"Beautiful People"

Where do I start? How filled with the joy of the Lord I am this morning!

Santa Rosa was not as I expected, but new places never are, I guess. I drove by the town early on purpose to check for a hotel. It is a tiny country town. I asked around and discovered that the nearest hotel was in San Martin about 25 miles further west. I did not call the pastor, because I knew they would have offered me their own bed and probably would sleep on the floor. I drove on to San Martin and settled in a humble, but clean, hotel room. I arrived at 6:30 PM at the church, although the service wasn’t scheduled until 8.

Here is what I wrote in my devotional journal this morning: Zechariah 9:16-17 “The LORD their God will save them on that day as the flock of his people. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. How attractive and beautiful they will be!”

"Beautiful people that sparkle like jewels?!" This morning, before reading the above scripture, I was recalling the meeting last night in a small country community in the middle of thousands of acres of vineyards.

The pretty little church, built entirely by the hands of their pastor, was filled to overflowing with people standing in the doorway. There were lots of youth, adolescents and children.

A whole Sunday School class of boys and girls about 10 to 14 years of age had all been rounded up by their teacher, a lady that was obviously giving herself to win them for Jesus. She brought the whole class up to me after church for special prayer. My eyes fixed upon a 10 year old boy who was grinning and making jokes, his eyes just sparkling with fun and wit. That kid is going to become a leader. I told him so. I encouraged him to lead many people though those pearly gates into heaven.

Then there was the elderly lady on the front row and the young couple with a tiny baby who asked me to bless them, and several pastors of other little country churches within up to 20 miles that gathered around and prayed for me and wanted me to come to their churches, too.

So this morning I reflected upon the whole scene with joy in my heart and I said to myself, “Beautiful people!” Minutes later my devotional reading through the Bible took me to Zechariah 9:16-17 as the Lord describes his people. “They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. How attractive and beautiful they will be!”

I happened to be sitting where the sunlight touched my hands and I noticed one tiny golden sparkle on each hand. I have no idea where they could have come from and I am not trying to suggest that these two tiny sparkles were something miraculous or mysterious at all… probably just something I had brushed against. But strangely enough I found myself rejoicing in those two tiny sparkles as though they meant something special to me.

And I prayed, "Jesus, make me to sparkle like a tiny jewel in Your crown and may I bring glory and honor to You and to our Heavenly Father as I move about among these, Your “beautiful people!” (End devotional journal)

In the middle of my message last night, a neighbor lady who was visiting the church for the first time, rose from the front row to leave with her grandchild. She had been attentive, but the little child by her side had been pestering her to leave for some time. I had met her and spoken to her earlier. I stopped my message and stepped down off the platform. She extended her hand and was telling me she had to leave. I asked her quietly if she would like to open her heart to our wonderful, loving Lord Jesus. She responded positively. So I lead her in prayer and took a few minutes to pray with her. I felt I should not allow her to escape without having the opportunity of meeting my Jesus. Then I jumped back up on the platform and picked up right where I had left off. I believe God was at work in many hearts, young and old.

At midnight I joined with the pastor’s family around their table for empanadas and delicious home-made vegetable soup. It was just what I needed.

I suppose that some could look at these photos and say, “These people don’t look like anything special." I think maybe you have to look at them with the eyes of Jesus. He calls them “attractive and beautiful” and so do I.

Ralph