The Ancient of Days to the Rescue

by Phyllis Bennett

I was on my way to Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon to teach a class to women eager to learn how to speak and exposit the Word of God in churches across the northwest. I boarded the plane, eager to review my notes and focus on the exciting ministry opportunity before me. Though the content was not new, I was eager to be fully prepared for this set of students by reviewing my notes during my cross-country flight. Surely the Lord would honor my need for a secluded and focused journey, wouldn’t He?

I was confident that my aisle seat should afford me such a peaceful paradise. But when I arrived at 25D, a young mom with her two-year old daughter greeted me, both assigned to the window seat. Mom and daughter were of strong stock, so it would be a tight squeeze for them to share one cross-country window view. Certainly the Lord would provide an empty seat between us, wouldn’t He? After all, I was on His mission and He always supplies our needs! However, just before the plane door closed, a young businesswoman arrived for the middle seat. She plopped her slender, sweet self between us and shared she was hoping to get home in time to tuck her preschool children in bed.

“Bed” is what our two-year old little friend needed. But the young mom trying desperately to contain her, reported that her daughter had fallen asleep for just a few moments as their previous plane landed—a “nap” just long enough to make falling asleep again unlikely or seemingly unnecessary to a two-year old little mind. To make matters worse, there was a hold up on the runway as the pilot announced we’d be on the ground for at least another forty-five minutes. So to pass the time, our little friend began to jack-knife her strong exhausted body back and forth, alternating from fetal position to an over-extended swan dive, all while her frantic mother found it increasingly difficult to calm down, distract, feed, entertain or even hold her. So much for my peaceful paradise!

I have a real heart for young moms. I find them a delightful age group, constantly on a learning curve, eager to glean all they can about their ever-changing role as mothers. My husband and I teach a class on “practical parenting” for young parents. But with all my parenting experience, I wasn’t at all sure how to advise this young mom. And she was asking! One cannot discipline a child for being overly tired, although I was tempted to suggest it! Irrational! Particularly in a public setting in this day and age!

So I began to the pray to the Ancient of Days. Surely in His vast experience of training moms through the ages, He had solved similar dilemmas. I was confident that He who had freed the demonic, raised the dead, gave sight to the blind, and healing to the woman with the issue of blood had a solution for calming down a flailing overly tired two-year old, even if I had to ask Him to use His super-natural power to bring closure to this situation. There were dozens of people being affected by her actions, for not only was our little friend failing her body, she was letting out blood curling screams as well.

And then the Ancient of Days gave me an idea—my lavender oil—well known for its calming effects! Surely I had packed it in one of the pockets of my Vera Bradley purse. By the grace of God, I had! So after asking permission from both moms, as the aroma was soon to overwhelm us, I reached over and dumped a few drops into our little friend’s stubby left palm and doused some on her still flailing left shoulder. It took several applications, but within less than two minutes the Great Physician had stepped in and done His calming work. She was out like a light!

Upon return home after my exciting week of ministry, I found myself telling this story to my friends as much as I told them about the joy of teaching my class. And the experience made me wonder. Wasn’t it just as exhilarating to our Lord to heal the demonic as it was to train the disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel? For I had to admit, it was a toss up for me as to which experience had been more satisfying—helping this young mom with a child in distress or training a classroom of eager students to exposit God’s Word. I didn’t have a chance to share the gospel, but I’m trusting that somehow this young mom’s outburst of gratitude—“You’re my guardian angel!” and my quiet response of “No, I just prayed,” will be enough to plant a seed of curiosity in her to want to discover more about the power of one who can calm not only the ragging sea, but also an exhausted two-year old!

As a retreat speaker, published author and adjunct seminary professor at Western Seminary’s three campuses (Portland, OR, San Jose and Sacramento), Phyllis enjoys majoring on women in the church, classroom and workplace. In her home she has majored on men and boys through the raising of two sons (now young married adults) and through being teamed in ministry with her husband as a pastor and in a variety of roles with international Christian organizations.

Phyllis loves being “Grammy” to her four beautiful grandchildren and “Mom” to her sons and “daughters-in-love.” As a team-builder in church and seminary settings, she loves empowering women for ministry, using the Word of God and prayer as her central tools of transformation. She also enjoys great fulfillment being teamed with her husband as jogging and weightlifting partners, gardeners, explorers and fun-lovers for day-off adventures as well as ministry partners both here in the U.S. and overseas.