The forest fires in the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee have left 3 people dead, destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses and forced more than 14,000 people to evacuate the towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. In the midst of the destruction, there are signs of hope.
Isaac McCord, a 24-year-old employee of Dollywood, assisted in the cleanup of the popular theme park on Tuesday. The park grounds were filled with debris but otherwise unscathed. Isaac’s coworker, Misty Carver, was joking that he had missed a spot of rubble as he raked an area of the park known as Craftsman’s Valley. Under a bench, Isaac noticed a single piece of paper lying in a puddle. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a page from the Bible.
The ends were scorched from the fire, but Isaac sat on the bench to decipher the remaining words, gathering his coworkers to read the message:
“O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees in the field. The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.” – Joel 1:19-20, King James Bible
The words on the page seemed to describe the disaster that happened just the night before. Stunned by the discovery, Isaac shared a photo of the piece of paper on Facebook with the hope that it would bring comfort to victims of the blaze. The post soon went viral, with thousands of people sharing it over the social media site.
Many Facebook users commented on the picture, deeming the discovery a sign from God. Isaac said he wasn’t a particularly religious person before the discovery of the Bible page, but that finding the page could help him reevaluate the role that religion plays in his everyday life. He is also planning to frame the page.
“I think that faith and hope is very powerful in a situation like this,” Isaac told USA Today. “There are hundreds of people that are displaced and that have lost their homes. Most of these people will cling to faith. I wanted to share this message because it brought me to tears. It is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
