October 26 – “Rowena”

I had some people at the house today.  I was at church, but a phone call the afternoon before set up a team of workers to mud out my house and Mom's.  The Texas Baptist Men had been doing a training session all day Saturday at University Baptist Church in Clear Lake, and needed a place for some "extra credit lab work."  University Baptist has a Saturday night service, so they showed up around 9 a.m. ready to work.  There weren't very many of them, but they were amazing.  They tore out our shower, sprayed our house for mold, got most of the sheetrock out of Mom's house, tore out her cabinets, and counseled us on our floors ("Rip them out – the mold has no place to dissipate except up through the house, so your stain won't take, your seal will turn milky, and you will be susceptible to respiratory illness.").  We're still going to talk to the restoration specialist, but it doesn't bode well for our floors. And when they shut down for the day, they were making plans to return after the next training session in two weeks.    We had another visit from the Lord at church today.  This time he looked just like a lady named Rowena who was down here staying at the Jamaica Beach RV Park as the camp mom for a group of relief workers from Illinois.  She decided to join us at Seaside.  And when she met me she explained that her husband was a pastor and she was the church pianist and she would love to play the piano for us today.  It's really hard for me to say no to someone who is saying yes to God's urging to serve, so I said, "Sure!"  She grabbed a hymn book and started "twinkle-fingering" the keys.   Meanwhile we continued the preparations as "usual" for the worship time.  I got the computer up and ready for Mike to load the songs when he arrived.  But he never arrived.  Seems our resident sheriff CSI was called out and wouldn't be here.  Cause for a brief moment of panic?  Ordinarily, but not today.  Why not?  Rowena.  She had already told me she was here to play the piano, so this was simply filling in the reason why!  I let Lanny know.  They got their heads together and picked some songs.  We worshiped.  And the Lord's messenger (angel!) played the piano for us.  Once again, meeting our need before we even knew we needed it.   It's like when Abraham's servant was looking for a wife for Isaac.  He stopped to pray for guidance, and "Before I finished praying in my heart, Rebekah came out, with her jar on her shoulder." (Genesis 24:45).  God was preparing to answer his prayer before he even prayed it.   Father, before we even began praying in our hearts, Rowena came in, with her hymn books in her hand.  Thank you for the gift of your presence today.  Amen.