DEVOTION: God at Work! - Shirley Corder

Joseph from Arimathea placed the body of Jesus in his own tomb. He rolled a massive boulder across the entrance. Roman soldiers sealed the tomb, then placed men on guard duty. No one could get in, and certainly no one could get out. Then God sent an angel. " an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled the stone away, and sat on it.” 


I always thought the heavenly being rolled away the stone to allow Jesus to get out. Then one day I realised this wasn't so. They didn't have to let Jesus out. He was no longer there. He had already risen. The angel opened the tomb to show those outside that God was at work.

In 1997, I found myself in a tomb of a different sort when I underwent radical and life-threatening treatment for cancer. Many times, I felt trapped. Death seemed inevitable. Then God would send someone to show me that he was still in control. We found a much-needed check under the front door; a family member gave us a week’s vacation at a luxury resort; a loving friend cut my toenails and washed my hair; my youngest son installed a computer game on my pc to occupy my mind when I had no company. Flowers, cards and unexpected gifts all served one purpose. They showed me that God was at work.

As writers, we often find ourselves trapped. At least, I do.
Where do I go from here? 
Am I saying what I wanted to say? 
I thought God wanted me to write this article and now I don't know . . .

Then something happens to trigger a new idea. A knock at the door brings someone into the room who reminds me what I wanted to say. A flash of inspiration—or a sudden realization—causes my fingers to once again fly across the keyboard. I know where my writing's going. I'm not trapped any more. The boulder's gone. I'm free to move on. God is at work in my writing.

There are thousands, make that millions, of people out there who are trapped. Trapped in tombs of their own making—or in tombs of illness, grief or abuse. They need someone to open their tombs. But in this case, it's to show them the way out. 

I can't open tombs. I can't move boulders. I can't free those who are trapped. But God can. If I yield my writing to Him, He can use my words to roll away the boulders in peoples' lives. He can use my words to show the world that God is at work in their lives.out. 

SHIRLEY M. CORDER lives in South Africa and never expected to be a published author—until she decided to pray about her writing. Her book, Rise and Soar above the Cancer Valley is due for release in the USA in 2012, and she is contributing author to nine other books. Hundreds of her inspirational and life-enrichment articles have been published internationally. You can contact Shirley through her writing website, her Rise and Soar cancer site, or follow her on Twitter.