Page 89 of Gideon

“Oh, yeah. He was definitely hurt. I think seeing you and me struggle was the hardest on him though. Sometimes, I look back and wish I could have handled it better than I did. I put an extra burden on him that he didn’t need to carry. But when he stood on that platform, as ill prepared as he often felt, he always gave it over to God and trusted Him to do whatever He wanted. No matter what.”

“That’s a terrifying thought.”

“When your only options are to do it scared or not at all, you have a decision to make. The people—” She paused as she took in the crowd. “They’re like sheep without a shepherd. They need you to give them hope. That’s why they’re here.”

“They need Jesus to give them hope. Not me.”

“You don’t want to be His vessel?”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Say whatever’s in your heart.”

Nikki licked her lips and stood, picking up her Bible and holding it against her chest. “I can try. I’ve been reading Hosea. I think that’s what’s happening here.”

“Then tell them that.”

“But what if I get it wrong?”

“You think you can get it wrong when you’re reading from His word?”

“You remember how they used scripture against Dad?”

“This is different. Trust Him.”

Nikki nodded and climbed up onto the stage and turned to face the crowd.Seriously, God. Tell me to step down, and I will. This is your last chance.

She smiled as the room went still. It had already been quiet, but now it was so silent her ears hummed.

“Thank you all for coming,” she said, only because they were all looking at her expectantly. “I’ve spoken to a lot of you already, and I assume that the rest are here for the same reasons. Life’s just gotten a lot harder. The mayor is determined to ruin us, and everything looks like it’s falling apart. There are probably people at home blaming the cutting down of the totem poles for our bad fortune.” That got a few nervous laughs. “But if you’re in here today, then it’s because you realize the truth.” They were all waiting for her to say something brilliant. No. They were hungry. They wanted to hear from God. “Let me read you something.”

She slid her fingers along the silk ribbon and used it to leaver open her Bible.

“It’s from Hosea, chapter two. Uh, I’m reading from the New Living Translation if anyone wants to know.” She looked up and waited while a few flipped through their Bibles to find the scriptures or searched on their phones.

She wiped first one palm, then the other on her pants. “I’ll start in verse 6.” She’d spoken to these people plenty of times. This shouldn’t be any different, but she couldn’t keep her voice from shaking. “It says,‘For thisreason I will fence her in with thorn bushes. I will block her path with a wall to make her lose her way. When she runs after her lovers, she won’t be able to catch them. She will search for them but not find them. Then she will think, “I might as well return to my husband, for I was better off with him than I am now.” She doesn’t realize it was I who gave her everything she has.’”

“Amen,” someone said quietly.

Nikki continued. “After it says all the bad things, then God says in verse 14,‘But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope.’I think that’s what’s happening here. I think this town has looked to everything else for life and hope when we should have been looking to God. Fairfax can’t give us what we need. He never has, and he never will. So, while he may seem to be taking things away from us, he was never the one who gave us anything good in the first place. He has no power.” The group responded in agreement, giving Nikki the courage to continue. “God is showing us that He’s the only one who can supply our needs. Not only that, He’s always been the one to do it. In order to remind us of that, He’s had to take away all that is good to remind us of where it comes from.” Her voice rose as she shared another scripture she had memorized. “In second Chronicles seven, it says,‘If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.’That’s what we’re doing now. God is listening. He hears our cries for Him, and He will respond.”

The shouts of agreement were louder now and mingled with shouts of praise.

“Let’s not lose hope now that things are at their worst. Let’s be people filled with hope.”

“But that won’t keep me in my house,” shouted someone from the back. “What do I do when I’m out on the street?”

Nikki held her breath and waited for inspiration, but none came. At least, she didn’t think it did. “It’s in the waiting that our faith is tested to see if it’s real. I know that sounds like a cop out answer. But you can lose your house and have nothing, or you can lose your house and have the hope that does not disappoint because it is rooted in God’s love.”

Beth put a finger in the air. “If I may,” she said. Her soft voice barely made it to Nikki.

“Yes, please.”

Beth stood slowly and turned around. Nikki could see the shudder that went through her mom’s body when she took a deep breath.

“I know there are some of you here,” Beth began, “who are in very difficult situations. I have some food at home I can spare, as I’m sure there are others of you who can as well. If we pool our resources and look after those who are in the greatest need, I think that would be good.”

Mae nodded and stood. “That’s a great idea. I’d like to help organize it. I don’t know that I have anything that I can offer, and I might be one who needs help, but if we all do what we can, we can get through this together.”

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