Read The Visitor for Free Online Page A

would have done no better than Jonah.
    “He’s doing the right thing one minute and completely rebelling the next. Can you imagine being one of the sailors on that ship? They begged God not to hold them accountable for the murder of Jonah, but what else could they do but throw him overboard? The ship was being torn to pieces. Murder or not, they had to try it or all drown.
    “Rebelling against God is exhausting work. The sea and wind are about to break this ship to pieces, but Jonah is sleeping somewhere below deck. I personally would be so seasick that I would wish for death, but he’s run from God and is now worn out.
    “Do you ever run from God? I don’t mean literally, although that might be the case. I’m talking about the times you ignore what you’re supposed to do. That’s a form of running from God. How about the sin you know it’s time to give up? Guarding that sin and pretending you’re not is running from God.
    “But as we talked about last week, in God there is always hope. Even when we run, God is planning for our return. Even Jonah understood this. He’s been cast into the sea and swallowed whole, but look at what he says in chapter 2, verse 4. ‘I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.’ Verse 7 goes on to say, ‘When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.’
    “Hope, my friends. It’s a precious thing. The hope we can have in our saving God is huge. There is no sin that He can’t forgive. There is no need that He can’t supply. Even if you’ve run. Even if you’re running right now. Our saving God is waiting for you to turn to Him.”
    Cassandra felt tears in her eyes. She hadn’t run from God in sin, but she’d been gone so long. She had let Emma talk her into staying away much longer than she had wished. It was simply wonderful to be back with Henry and Lizzy in her home church.
    The sermon ended a short time later. Cassandra always managed to miss notes, but she still sang out with all her heart, giving praise to the God who had brought her to this place.
    When they exited the church, Henry ended up beside her in the aisle. She turned to him, her eyes still a bit wet, and waited for him to look down.
    “It’s definitely official, Henry. I’m home.”
    Henry smiled his kind smile, the one he usually had for her, the one that didn’t need words.

     
    “How is Anne today, Weston?” Lydia Palmer asked, snagging Weston as he walked from church.
    “She’s doing well but wishing she could be here.”
    “I can well imagine. Please tell her that I’m going to visit this week. Is any day not good for you?”
    “Judith is coming Tuesday. Will another day work?”
    “Yes, I’ll come Thursday. Send word if that isn’t convenient. Is morning or afternoon best?”
    “She tends to sleep off and on. Come whenever you like.”
    “All right. I have something for the baby that I was going to give to her later, but perhaps it will cheer her up.”
    Weston smiled. “Thank you, Lydia. I know she’ll appreciate your visit.”
    Lydia had no more than finished when several other people stopped to ask after Anne. That she was loved by the church family was more than evident. Weston smiled as he rode home, knowing such a report would do her heart a world of good.

     
    Pembroke
    “I have new notes for you.”
    “More on Jonah?”
    “Yes.”
    “Good. I’m looking forward to hearing them.”
    “And Anne Weston has been put on bed rest,” Harriet said. Home from church and sitting down to lunch, she was filling Tate in on all the news. “I don’t think you’ve met the Westons, but things have suddenly gotten a bit rocky with Anne’s first pregnancy.”
    “Is Weston’s first name Robert?”
    “I believe it is, yes.”
    “I think I know him from London.”
    “Now that you mention it,” Harriet’s brow creased with thought, “I think he said that very thing to me when we