Article November 17, 2003 ISSUE

PRAYER AND THE CALIFORNIA FIRES

By Channing Walker

As I write this , ash comes down like snow-flakes. Wind gusts hitting 60 m.p.h. hurl the fire from ridge to mountain ridge, each time a bit closer to us. A battalion of firefighting helicopters passes by overhead, creating a constant drone. And authorities have told our community to prepare in case we suddenly need to evacuate.

So, the car is in the driveway pointing out, and we've tossed a few items in it. It's crazy, the stuff you momentarily think is important. Forget the china, but what about the photo album? The 16-year-old made sure to stash his homework in the car. Can you imagine that? I am in awe of how conscientious he is, and I wonder what it must be like to live life being that diligent.

We are in the line of the fire, but we don't yet know how far that line extends and if it will reach all the way to us. But more important—much more important—we are in the line of prayer. And we do know that it reaches all the way to us, encircles us, envelops us in the Almighty's care, just as it does our neighbors and the neighboring towns, including those in the midst of the blaze.