The Page Turn

The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies. Psalm 118: 6-7

It was the night of our community's annual Gospel Concert - the night when all of the local area church choirs gather together and sing a concert for the community. I am the accompanist for our Senior Choir and the organist at our church. I look forward to this event very much each year as it is such a wonderful evening of music.

I sat with my fellow choir members that night listening to each choir sing their beautiful anthems. Unfortunately my mind was filled with worry and anxiety over various issues I was dealing with in my life at the time. One of the least of those worries was a page turn in the music that I was having trouble making in the song our choir was planning to sing.

I had practiced the music and the page turn many times, but it was not as smooth as I would have liked it to be. I prayed that God would calm my spirit and help me to enjoy the concert instead of being anxious and worried. Thankfully that prayer was answered. As I continued to listen to the beautiful music around me, I was able to enter into an attitude of worship and started to forget about my problems.

Soon it was time for our choir to sing. I took my place at the piano bench and made sure that the bottom corner of my page of music was folded over a little bit so it would be easier to grab and turn when the time came. The choir director motioned for me to begin playing the song. Then the choir lifted their voices to the music I was playing. I couldn't help but enter into an attitude of worship as I heard the beautiful music fill the sanctuary.

It was soon time for the page turn I was concerned about. But as I was getting ready to lift my left hand from the piano keys to turn the page of music, I noticed that the page was starting to turn on it's own. I watched in amazement as the page continued to turn the whole way and then lay flat! It was like another piano player or a person who could read music was sitting on the bench next to me and knew the exact moment when to turn the page!

The music page stayed there perfectly and my hand never had to leave the keyboard. In all my years of playing the piano and organ, I had never seen anything like this before! Sure, there are times when your music blows in a breeze, but never as smoothly as this. There was no doubt in my mind that the hand of God, or one of His angels turned my page of music for me that night.

I started to cry as I continued to play the music. I felt overwhelmed by God's presence and love. He was reassuring me that He was right there with me in a way that I, a piano player, would definitely recognize. It reminded me that God is concerned about even the little things in my life; things as insignificant as a page turn. And if He is concerned about the little things, I know that He must be even more concerned about the big things!

I silently prayed a prayer of thanks for this special moment I was allowed to experience. I completely forgot about all the worries and anxieties I had on my mind at the beginning of the concert. I knew that God was with me and that everything would be alright.

Others may say that my page of music turned because there were ceiling fans on in the church that night. But I know differently. That was the only page of music that turned on its own all night and it turned smoothly and gently at the exact moment I needed it to. It was not a coincidence.

Little did I know at the time, but God was preparing me for some difficult days ahead. Two months later, I had a seizure and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. As I walked through that difficult journey which involved three different hospital stays, major brain surgery, and months off work, I knew I was not alone. The same God that was there with me at the concert to turn my page of music was with me through my brain surgery and recovery too. And I know that He will be there always.

Thank you, Lord for your help in our time of need whether it be for big things or small things. May we never forget that you are always with us and that you care about even the minor details of our lives - whether it be the number of hairs on our heads or a difficult page turn. May we be mindful of your great love for us and be thankful.

Beth Wehr