A young man named Isaac McCord was helping pick up debris this week on the Dollywood Theme Park grounds following the horrific wildfires that ravaged Gatlinburg, Tennessee, when he discovered something that truly gave him “goosebumps.”
McCord, 24, told USA Today that he noticed a piece of paper soaking in water under a park bench. Unsure of its contents, curiosity led him to pick it up — and what he read on the scorched and tattered paper left him absolutely stunned.
“As soon as I got down on the ground, I noticed it was a Bible verse, and I was like, ‘Holy crap,'” he told the outlet. “It was in a puddle of water. I said, ‘I want to take care of this the best way I can.'”
So, he picked up the paper and showed it to his co-worker, Misty Carver, with the two proceeding to more deeply explore the contents of the page. And that’s when some specific verses popped out at them.
“At first, we didn’t know what part of the book it was from, but we saw bits and pieces about fire and scorching the land, and how the beast groaned and roared for help,” McCord told USA Today.
He ended up being so moved by the contents of the Bible page that he posted a photo of it on Facebook, along with a description of the verses on it from Joel 1-2. McCord specifically shared text from Joel 1:15, Joel 1:19, Joel 1:20 and Joel 2:1. Those verses read (in that order):
– The day of the LORD is near, the day when destruction comes from the Almighty. How terrible that day will be!
– To you, LORD, I call, for fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.
– Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
– Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.
McCord said he and Carver found the discovery of the Bible page both “unreal” and “unbelievable” and explained how it immediately impacted both of them.
“When we had both fully read it, we looked at each other — and I will never forget this moment — we both burst into tears,” he said. “I was ghost white, and we just prayed. There was nothing else to do. Still to this moment, almost four hours after the fact, I don’t have words for it.”
The scriptures, considering the circumstances, clearly left McCord feeling quite stunned. While he’s not highly religious, he told USA Today he might start reassessing his relationship with his faith as a result.
“Talk about goosebumps,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
(H/T: USA Today)
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