Pastor's wife: Marching into the day

By DAWN REED

Thursday, October 1, 2026

I knew today was going to be a tough one. I needed my full armor of God, all the Fruit of the Spirit, and a guard over my mouth. I had prayed for every crevice to be filled with the Holy Spirit; for the Holy Spirit to lead me, embolden me, and hush me if necessary. 

So, I dug into God’s Word.

James 1:5 came to mind, so I turned there: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” Well, I sure needed wisdom. I asked the Lord to give me a generous portion.

Next was Isaiah 41:10. I wrote it out in my daily journal: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” I love “I Am” verses. Carrying and clinging to those promises today.

Reading those words was good. They are great ones to keep and to share. Writing them helps commit them to memory. But speaking the words aloud had them soaking into my bone marrow.

I write in my Bible. A lot. My notes include dates, preachers’ names, sermon points, and sometimes circumstances or special guests. I saw not only the promises of God, but also the working of His Hand through good and bad times. 

I noticed notes in the margin by Isaiah 41:10 dated 3/15/20. Fitzpatrick had one afternoon service at 2 p.m. due to the Coronavirus. The governor had suggested that churches not meet. (It was written on the page.)

My beloved’s sermon points that day were: 1) Do not panic. 2) Do not listen to hysteria. 3) Do not worry.

We all know what happened after that. The world shut down. Over a million people in the US died from the disease. Life changed for everyone.

It was a terrible time, a hard storm the whole world walked through. But the LORD walked with us through it and out of it.

So today, as I face a difficult situation, I know the God of Israel, the same God who got us through 2020 and the Coronavirus, will help strengthen me, help me, and uphold me with His hand. In His Hands is the safest place to be.

Turning through the pages, I found many other notations. During an intense mission trip to Haiti in ’09, I clung to Psalm 18. When a man threatened my beloved in 2010, I clung to 2 Chronicles 20:12. (He gave his heart to Jesus a month later.) In 2022, when there was devastating flooding in our area, my beloved led us to Isaiah 43:2. There are dates when my beloved had mini-strokes, my sweet mother went to heaven, our kids were in crisis, I was in crisis, and when the Lord walked me through a total hip replacement. Lessons were marked when we went to prison and jail for Bible study and when I was teaching the couples class in Sunday School. Most recently, after a wildfire in Tok, Alaska, burned our missionary friends’ home, we looked to His Word.

In the words of Firm Foundation, “…He’s never let me down. He’s faithful through generations. So why would He fail now? He won’t.”

Remembering all this, all He has already done, I can march forward into the day, because He loves me and is with me.

In the words of my dear friend Daniel Lucas, “Let’s Go!”

___

Dawn Reed is a pastor's wife, newspaper columnist, and the author of Weiner Stew: Inspiring Stories from Appalachia. Reach her at preacherswife7@yahoo.com. 

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Quote: Remembering all this, all He has already done, I can march forward into the day, because He loves me and is with me.

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File: 20260521-090725-a35-Dawn Reed.jpg

Caption: Dawn Reed