Wanda Bam

“Moreover Job continued his parable, and said, As God liveth, who has taken away my judgment; And the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul; All the while my breath is in me, And the spirit of God is in my nostrils; My lips shall not speak wickedness, Nor my tongue utter deceit.”  Job 27:1-4

The fatigue of the long flight to the Charles De Gaulle Airport, a scant 24 hours ago, is coaxing me to return to bed, but there is so much to see and too little time. All that I have been able to see thus far, is a type of apartment building opposite the hotel. A homeless man at the entrance to the building across from my room’s window had recently made it his new home, albeit a temporary one. Last night, much to my annoyance, the homeless man fought sleep tooth and nail. Given the fact that he had raised marijuana and alcohol as a toast on our arrival yesterday, it seemed as though he was convinced that he was Pavarotti’s successor.

God used this situation to remind me of sufficiency, of thankfulness, of caring and the reality of others who are suffering and their inability to gain a grip on life. They may possibly once have been well-known, enjoying the crest of life while others enjoyed the rewards of their status. So there are many around us, perhaps even someone that we encountered recently in the store, at the bank, at the registration offices who just like this man might have been dealt a blow in life, but who still try to hold their head up high in the crowds. They try desperately to prevent the successful others from noticing their predicament. 

Job’s predicament was, however, very noticeable and his close friends were unable to understand it. Nevertheless, Job knew who he was in God, right until the end of his hardships. His friends wanted to judge, criticise and deliver a verdict, but Job knew that God was involved in his life, regardless of how difficult it was to understand the purpose of his hardships. Looking at the homeless man, I would never know how or why he ended up in that situation. I closed my eyes and prayed. Whatever pain and suffering the homeless man was going through, I asked that God would touch him and that he would experience and know the difference between the temporary relief that his marijuana and alcohol gave him as opposed to the permanent relief that the Almighty Healer brings.

Prayer: Father God, make me sensitive to those who are suffering and help me to seek your will in helping them. Today, I too am struggling. Pick me up please and hold me, because I want to be close to You. Amen