Philippians 4:19 – And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

Late afternoon, to my car in my garage, I carried the almost-thawed fish fillets that I had promised for a supper party to be held at my niece's home to celebrate my brother's 86th birthday.

I punched the opener, and my big garage door rolled up to reveal an impossible-to-drive-over, peaked snowdrift that I had missed when checking from my front window after the storm!

Knowing that it was impossible to shovel it myself (with a compromised hip and spine), I grabbed my garden spade and dug out a few hunks of the hard, heavy mass — only to prove futility.

How can I get help soon enough for the fish to be cooked? God gave me a bold hope: I'll wave at the first car that rounds my corner. I did. Out jumped a tall, brawny young man who shovelled a car-width through that drift in quick time. He would not take pay, offered to come any time that I needed help, and asked for a pen and paper to give me his phone number. I went into my kitchen for them, and also grabbed a Christmas box of chocolate-covered nuts, now made two-thirds empty. He accepted them. I thanked him sincerely for his kindness, and said, "You must be a Christian." He said, "I have not been in a church for years." I told him of my recent need to go to a different church because of my age-related hypersensitivity to the drum music where I had attended for years, and of the friendliness of the small no-drums church that I had found. I added, "Jesus loves you." We shared a few more words, then he left.

Please pray with me for this young man, and for many young people like him. Pray that we will be enabled to discover ways to encourage them so that they will come to so appreciate Jesus' sacrifice, Word, and presence as to choose to "worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness" (1 Chronicles 29:16c NIV), as people through all generations have done.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness endures through all generations.
       – Psalm 100:1-2,5 NIV

Prayer: Lord God, thank You for supplying all our needs. Thank You for this kindly young man who seems to have been touched by You. We are concerned about the many who are missing the joy and peace of worshipping You. We want multitudes to know You, whom to know is temporal joy and assurance of eternal life. Show us how to behave, and give us the words to say as we witness to Your Way. Amen.

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