This past year, I pulled or pinched a muscle in my back that caused pain so severe, I thought I might not ever be able to walk upright again. For many years, I have done daily stretching routines to protect against this very situation because I love to walk, not just a little neighborhood walk but to walk for miles.
Realizing that I might not be able to do my favorite activity again, you can imagine that this injury certainly brought about a quick visit to my doctor.
Out of that visit came a prescription for physical therapy.
During the time between seeing the doctor and going to physical therapy, I asked a lot of people to pray for healing for my back because the pain when I tried to stand or walk was debilitating.
By the time I was able to schedule my physical therapy appointment, God had answered the prayers of me and my friends. I was walking upright without one iota of pain or pinching when I walked through the doors to see the therapist. I went only to find out what exercises would be recommended to keep my back in shape for the future.
This is where I met Clair, a wonderful physical therapist, mother, wife, and lovely daughter of the King. When I mentioned that I no longer had any pain because God answered our prayers, her ears perked up. She asked me about my faith, and I asked about hers. It was an immediate bonding between the children of God. As Clair explained various exercises and had me try them out, we talked about the Bible.
Clair is Roman Catholic and told me she was participating in a weekly Bible study with others from her church. They were all following the “Bible in a Year” podcast by Father Mike Schmitz. I had not heard of Fr. Schmitz until she mentioned him but since then I have found him to be quite popular and in a regular search of the internet one can find numerous videos by him, including those of the daily Bible studies.
Looking further, I found out that Fr. Michael Schmitz is director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth. I say bravo! Wouldn’t it be fun to be a college-age person today learning under someone that loves God and loves his Word?
This news is extremely exciting to me because a long-time Catholic friend of mine has told me she receives what she needs to know from the Bible at Saturday evening mass. Since Fr. Schmitz has started this daily reading program, he is, in essence, disputing that claim by saying we all need daily input from God’s word.
One time a week doesn’t cut it if the God of all creation is really God to us. If you are seeking clarification on who God is, you might enjoy watching Fr. Schmidt’s video, entitled God Ain’t Your Grandma, which is an excellent explanation of who God should be in our lives.
I venture to say that not a lot of Protestants commit to daily Bible reading either. Our church this year started a program that, if followed, will end up with each parishioner having read through the Bible by Dec. 31.
That is a good starting goal if you have never read the Bible before. I say starting since just because we have read the Bible through does not mean we ‘get it.’
The Bible is composed of 66 different books, including books on law, poetry, history, prophecy, and even letters. If each book is read as a separate book, we need to learn how the books intertwine in context to each other and the whole of the Bible.
It is a task that can be exciting and somewhat like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. The more pieces we fit together, the clearer the entire picture of our God becomes. The more we understand the interaction between the Bible books, the more vibrant God’s word becomes to us.
Thanks to God, my back is better, I met Clair, a great physical therapist, and I have learned about Fr. Michael Schmidt. What do you think, was it all just coincidental, or was it part of God’s plan?
I know that God is always working in my life, so I am absolutely sure this was a direct part of His plan. After the second visit with Clair, I was comfortable enough to hand her a note listing the webpage helps that I use to understand more about the Bible.
Clair was learning by way of videos and a discussion group. That type of situation can lead us to use human logic for interpretation instead of learning exactly what God wants us to know.
I knew Clair was excited to learn more about God, so I was able to direct her to great websites where she would find commentaries and hopefully the answers to any questions she might have as she was reading. Indeed, God does work for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Rom. 8:28) – even through a backache.
My scrape with a bad back wasn’t accidental. It occurred so that I could pass along some helpful resources to a dear one who was seeking to know more about our God. How exciting to see how God uses us even if we haven’t a hint as to what is going on.
I pray every one of us will take the time this week to hear God’s voice directing our paths and to act on His requests.
ED. NOTE: Amy Patsch writes from Ocean City. Email her at writerGoodGod@gmail.com.
