December 23, 2018
Suffering Savior,
Today, the pages of my Bible settled upon Isaiah, chapter forty. Immediately, the entire chapter enraptured my heart. “‘Comfort, yes, comfort My people!’ says your God…” (Isaiah 40:1).
As the hours passed, I began to dig a little deeper into one verse.
“O Zion,
You who bring good tidings,
Get up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem,
You who bring good tidings,
Lift up your voice with strength,
Lift it up, be not afraid;
Say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God!’”(Isaiah 40:9).
As I pondered the words of this verse, my heart fluttered with excitement. Once again, Your Spirit was leading me in faith and holy obedience to some aching souls.
In the car, Travis and I held hands. “LORD, please help them know that even if they have nothing here on earth, they still have You, the best Christmas gift of all,” my young son prayed passionately. Then, we began our long drive.
We arrived in Paradise just as it began to rain. With no specific destination in mind, we stopped at the first building that was still standing amid the rubble. The smell of thick burning smoke immediately began to stream in through our car windows. Paradise had literally been reduced to ashes. The pungent smell lingered in the air as I cleared my throat to ask someone where the disaster relief building was. In her pajamas and wrapped in a blanket, one young woman directed us to a makeshift rescue center. “Many people are still living in their burned homes and cars,” she said. I extended my arms to offer her a warm hug. Then Travis and I drove ahead to the place in town, distributing warm meals and water to residents. There, we were lovingly welcomed by a few members of a local Baptist church.
For about an hour, Travis and I sat among the residents and listened to their harrowing stories. The vacant building was cold and noisy. Suddenly, a playful black Labrador Retriever began brushing up against the side of my leg. His owner quickly introduced herself as one of the volunteers in charge of the shelter. In my usual fashion, I shared my personal testimony with the woman. In return, she carefully placed a special gift into the palm of Travis’ hand—a bright blue glass marble with a picture of the world painted on it. “Go share the Gospel,” she said to Travis with a cheerful smile. Then, Travis handed the marble to me. “Look, Mom,” he said. As I glanced down at the precious gift, my heart filled with joyous delight and my eyes with warm tears. “The Savior of the World,” I said under my breath.
Afterward, the woman shared a miraculous story with me. “A group of approximately thirty people was trying to outrun the fast-moving fire when they came upon a church building. They all ran inside. The pastor tried his best to keep them all calm and started to pray. Just then, a wall of fire surrounded the church. The people could see the hot and raging flames through the windows. The pastor continued to pray, and the fire passed by without causing any damage whatsoever. All of the people inside, as well as the building itself, survived!”
Her story was precisely the confirmation we needed. For the next few hours, Travis and I went door to door and car to car, handing out Christmas cards and offering hugs to those who were sinking in hopelessness, grief, and despair. Each gesture was received with a warm sense of gratitude, causing me to feel as though You were using Travis and me as a loving reminder of Your presence.
With approximately fifty cards left, we headed towards Magalia, an adjacent town, also devastated by the fire. We asked one of the residents where we could reach out to the most people in the least amount of time. A woman directed us to the local Rite Aid, one of the few drugstores that had survived the tragedy.
Travis and I stood just inside the door, handing out our remaining cards. The fifty remaining cards were in the hands of strangers within minutes. It was such a gratifying experience to see appreciative, comforted, and reassured looks upon their faces!
Back in the car, Travis and I received a few heavenly confirmations that we had, in fact, carried out Your will. First, a song I had never heard before called “Christmas Card” by Steven Curtis Chapman began to play on the radio. Misty eyed, I could barely see the road ahead as I listened to the words.
I had barely wiped away the tears when You confirmed Your presence once again in the form of two doves circling only a few feet above our car. The sweet birds then drew my attention to a rainbow spanning the entire sky above us. Right then, I quietly prayed, “Oh, LORD, being in Your presence and carrying out Your will is truly an overwhelming experience. Thank You for counting me worthy to serve You today. Amen.”
While singing songs of praise to You, time passed by quickly, and soon we were home. Once inside our warm, dry, and cozy rental, I hung my head and said another little prayer, “Father God, Your Word says, ‘The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit’ (Psalm 34:18). I pray for all those crippled by a broken heart today as my own heart grieves with them. LORD, please help each person see Your mighty saving hand. Show each survivor just how You worked to save them. Assure their hearts that You have a future of hope waiting for them. If someone doesn’t know You, please God, may the work of Your grace blossom in their heart. May this painful, scary, and dark situation become one that brings glory to Your name. I ask this in Your holy name, Jesus.
Amen.”