This was one of the first pieces I ever wrote that was published…way back in the day. It seemed that our team of lay counselors had been given the assignment of writing an article for the monthly newsletter. No one wanted to, so I gave it a try. The rest is history.
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While jogging past our neighbor’s bed of multi-colored irises…yellow, peach, rust, lavender, and purple, I listened to a tape about the touch of God.
I longed for such a touch, as I was in a time of suffering, like we all experience sooner or later in life.
God’s touch can be physical, emotional, spiritual, or environmental, and he will go to any length to demonstrate his love and tenderness in a way that we alone know it is from him.
I prayed, Oh, Lord, I have known your touch in so many ways in the past, but right now, I am so out of touch with you. Busyness has taken over spending time with you and reading your Word. Would you please touch me anew? Any way you choose is fine. Just let me be able to recognize that it is from you…and that it is personally for me.
During tough times, I thought about how three Jewish boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendego, were put into a fiery furnace by Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzer when they refused to bow down to him,
When three Jewish boys were put into a fiery furnace for refusing to bow down to Babylon’s King Nebuchannzer, they trusted God. He showed up in a most unusual way that will give you faith for tough times.
I’m sure they were praying their hearts out.
But, wait….there was another man in the fire.
It was Jesus!
Jesus was with them in the midst of the flaming furnace.
That was his personal touch upon them.
“Look! I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (Daniel 3:25)
When finishing my run, the owners were still tending the iris bed as I shouted, “Thank you for planting these beautiful flowers for all the neighbors to enjoy!”
Grinning from ear-to-ear, the owner quickly cut a lavender iris, and handed it to me.
LAVENDER. My favorite color. Iris. My favorite flower.
Only Jesus knew this.
He went to great lengths to prove his love and care for me.
Walking home, my prayer came to mind and also the fact life was currently like a fiery furnace.
Just as he gave those three Jewish boys a special touch of his presence, he gave me a lavender iris in my fiery furnace of affliction.
Thus, in the future, whenever I see a lavender iris, I will think of the day that Jesus hand-delivered one to me.