BY DAWN REED
Romans 8:28 faithfully reminds us that God will work all things together for good for those who love Him. Not some things. All things. The good, the bad, and even the hard things.
That’s what Marsha Woodrum is finding out.
She and her husband, Michael, clearly felt the Lord’s call to be missionaries in Alaska a few years ago. Leaving family behind, they headed north to Tok, a cold (-65 degrees in January), remote town on the Alaskan Highway. They love it! They are reaching the nations there.
A few weeks ago, wildfires hit Tok. Though Michael and Marsha love Jesus and had surrendered their lives to follow His leading, their brand-new, almost finished home burned to the ground right before their eyes. They know that God is good. That He has a plan. But it has not been easy. Even so, they are seeing God work in unexpected ways.
After the debris had cooled, Marsha spent several hours sifting through the ashes. She found a few coins, but not a lot. Her grown son, Blake, was there with her. He moved to Tok a few months ago. His camper, parked in their front yard, also burned. He lost everything except his dog.
So, Blake and his mom were scratching through the soot, looking for anything that had survived. Marsha found a small figurine about four inches tall – a little king. “This is from my nativity!” she announced. It had been in her desk drawer. The desk was gone. She dug a little more, finding another king, a donkey, then all the other pieces. Only one was missing: Jesus.
“Where is Jesus?” she asked. And then she found Him. Right there in the middle of the crisis. He had been there all the time.
Her hands were black with soot, but the whole white porcelain nativity set was in perfect shape, just as it had been 34 years ago when she got married. Marsha is now quick to show the nativity to others. It is a sweet reminder of God’s presence, His provision.
Following God does not mean rainbows and unicorns at every turn. Still, the best place (and sometimes scariest place) to be is in the center of His will. Isaiah 43:2-3 tells us that our Heavenly Father will walk with us through the water, through the flood, and through the fire. He will turn mourning into dancing (Psalm 30:11). He will bring beauty from ashes (Isaiah 61:3).
On the day of the wildfire, Marsha was wearing a Christian T-shirt, as she usually does. This one just happened to say, “Another in the fire.” (Daniel 3:25.) Yes, there was. That day and every day.
Dawn Reed is a newspaper columnist and pastor’s wife in Prestonsburg.