by Macy Johnson
“At the Lord’s command they encamped,
and at the Lord’s command they set
out.
They obeyed the Lord’s order,
in accordance with his command through
Moses.”
(Numbers 9:23 NIV)
Eric, the
physical therapy technician, followed me as I laboriously pushed the walker
down the hallway. I ran headlong into Cora, one of the hospital administrators.
“Who are you looking for?” the technician asked. “Her!” she said pointing at
me.
by Macy Johnson
“He will wipe every tear from their
eyes.
There will be no more death of
mourning or crying or pain,
for the old order of things has passed
away.”
(Revelation 21:4 NIV)
My
husband, Jeff, and I recently watched a documentary about a man who cannot feel
pain. His parents discovered his odd ability when he chewed off his tongue while
teething.
by Macy Johnson
“He said, ‘Throw your net on the right
side of the boat
and you will find some.’
When they did, they were unable to
haul the net in
because of the large number of fish.”
(John 21:6 NIV)
Our
daughter’s family came for a long weekend visit over the Easter and spring break
holidays. Saturday morning a new package of fish hooks blew off the dock into
the water, lost to the watery depths. The next day our granddaughter, Dahlia,
cast the fish net into the water to catch bait and pulled up the package of new
fish hooks! “You never know,” I said to my husband, Jeff.
by Macy Johnson
“Father, if you are willing, take this
cup from me;
yet not my will, but yours be done.”
(Luke 22:42 NIV)
The Maundy
Thursday communion service touched my heart. The choir sang two pieces from our
Easter cantata and I was filled with the Holy Spirit. When I got home, my
husband and I anxiously waited for our daughter and her family to arrive from
Birmingham.
by Macy Johnson
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into
the wilderness
to be tempted by the devil.”
(Matthew 4:1 NIV)
My
husband, Jeff, and I watched a documentary on Amazon Prime Video about an actor’s
walk of faith with Jesus. As he revealed his story of wandering in the
wilderness, I was drawn to my own wanderings. God provided for his specific needs
in a dramatic way, so he videoed the process on his phone and brought his
audience to tears with him. When all hope was lost, the angels tended to his
needs in a miraculous way. God prepared this actor’s heart to meet his Savior
on his knees. He surrendered all to Jesus in the wilderness.
by Macy Johnson
“Call to me and I will answer you and
tell you
great and unsearchable things you do
not know.”
(Jeremiah 33:3 NIV)
It was a
quiet evening by the campfire at Watson Mill Bridge State Park. Jeff and I discussed
dinner plans when children on bicycles zoomed past our campsite. An older woman
cycled not far behind. My husband observed the activity and remarked, “That
looks like fun.”
by Macy Johnson
“Among all these soldiers there were
seven hundred
chosen men who were left-handed,
each of whom could sling a stone at a
hair and not miss.”
(Judges 20:16 NIV)
Amy, our
church’s music director, was seated at the piano bench with me one night before
choir rehearsal. We practiced a four-hand piano duet together. I suggested I turn a particular page, so she wrote my name at the bottom of the sheet
in her music book with her left hand.
by Macy Johnson
They have eyes to see but do not see
and ears to hear
but do not hear, for they are a
rebellious people.”
(Ezekiel 12:2 NIV)
My next-door
neighbor, Susan, and I belong to a small choral group that sings at a local
nursing home. We gather every Wednesday afternoon for the shut-in residents
there. During one of the songs I leaned over to her, held the open hymn book up
to my face and whispered, “See the lady in the back of the room in the blue
shirt? She sticks her fingers in her ears when we sing.”
by Macy Johnson
“The earth is the Lord’s, and
everything in it,
the world and all who live in it.”
(Psalm 24:1 NIV)
As a child
I often heard the phrase, “In or Out!” It usually occurred when I lingered in
the doorway and allowed precious heat or cool air to escape.
by Macy Johnson
“Abraham answered, ‘God himself will
provide
the lamb for the burnt offering, my
son.’
And the two of them went on together.”
(Genesis 22:8 NIV)
Friday
afternoons I enjoy “Tea at 3” with my neighbor. We talk about how God has
worked in our lives the past week over a cup of hot tea in my kitchen. Susan
and I discuss hopes and dreams for our families as we share our hearts. I
walked outside with her and she commented on the abundance of daffodils in our
yard. My husband, Jeff, planted them to pop before our eyes in early spring.
by Macy Johnson
“If we are thrown into the blazing
furnace,
the God we serve is able to save us
from it,
and He will rescue us from your hand.”
(Daniel 3:17 NIV)
I firmly
believe when I am taught a new lesson from scripture, I can expect a test along
those lines pretty soon after.
The story
of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel chapter 3 is one of my favorite
Bible truths. Paige Brown of West End Community Church recently brought it to
life for me in her online study in the book of Daniel. Although the three men
were bound with ropes when thrown into the furnace, they walked around with a
visitor. The blaze burned off their ropes, but did not singe a single hair on
their heads. They were free!
by Macy Johnson
“Dominion and awe belong to God;
He establishes order in the heights of
heaven.”
(Job 25:2 NIV)
Benjamin
Franklin is credited with the quote “A place for everything, everything in its
place.” According to BookBrowse.com, “the first
known use of the exact expression appears in The Naughty Girl Won, a
story published by the Religious Tract Society in 1799.”
by Macy Johnson
“The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit;
a broken and contrite heart O God, you
will not despise.”
(Psalm 51:17 NIV)
I sat
quietly and read through my weekly Bible Study on the book of Ephesians while
my piano received its annual tuning. The sporadic sounds of notes played repeatedly
were a distraction. Ping! A sudden “crack” reverberated through the house.
by Macy Johnson
“Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to
you.”
(Matthew 7:7 NIV)
I took my
seat at the large table for the quarterly meeting of the Friends of Greene
County Library. I visited with the Vice President and prepared to take minutes
as the new Secretary when a member sat down next to me. I met Kim at a previous
library function many months ago. She laid down a copy of one of my God
Sightings books, pointed to the picture on the back cover, and excitedly
asked, “Is this you?” “Yes,” I replied. “I want to talk with you after the
meeting,” she whispered.
by Macy Johnson
“For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s
womb.”
(Psalm 139:13 NIV)
I recently
attended the memorial service for a dear friend. Many years ago Sally and I
sang in the church choir and played handbells together. She passed away on her seventy-fifth
birthday after she fought a long battle with cancer. The same day she was
welcomed into heaven, my daughter celebrated her birthday. Sally ran into the
arms of Jesus while Libby strolled on a sunny beach in the Caribbean with her
husband.
by Macy Johnson
“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.”
(Psalm 57:5 NIV)
The word glory
appears almost three hundred times in the Bible, forty-four times in the Psalms
alone. It can be defined as the manifested presence and uniqueness of our
Creator God.
by Macy Johnson
“Be
careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’
before
men, to be seen by them.
If
you do, you will have no reward
from
your Father in heaven.”
(Matthew
6:1 NIV)
I recently
read a story about a master craftsman who labored at the site of a new
cathedral. A bystander asked him why he worked with diligence on a piece of
stone that would not be seen. The man replied, “God will see it.”
