During Clay’s treatment, I wrote a blog named “Morning Will Come and I Will Stand on a Hill.” The following is a quick excerpt from that blog, which is one of the most powerful illustrations God has ever given me.

“Our situation makes me think of the Red Sea crossing. I imagine that as the Israelites were walking across the Red Sea and those towering walls of water rose up on both sides of them, they were probably filled with amazement and wonder. They were probably filled with joy and excitement at what God was doing.

But, every now and then, they must have glanced over at the millions of pounds of water, shooting up into the air, and the reality of the situation must have hit them hard. “We are walking on dry land, across the Red Sea, and at any minute this water could fall and crush us.” But they didn’t have a choice, did they? An army was chasing them, so they couldn’t turn around. They had to just believe God. They had to trust Him and walk on.

I’ve always imagined the walk across the Red Sea to be a joyful celebration, filled with singing and dancing and laughing.

But, now, my perspective is changed and I imagine that moment  differently.

I think it is more likely that they were rushing across as fast as they could possible go. They were probably filled with hope and excitement, but don’t you think they were scared, too? It was night and they were in a very dangerous situation. While God was showing them just how powerful He is, I bet they were really ready to get on dry land that was not surrounded by walls of water.

I imagine that they wanted that miracle experience to end as soon as possible.

And, it did.

It ended.

They made it to the other side.

Morning came. And, as they stood on that dry ground, they turned to watch as God completely destroyed their enemy.

Their enemy pursued them….all they way to his death.

I’m sure Pharaoh was laughing to himself and beating his chest in pride at the strength of his chariots and horses. He was probably telling himself that the people were wasting time running from him because he would surely catch them and kill them. Even as he charged ahead into THEIR miracle, he was filled with pride.

I wonder when it hit him that he was trapped in the power of God?

I wonder when he realized that his pride had led him right into the hand of God?

As the water crashed down on him and all his glory, the Israelites stood in a safe place and watched God utterly destroy their enemy.

If you’ve ever wondered why the Old Testament is important, I hope you can see the answer in this story. These stories in the Old Testament give us hope and they show us the character of God. They prove the power of God and the desires of God for us, His people. He loves us and He will stop at nothing to prove His greatness. He wins every time. Why can’t the enemy see this? I don’t know. Maybe he just doesn’t want to accept his defeat, but he is defeated.

Do you hear me, Satan??? You are defeated.

Do you hear me, Cancer????? You are defeated.

As Clay and I walk across our Red Sea, there are times when I notice the walls of water. There are times when the roar of the water is so loud in my ears. There are times when I want to panic at the thought that those walls could crush us at any moment.

But, then, I turn and see my arrogant, stupid enemy. I see him rushing into the middle of OUR miracle and I am filled with excitement to finish this crossing.

Because I know that morning will come!

And I will stand on a hill…just in time to watch the waves crash down on my enemy. God will utterly destroy him and he will be washed away in the current of God’s power.

We win.

God wins.

And, we get to stand with Him and watch as His power is displayed and His glory is revealed. Amen.”

When I was working out the details of the purchase of this beautiful house in St. Francisville, I was expressing my heart to my dear friend, Kayla. I want this place to be a place of surrender, healing, and hope. I want people who come here to leave triumphant and filled with endurance. My prayer is that those who are crossing a Red Sea, will come to this retreat center, and gain perspective to believe God that their enemy will be destroyed.

My words reminded Kayla of the blog you just read. She sent me a text the next day that said, “What if you named it ‘The Hill’? Morning has come and you are standing on a hill.”

EEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!

I immediately knew that was it. That is the name. “The Hill”!

First – this is MY hill. This is my moment to stand on this proverbial hill and watch my enemy destroyed as the waters close. He wanted to hurt me, destroy me, ruin me, demolish my family, crush my dreams, take my joy. But, instead, this retreat center is happening and God is going to receive so much glory for the great things He has done for me! My enemy is destroyed, and I will sing songs of praise to my God!

Second – this is YOUR hill! Those of you who will come here. This will become your hill, too. You will enter this property with heaviness, questions, doubts, fears. You will most likely be living in a moment when the walls of water are stealing your joy. The fear of millions of pounds of water crashing on you will likely have you gripped with fear. But, oh my friend, you will leave with confidence. You will leave with hope. You will know that your morning is coming, and your view from the hill will be glorious. Your enemy will be swallowed up and washed away just as the sun rises!

I am so excited about this!!! I’m bursting with joy at all of these words I’ve just typed. God is so wonderful. I LOVE the name. I LOVE the way God revealed the power of this imagery to my soul. I LOVE what He is doing.

You may also remember that the morning after Clay died, I wrote a blog called, “Morning Has Come.” I had just gotten our family pictures back from Ashleigh Jane Photography, and I didn’t even realize that we had taken this picture of all of us standing on a hill together. It was so precious to me in that moment when God spoke the words to me, “Morning has come.”

I knew we would be okay. I knew that in that very moment my enemy was destroyed. Death had no sting. The grave had no victory. Our morning came. And, though Clay was in heaven and the four of us were still here on earth, I knew that God had delivered us from our enemy. His plans were destroyed. His weapons were disarmed. God held the victory and Clay received his reward.

If you are reading this tonight, and you are in the midst of your Red Sea crossing, I assure you that your morning will come, too. The night can seem so long. The waves so big. The crossing so treacherous. But, He promises that morning is coming. If you keep your eyes on the pillar of fire, and finish your crossing, you will climb the bank and ascend to your hill. And, that view will be one you will never forget.

Thank you for praying. Thank you for following my story. Thank you for your love and support. I can’t contain my joy for what God will accomplish through this place. And, I sincerely hope you all get to be part of it.

I love you.