Please Be Sober!

Psalm 27:1 – The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? (NKJV)

My first job, when I was very young, was as an orthodontist assistant. The office was in the basement of a building owned by an alcoholic who lived upstairs. From downstairs, we could hear the verbal abuse and the arguments. Even when his wife was gone, he would knock over chairs while shouting to no one, and, like the giant in "Jack and the Bean Stalk", he caused the floor to quiver. I was terrified of him.

The orthodontist I worked for was also head of the orthodontic department at another college and was gone three days a week. On those days, I would do the record keeping, pour coe impressions, and develop x-rays.

On one such day, I had x-rays in the fix and walked outside to get the mail. I looked across at the beautiful lawn of the capitol building, and at that moment, I heard the door slam shut behind me and lock.

I was horrified! X-rays in the fix! What to do? I ran next door to the medical building and called the doctor's wife. She was very sympathetic, but she was of no help because she didn't have a car to bring me an extra key. The only alternative was to go upstairs to the owner and get a key from him.

As I walked up the steps, I started praying, "Oh, please be sober! O God, please help me through this dilemma, and please make Your presence known to the owner."

I knocked and waited, praying for courage. He swung open the door, eyes bloodshot, and I told him my reason for needing a key. I had seen him only twice, but he believed me because of my white uniform.

The waiting made me panic and run. When I got to the last step, I heard a slurred voice shouting, "Hey, aren't you going to wait for the key?"

The x-rays were safe! After work, as I walked home the two blocks from the bus stop, I had an opportunity to talk with God and praise Him for His presence in my day's events.

When we let go and let God, we find His protection and guidance sufficient for our daily lives. Through faith, we know that He is in charge of life.

Prayer: O Lord, there is such solace in the words of Deuteronomy 31:6 (NKJV): "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." Amen.