A Good Word

The Invisible Handprint on the Roof

Part 2

Chris could hear our belongings thrashing around, the sound of glass exploding and the roof being ripped off. When it was over, he found his way through the rubble and into the driveway, filled with joy that he was still alive.

For a couple months I had been praying for Chris because I could tell he was feeling discouraged. I had asked God to show Chris that He loved him and knew where he was.

After the tornado hit, God’s miraculous answer to my prayers became clear. To everyone’s amazement, a portion of the roof had remained untouched—even the shingles were intact. Chris’ closet shelter was directly under the surviving portion of roof. God’s powerful hand held the roof in place to let Chris know how much he is loved. A tornado may have tremendous power, but it can’t compare to the power of God.

As I surveyed my destroyed home, the peace of God literally “fell” on me. I instantly felt my heart and mind being filled with strength and joy. God had answered another of my prayers. The things we most treasured were preserved.

Caleb had a prize deer hunting trophy mounted on the wall and, to his surprise, it remained in its place though there was no roof over Caleb’s room. Chelsey loves to play the piano and her favorite keyboard was resting securely on its stand. Chris and I hoped our family pictures would survive, and they were all recovered with minimal damage. One was even returned to us from 15 miles away, where it had been carried by the tornado!

Our family, church and community came to our rescue that night by helping us move our salvageable belongings to storage units. Many people worked for hours in the darkness out of love for our family. The next morning, reality hit us: We were homeless! Family members offered us a place to stay, and we were grateful.

As I walked through the rubble on Monday morning, I noticed a crumpled piece of paper. It was a page from the notebook where I recorded notes from the lesson I had taught in our Sunday School class just one week before. The lesson was entitled, “Genuine Faith.” I had shared with the class that it’s easy to have faith when things are going well in your life. But it’s when your life is altered that your genuine faith is tried.

First Peter 1:7-9, NIV, reminds us, “These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, …you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

On the yellow, crumpled paper I had written, “Lord, help me to always look to you for strength and hope when my faith is tried, so that my faith may be proved genuine.” I didn’t realize until later that God had already been preparing my heart for what was to happen in my family’s future.

In the days that followed the disaster, hundreds of caring people came to offer help and assistance in many different ways. Chris, Caleb, Chelsey and I used every opportunity possible to share the joy of God and bring glory to Him by sharing the testimony of how God’s handprint on the roof had saved Chris’ life during the tornado. As a family, we now know, that if we have Jesus living in our hearts, we can remain strong through any circumstance. As long as we have Jesus, we have all we really need.