Ice is not nice.
It’s only nice when you are injured or hot.
It’s only nice in the thirst of the summer when you need a cold lemonade drink to hydrate. Otherwise ice is not nice.
We’ve just lived through the end of the year ice storm. Some of us barely did.
Now for anyone who doesn’t believe in God – some of what I’ll type soon won’t make sense. For those who have experienced His voice – it’s your choice whether you want to read on or not.
The ice rained down. Literally. It was raining ice, but it did it while I slept.
I woke up to messages on social media that so many of my friends were without electricity. “I’ll just stay in my pajamas all day and rest,” I very loudly said to myself. That’s when I heard it. It’s not the first time I’ve heard it. And for those of you who know – if you hear it once and take an action towards its command – you know how deafeningly loud this inaudible voice is.
In other words, it’s loud but silent which in a material world makes zero sense. I heard, “Get up. Go to the ice.” I did just that. In my little Christmas nightie – I stumbled blindly without my glasses on to the front door. I opened my porch door then ran back inside to get my telephone.
The ice was uncommonly slick and it had created masterpieces of art on everything! The sound of the ice raining from the sky created a most hauntingly beautiful orchestra piece. I turned my phone camera to video thinking God sent me outside to catalog his art. I pushed “record.” The sound was divine. I whispered whisperingly into the camera, “Listen.” My plan was to post the video on Facebook so others around the country could see how God highlights North Dakota with beautiful looking and sounding ice. Just as I whispered, “Listen” I heard a noise that disrupted my peace. It irritated my ears. It frustrated the moment I was doing God’s work videotaping as He had led me to.
In the quiet of the ice storm I heard faintly, “Someone help me! Help! Someone! Help! Help! Help me!” I dropped my video camera and started screaming a terrifying scream for that husband of mine. “Husband! Emergency! Emergency! Put on your coat and boots! Emergency! Someone is yelling for help in our village!”
He met me at the porch door. Together we took the first step out and down we went. We goth hurt our knee caps but by the grace of our God leading us – we hadn’t broken our heads or bones. I now believe it was God warning our next steps. As the man yelled for help in the distance – I yelled back, “I hear you! I’m coming towards you. Stay where you are. Don’t move. We are coming to help.”
We needed help ourselves. I term this ice, “impossible ice” for it was impossible to get any traction on it. I told Husband to pound his heels into the ice over snow or we couldn’t get to the man. We walked across yards and while we did – I phoned another neighbor telling them we needed help for whoever was yelling. A few houses down we found our neighbor, a bachelor, upside down on his steps in just his boxer shorts and torn socks. He had on no shirt, no anything to keep him safe from the icy cold elements. I yelled, “Are you hurt” as we continued to attempt to approach him? His dog was struggling as well. His poor legs kept skating out sideways. His dog was on a tether. He had let his dog out and slipped on the ice of his stairs.
He couldn’t get up due to a medical condition. Just then the strong neighbor man showed up to assist. After I assessed for injuries – Husband and the neighbor lifted the man from under his arms but the ice was too dangerous. I gingerly made my way to his truck holding on to tree branches for support. I grabbed a coat from his back seat to lay on the steps so the men could get traction. We got the man and his dog back into his house.
He had been out there between a half hour and an hour when God instructed me to “Get up. Go to the ice.” I made sure he was alright before leaving him. “Are you sure you don’t need a doctor,” I asked empathetically? He said, “No. I’m just cold.” We went home where I getting adrenaline sickness. If you know you know. As the adrenaline of a traumatic situation wears off the uck of it all settles in your stomach and head. I couldn’t stop caring about my neighbor so I went back. I asked him, “May I ask you if you believe in God?” His eyes met mine and he said, “Well, I can tell you that after I had been lying there for so long I figured I was going to die unnoticed. That’s when I decided to try to pray to God. I said, “God. Please let Jodi hear me.”
I lost my breath. When I caught it again I said, “I heard, my friend. I heard.”
Ice is not nice. But the voice of God is divine. I hope you get to hear Him, too.
Merry, healthy, safe, happy, abundant New Year Devils Lake Journal readers!
The Blonde on the Prairie is a lover of ND. She is an author and motivational speaker, owner of “Monkey Balls” food truck and Joyologist to the elderly and disabled and, now, to children wherever she is needed.
