One of the most incredible miracles known the mankind are the kind that happen to those who belong to Christ when they are pressed beyond comprehension.  In the midst of all the horrible images of broken bodies and crumbled buildings in Haiti is a haunting one of people walking hand in hand in the streets, singing hymns to the Lord.  HYMNS!  In the middle of the dust and panic, there were people singing praises to the Lord on High.

I have a friend who is stranded in Haiti.  She went on what was supposed to be a 4-day mission trip, now extended for an unknown amount of time.  She wasn’t even slated to go on the mission trip — she was asked to go at the last minute, and the next day, she went!  Two days later the earthquake struck.  What, then, did her family and friends do?  They held a prayer vigil at church and are praising God for miracles…that the team is safe, that a stranger allowed them to use a satellite phone to call home, that some roads have been cleared, and that, if they can get there, a flight will be waiting for them tomorrow to get them back home.

Praising God in the middle of suffering is not something other religions share with us, is it?  We do so partly because of what we learn about God in his response to Job’s questions —

God is Colossal.  He is the one who put the earth together.  From his creativity we get creatures like the ostrich.  This creature is not the brightest bulb in the bunch, and we learn in Job that God made it that way.  He also gave it feathers and useless wings…but made up for those shortcomings with very fast legs! The whole universe owes its spectacular existence to the intelligence and creativity of God.

I love the way God puts Job in his place.

Where were you when I created the earth?
Tell me, since you know so much!
Who decided on its size? Certainly you’ll know that!
Who came up with the blueprints and measurements?
How was its foundation poured,
and who set the cornerstone…

The next time I feel alone and powerless, I am going to pull out Job 38-39 because they can be summed up in one word: Power.  God’s power.  God’s power is REAL!  These chapters of Job help me step back from my forest so I can catch a glimpse of the brushstrokes of God.

I can’t finish today’s blog without sharing a wonderful story that appeared in today’s newspaper that illustrates in bold detail the power of the Lord over evil.  A shop owner who was confronted with an armed burglar used the Name of Jesus to send the man scurrying through the door.

‘In the name of Jesus, you get out of my store. I bind you by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
-said Marian Chadwick

A lesson to be learned?  Don’t underestimate the unleashed power of the Holy Spirit!  What an amazing demonstration of the power of God at work!  God didn’t speak to that burglar through the eye of the storm as he did to Job, but he did demonstrate his power by acting through Ms. Chadwick’s faith.  I’m going to remember her story and how the power of God is here the next time evil looks me in the eye.  This story just makes me want to sing and shout, Yea, God!!  To You Be the Glory!!!