Last month we read how Nellie had been badly burned, The doctors said if she lived, she would be blind, deaf, and unable to use her hands.
The news of our tragedy quickly spread through the little farming valley where we lived, and the following day the true story of God’s miraculous working in our behalf was told.
Arthur had been out working in his fields. It was only mid-morning, but he felt a strong urging to return to his house. It did not make sense to him, so he shrugged it off. He had planned to be out in the field until dark, and had even packed a lunch so he could work straight through the day. But the feeling to return home persisted, so he stopped work, climbed into his pickup and drove home.
“What am I here for?” he mused. Perhaps his old Aunt Kate needed him. So, impressed by this thought, he picked up the phone to call her.
Meanwhile, Clairece had reached his Aunt’s house and knocked on the door. No answer! She knocked again, pounding upon the door. Still no answer, so she reached down and turned the doorknob. Finding that the door was not locked, she walked into the kitchen, picked up the phone to call Arthur at the same instant that Arthur was picking up his phone to call his Aunt. They were connected without either of them ever dialing the phone.
“Please come quickly,” Clairece begged, “my sister has been seriously burned and we have to get her to the hospital.”
“I’m on my way!” he responded, bounding out the door and jumping into his truck. He met Bruce on the way to our house, picked him up, and heard the rest of the story as they drove back.
The following day, Aunt Kate came to call. After hearing the story of Nellie’s accident, she turned to Clairece. “How did you get in my house to use the phone?”
“The door was unlocked, so I just walked in, made my call, and left.” Clairece replied.
“But, that is impossible!” the old lady sputtered, “I locked that door before I left for the fields yesterday, and dropped the key right here,” she said as she patted her apron pocket. “That door was still locked when I got home. I know, because I had to use my key to get in!”
My Mother smiled and softly quoted a verse from the book of Acts, “But the Angel of the Lord—opened the door.”
Although Nellie’s struggle was long and difficult, and though there were times we were not sure she would make it through another operation, God was with her. She was not left blind, however, her eyebrows never grew back and she has had to use a pencil just to create eyebrows. Although the tops of her ears were burned off, she can still hear. And those hands that the doctors thought would never be used again; although badly scarred, still play God’s praises on the piano. She continues to use her beautiful, soprano voice to praise a loving Father who walks beside us, even through the valley of the shadow of death, and leads us into green pastures of safety.