Coming Through the Fire:
Reflections from Casper Mountain
For Dores and myself, it was a reversal of our previous experiences in Mozambique—to suddenly be the “evacuees” rather than the Relief Team! Even though we were displaced for a week, as it turned out, no full-time residents’ houses were lost. The firefighters were magnificent! The Red Cross and Salvation Army provided meals and personal encouragement. We give God the glory that no one was seriously injured!
 As we returned to our house, we noticed a large number of “spot” fires almost encircling our house some distance away in the woods. What is remarkable is that none of these advanced from their small scorched areas to endanger the house. We don’t know why, but we know Who restrained these blazes! We began to call our place the “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego House.”
We live not far from Camp WYOBA and the other camps which could have been threatened but were not. Again, a blessing from God.
So what are the lessons for us as people of faith? We live in a world of risk alongside a world of blessing. As we heard said of Corrie Ten Boom, we too are learning to “hold the material things of this world lightly in our hands” so that should they be taken, we do not mourn their loss. We need to remember and rejoice that our citizenship is in heaven! No material thing should bar us from intimacy with God.
Perhaps Psalm 121:7-8 provides the personal assurance that is needed in times of human crisis: “The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, that You are teaching us even through personal trials that Your faithfulness and Your promises are certain. We are learning that our relationship with You is far beyond any attraction of material things. Help us continue to learn to allow Your love to flow through our lives so that we increasingly fulfill Christ’s new commandment to “love each other as I have loved you.” In His Name, Amen.
Bill Mitchell, Layman
First Baptist Church of
Casper, WY
Bill recently relocated to Portland, OR
where he serves as
Africa Region Manager with
Northwest Medical Teams International
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