I was having a bad day.  The hurt and frustration of a situation had gotten the best of me.  I was having a hard time processing it. I rarely get angry, but I had unknowingly boarded the Mad-Train. It was quickly picking up speed, and I was having little success at applying the brakes.

I was on my way to work with the high school worship band.  Quite frankly, I had no desire to do anything at all.  As I left my house, my fuel light popped on. It was just one more thing to add to my stress and lousy mood. As I pulled into the gas station, there was a woman on the other side of the pump cheerfully helping another customer.  I’m usually the happy one, but at this moment I totally understood how a cheerful person can be a bit annoying. Those were the exact thoughts that were going through my mind as I stood with my back against my car, my eyes on the moving numbers on the pump in front of me. I was feeling as if my life wasn’t fair and that God wasn’t paying attention to me. The more I pondered the situation, the more upset I became.

As I stood there filling my gas tank, wishing my anger was ticking away instead of the numbers on the pump, I felt a hand touch me on the hip. The touch was unexpected enough to startle me and make me jump, and just hard enough for me to know it was a hand. There was nothing and no one near me, and there was no wind or weather that had caused it. Everything around me was perfectly calm. I have no explanation.

Have you ever had someone touch you and say, “Calm down, relax, it’s ok.”? That was the effect this had on me. I immediately realized God was, and is, still in control, and he had me within his reach. In heartbreak and hope, he sees me and is by my side. It was an amazing experience. When I got to the church, I couldn’t shake the feeling of how strange the experience was. We ran our rehearsal before the other students arrived, took a break, and then the band opened the Wednesday Night Youth Group meeting with the song set for that evening. As is usual, one of the kids welcomed the students, and another shared something before they finished their set.   The verse Gracie chose to share that evening surely wasn’t a coincidence; it was just icing on the cake.

“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you.  Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

God’s righteous right hand was clearly evident in my life that afternoon.

Wishing you joy and peace,

Lorrie