.” (Genesis 39:20-21) Later, we read that God blessed Joseph so he was the second most important man in all of Egypt, even though Joseph was a Hebrew. God did this to bless the struggling nation of Israel. God was able to bless Israel through the faithfulness of one person, Joseph. Joseph had faith in God whether he was in prison, or advising the Pharaoh of Egypt. Because he had faith in God, Joseph was able to make the most of his varied situations. When he was in prison, he was so dependable the jailers allowed him to help them. He not only had faith, Joseph acted upon that faith, knowing that God is faithful. One of my “Christian heroines” is a Dutch woman, Corrie ten Boom. She lived through the horrific experience of a Nazi death camp. Corrie’s faithfulness allowed her to survive and become a well-known Christian speaker around the world. Corrie once said, “Faith is like radar that sees through the fog.” Even though there are times that you cannot “feel” God, your faith “knows” He is there (good and bad times), and you respond faithfully. We are pleased to be back in High Prayer-ie. This is home. Even though we were in Newfoundland and home seemed so distant, we knew those stars were shining over High Prayer-ie. By faith remember and – know - that God will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews (13:5).