Who in the world would ever steal from a handicapped lady? Well, it happened to me. My friend, Rainey, and I had just returned to the hotel after a ministry event… we were feeling pretty good… and so before we headed to our room, we stopped for coffee at the Starbucks kiosk in the lobby. While juggling the cups, Rainey put my wallet in my handbag, which hangs from the back of my wheelchair handles.
From there, we headed down the hallway toward the elevator. When the elevator doors opened, Rainey went first, I followed, and then two tall men who I only saw in the corner of my eye stepped in behind me. Before the doors closed, one of the fellows bumped my chair, and when I turned to give him room, they quickly jumped out of the elevator just as the doors closed. I thought that was odd – that quick, they were gone.
When we got up to our floor, Rainey noticed that my handbag was hanging open. She got suspicious. “Uh-oh,” and then she looked quickly rummaging through, looking for my wallet. It was gone. “Oh no,” we moaned. And right away I thought of some precious photographs, my credit card, an insurance card, some gift certificates. We wasted no time in calling hotel security; we canceled my credit card and met with the police. But the wallet was gone.
That night as we got ready for bed, Rainey and I did our usual “on the road” devotional. Our reading just happened to be in Isaiah 48 and you can imagine how we felt when we came across this verse, “‘There is no peace,’ says the Lord, ‘for the wicked.’” Aha! So that’s why God allowed my wallet to get lifted. We decided those wicked thieves would have no peace with us praying! So we started to do just that – and have continued to do it since. Somewhere out there are two thieves on whom God is really putting pressure. And, who knows? They probably don’t have anyone else praying for them. And we have been asking the Lord to have some Christian men cross their paths to give them the Gospel.
You know… after we read that verse in Isaiah, and after we started praying, I had such peace. The wicked didn’t; but I did. That biblical perspective took the sting out of the crime for me. And that’s a good lesson for you today if someone has wronged you; whether it’s a theft or a back-stabbing comment, someone taking credit for the work you did, whatever it is– if we can only learn to look at it from God's perspective, the anger will dissipate and you will be the one who ends up having the peace! Maybe not that one who has wronged you, but peace will be yours. Oh, and one more thing: keep an eye on your wallet!
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 93176
© Joni and Friends