Driving Toward the Dream of Hope Beyond Hope, Part 2

As I got closer to Oklahoma City, I began to see patches of scorched earth all around. It was surreal to see the blackened earth and charred trees that the wildfires from only a few days before had left behind. I had to stop and get gas. When I got out of the car, the pungent smell of the wildfire’s destruction hung heavy in the heat of the day that was somewhere around 100 degrees or a bit higher. I thanked God for the intercessors back home. A verse from Isaiah floated through my head: “If you walk amid the burning flames, you will not be harmed” It’s not like there was really any danger. If that were the case, the highway would still be shut down. It was just sobering to see the impact of what I had read about only days before.

My map quest directions took me through the city on the way to my hotel. The wind shifted and smoke from the wildfires that were still burning miles away poured into the city. At the same time, a bit of rain was falling. I tried not to let the smoke concern me as I continued to the hotel. By the time I got there, the wind had shifted again and it had started to pour. The rain was good news, even though its timing was inconvenient for me. Though it took me longer than what I would have liked to get through the disorganized registration process at the hotel and get settled, when I finally crawled into bed I actually slept very well.