March 28 Devotion

Enjoy Reading Psalm 96

“Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples.” Psalm 96:3

Lent—a time to reflect on the greatest tragedy since the beginning of time.
Lent—a time to reflect on the greatest blessing since the beginning of time.

Those two thoughts remind me of the opening line of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, only in reverse. “It was the worst of times, it was the best of times.”

The worst of times—the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who could have allowed such madness to happen?
The best of times—the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! How could His tomb be empty? Dead men don’t walk!

Don’t these two extremes exemplify the very nature of the Almighty God? He is the God who can take something horrible and turn it into something beautiful.

Such was the nature of the recent experience I had on a mission trip with the United Methodist Volunteers in Missions from December 26, 2006 through January 2, 2007 to Gulfport, Mississippi. Eighty-three people from West Virginia used their Christmas vacation to work on Katrina-damaged homes. For me, the giving of my time became the greatest gift I could possibly ever hope to receive—the gift of experiencing God at work.

As I prepared to leave on the mission trip, my prayer was that I experience God in as many ways as possible during that week. That prayer was answered far beyond my wildest expectations!

First, the bonding that occurred on that team of eighty-three people, ranging between the ages of 12 and 76, was amazing. The youth working side-by-side with the seniors was a beautiful site to behold. Only through Jesus Christ could such cooperation occur. The patience exhibited by crew leaders as they patiently taught younger, inexperienced members of the team how to shingle a roof was an awesome display of the fruit of the Spirit.

Second, have you ever thought of the tragedy of Katrina as actually being a blessing for some people? That was what I was told by a resident of the area. I was on a crew that worked for Sandra. Sandra’s sister, Nora, stopped at the work site the first day we were there. Sandra must have called her to tell her the long-awaited work team had finally arrived. Nora repeatedly thanked us, saying what a blessing we were to her sister because Sandra had no insurance.

Nora said that Katrina seemed like an awful thing to people like us in the north who gleaned our information from the television, newspapers, and Internet. However, to many who had homes badly in need of repair before the storm ever delivered its devastating blow, the nightmare would also become an opportunity for a better tomorrow.

The inside of Sandra’s home had extensive mold infestation as a result of all the water that had leaked in from the roof. Over time, with the work of many teams such as ours, the inside would be completely gutted and redone.

How like the God we worship to bring new life to that which was nearly destroyed! He can take the old and make it new again.

There are many more examples of experiencing God at work that week, but the final one must be shared. On Saturday evening while eating my second piece of cake, following an afternoon of painting inside a home that was nearing completion, I noticed a kaleidoscope of brown squiggly lines in my left eye. The thought of a retina tear or retina detachment went through my mind, having a family history of both conditions. Being very nearsighted made me a likely candidate for the retina problems, too.

The chain of events that transpired the next eighteen hours left no doubt in my mind that God was personally in charge of taking care of me. It began with talking with the retina consultant on call in Charleston, West Virginia who instructed me to find an ophthalmologist in the Gulfport area to examine my eye. The doctor we called had taken his family to New Orleans for the weekend, however he instructed me to call a retina consultant group in Mobile, Alabama. The ophthalmologist for this group asked me to come at his office on Sunday at noon.

Having the team of eighty-three pray and anoint me that Sunday morning before leaving for Mobile was a moment in time I will never forget. Talk about experiencing God!

The ophthalmologist in Mobile informed me as he prepared to examine my eye that he had just left his church service and had prayed my case was not too severe. He dilated my left eye, examined it and informed me I had a torn retina. I thanked God it was not a detached retina. He proceeded to tell me the retina consultant would be there in ten minutes. Sure enough, ten minutes later he walked in carrying his eight-month old baby boy. I sensed the presence of God in that room saying, “You are in good hands. Trust Me.”

I asked the name of the baby and the doctor said, “Luke.” I can remember thinking, “Ok, God, I get it now.” God was taking care of me. There was no doubt about it. The retina consultant performed a laser procedure on my eye and then proceeded to make calls on his cell phone to find a restaurant where we could eat lunch. Southern hospitality at its finest!

At the conclusion of that mission trip, it became very clear to me why I had prayed to experience God in as many ways as possible. When we experience God at work, when we experience those events that can only be attributed to the hand of the Almighty, we should be compelled to do what the Psalmist writes:

“Declare His glory among nations, His marvelous deeds among all people.” Psalm 96:3

Prayer Focus:

Call on God today to open your senses to experience Him working in you life. Thank Him for the ways you see Him caring for you. Now, whom will you tell when you know you have experienced God in your life?

Cathy Woodruff
Mineral Wells, West Virginia (sister of Paul Riggs)