Safe in His hands

Safe in His hands…
Many years ago I was coordinator for the Meals for the Homeless program at First Prez Church in Waunakee. This meant getting the volunteers together to cook, deliver and serve the meal to about 100 men at Grace Church in Madison one Thursday per month. I loved doing this job! I especially enjoyed joining the men as they ate their dinners and hearing their stories.

I will always remember one particular night serving at Grace. It was in January and the temp outside was below zero with a “wind chill-you-to-the-bone”. At times like this the shelter was open long before dinner time to let the men come inside and relax where it is warm. In addition, at times like this they ignore the 100 bed limit and let anyone in. They may end up sleeping on the floor in the hallway, but at least they are somewhere warm!

Now to understand the set-up, the kitchen where food is served is closed off from the small dining/bunk area. The men sit and eat on just a few dining tables in this separate room or eat sitting on their bunk bed. After dinner is served to all the men it was time for lights out (about 9:15PM) and I went to the dining/bunk room to wash down the tables. The only lights on were those of the vending machines – just enough for me to see the crumbs. As I washed the tables and quietly moved the chairs under the tables I heard the faint sound of a few men snoring. I stopped what I was doing and just listened. It was so peaceful - it was so quiet – so quiet I could hear the men breathing deep and fast asleep.

An overwhelming feeling came over me. Here was a room and a hallway full of men who had no other place to go. They had all of their worldly belongings with them under their heads as a pillow. They were fast asleep in the warmth and safety of this room. What amazed me was that they felt secure enough to even fall asleep – besides the fact that their bellies were full and they were probably extremely exhausted. I had a sense of a God moment then. I sensed His presence holding each and every one of the men in His hand – allowing them to feel the warmth, and trusting enough to sleep soundly where they were at that moment – not worrying about what had happened during the day or fearing about tomorrow. It reminded me of how my own children would fall fast asleep in as babies – trusting and warm cradled in my arms…This is how I imagined God was holding them.

I held onto that moment as long as I could and then got back to the work at hand. But I will often come back to this memory in times when I am troubled. I know that I can trust that God is holding me in His hands, just as I have held my babies, and as He held and took care of those men that night. What an awesome feeling!