– By Evangelist John BJ Hall –
We were in Colorado working wildfire recovery in the Black Forest. Everywhere we went we saw the fingerprints of God. One home was burned completely to the foundation. One of our team members reached down and picked up a broken shard of pottery. Under that shard was a perfectly preserved aluminum coin with the Lord’s Prayer on one side and the Ten Commandments on the other. On the same property, I spotted what appeared to be a cross standing near the fence. On closer inspection, it proved to be a wooden pole and cross-member where a plastic basketball goal had hung. The wood had survived the fire, but the plastic didn't.
Another property was owned by a hardened atheist woman. She had told us when we arrived, “I don’t want to hear the name of Jesus on this property!” As we worked, sifting through the ashes to recover anything that might have survived, I picked up an unmarred plastic child’s cup with the words, “Jesus loves you” printed clearly on it.
When I handed that cup to the woman, she broke down in tears. She said, “That cup belonged to my granddaughter. She died last year.” As I comforted her I sensed, for the first time, an openness in her spirit. Within about fifteen minutes I had the privilege of leading her in the “sinners prayer” as she trusted in Christ as her Lord and Savior.
In Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief we have a practice that, if the homeowner permits, we use a chainsaw to shape one of the tree stumps into a cross. As our team member carved the cross, this dear former atheist leaned her head on my shoulder and said, “You guys are going to make me cry.” When the cross was finished she said, “I’m going right now to Colorado Springs to buy some polyurethane and pour it over the cross so it will always remind me of what happened here today.”
Paul began his first letter to Timothy, his son in the ministry, with these words. “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope.”
The former atheist learned that her hope could be in Christ. Where is your hope today? Christ is my hope. How about you?
Thank You, Jesus
Thank you, Jesus, for coming our way.
Thank you, Jesus, for coming to stay.
We turn in repentance,
You give us forgiveness.
We thank you, Jesus, for loving us today.
You’re our hope and salvation, always.
You’re the one through Whom we must pray.
We give our lives to you,
To do what you would do.
We thank you, Jesus, for loving us today.
© Copyright 1995 by Passages Ministries. All rights reserved.
For permission to use this song contact Passages Ministries.