![]() In a hurry to finish shopping before leaving on a trip, I scanned items in my shopping cart at the self-service checkout. Before I could complete the transaction, the machine malfunctioned. Oh, great. I don’t need this right now. Then, a message appeared on the screen: “Help is on the way.” Good. Someone would come to my rescue. But no one came. Impatient, I stepped over to the Customer Service counter, but as I did so, a store associate approached. She greeted me with a smile, typed a code into the machine, and, voila, my issue was resolved. I was thankful for her help and made it home in time to leave on our trip. Help is on the way. If God responded to my concerns with a text message or note on my computer, I imagine him typing a message like this. But, of course, electronic technology isn't required for God to communicate with us—or us with Him. He is only a prayer away—and our hearts become the "email" receptacle for answers to prayer. Presently, much help is needed in the state where I live, for a rapidly spreading wildfire has put mountain communities in great danger. Some residents have been forced to evacuate. Hundreds of firefighters are risking their health and lives to do all they can to keep the fire from destroying homes and structures. In times of great need, people often come together to support one another. But, in disastrous situations, some may ask, “How could God allow this to happen?" The same question could be asked about other ills of the world that make us fearful, anxious, or angry, such as poverty, war, drugs, crime, or terrorism. The God of Creation, who made the universe and everything in it, never intended for our world to become a place of chaos, devastation, or suffering. Unfortunately, many of the ills that have taken place throughout history have been tied to human undertaking and sin. There are other things that happen for which we do no have answers. However, for the believer, trust is place in the One who is in charge of creation. Despite the ills of the world, we have a God who is larger than any problem or disaster we face. No matter what happens, the Bible tells us that God promises never to leave us or forsake us. 1 Corinthians 12 shows we are part of the body of Christ. “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.” As God’s people, as the body of Christ, we act together as one to lift our hands in service to help others in times of need. God comes to the rescue, for through His guidance, He helps us navigate the challenges set before us. Indeed, help is on the way! Whether we are dealing with something as small as an issue in a checkout line, or whether we are confronted by the devastation of wildfires or other natural disasters, we may feel our faith is being tested. But God's Word tells us not to fear and to trust Him. Having this faith, we are assured that whatever happens, He will always be with us and He comes to our rescue. His guidance is just a prayer away. <><<><<>< “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” – Psalm 46:1 “The Lord is my helper.” – Hebrews 13:6 “For the Lord God helps me.” – Isaiah 50:7 “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” – Psalm 121:2 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” - Isaiah 41:10 Photo: N. Johnson - Wildfire close to where we traveled (following the delay at the supermarket).
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![]() HAPPY EASTER! Today we worship, rejoice, and sing praise to God in celebration of the ascension of our risen Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! He is risen! As I woke this morning and looked out my window at the sun streaming down onto the lush green trees and plants in the yard and the blooming of plants and flowers, I was reminded not only of the glory of this special day, but the glory of God's creation. I thought of a favorite Bible verse from the book of Isaiah. The words practically jump off the page in glee: “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all of the trees of the field will clap their hands.” - Isaiah 55:12 What beauty and joy is found in these images of mountains and hills bursting into song—and trees clapping their hands! The Bible teems with scripture that exemplifies the connection between God and nature. Additional verses are listed below as examples. But , before you read the verses, I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on the photo of the forest posted above. Imagine stepping into the photo and standing beneath the statuesque pines. You bask in the warmth of the rays of sun as they descend upon the forest floor. Closing your eyes as you soak in the beauty surrounding you, you feel and hear the sound of the breeze blowing through the trees and hear the chirping of the birds. As you immerse yourself in the beauty of the forest, surrounded by a world of living things, do you realize that YOU were created to be part of God's grand design in all that He created? Now that you have reflected on the photo and imagined yourself immersed in it, and as God's peace brings you comfort from any worries or concerns, take a few moments to read the verses that follow. God has done marvelous things! “Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea resound, and all that fills it. Let the fields exult and all that is in them. Then all of the trees will sing for joy.” – Psalm 96:11-12 “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.” – Psalm 47:1 “Shout for joy, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth; break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it.” – Isaiah 44:23 “All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name.” – Psalm 66:4 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” – Job 12:7-10 May you rejoice in God's creation in all He has done, and may you know the treasure of the gift of salvation for you through Jesus Christ, God's only Son, who gave His life on the cross for you. Happy Easter! He is risen! Photo courtesy of Ahasanara Akter - Vecteezy.com ![]() In the countryside, a stable hand unlatches the gate of each animal stall in the barn and calls each by name. The horses and donkeys eagerly retreat from their stalls. They know the routine, as they follow one another into the pasture to eat. There, they are free to run, play, and graze. They trust their master and know she will provide for their needs. From the time she was a little girl, this is the work she has always wanted to do. She watches out for the animals while they are in the pasture. Later, she gathers them back into the barn into their respective stalls for safekeeping at night. In a forested area on a mountain ridge, before the chill of Fall slips into a blanket of Winter, a Native shepherd leads his sheep down the mountain to a lower elevation. There, they can thrive safely for the winter. The shepherd smiles. As the son of a sheep herder, he knows it is an honor to do this work. He loves and cares for his sheep. Ah, pasturelands! What images form in your mind when you think of this word? (Perhaps Psalm 23 comes to mind?). The thought of laying down in green pastures—lush grasses nurtured by rich soil and fresh water, would be cooling and refreshing. Then, as you are led to still waters, perhaps you sit and rest. Imagine the serene reflection of blue sky and white clouds that appear in the water as you reflect on the beauty of both earth and sky. And then, as you are spiritually fed and your soul is restored, oh, what great comfort you feel! In our busy lives, we yearn for the beauty of creation. Not everyone grows up in the countryside or in forest lands; however, the greenery of trees, bushes, or grasses is often plentiful in our neighborhoods and communities. Just as animals have owners or masters, and sheep have shepherds, we have a Shepherd, too. His name is Jesus. He is the Great Shepherd. The Bible tells us that He knows the voice of His sheep—and they know His voice. The Great Shepherd knows your every need. He cares for you. And He loves you more than you will ever know! Psalm 23:1-6 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Photo courtesy of vecteezy.com (Iftikhar Alam) ![]() Did you ever play with a magnifying glass as a child? Or, place it over a bug to see every detail? When I was young, I remember watching a large, black beetle emerge from a crevice in our driveway. Wanting to see it up close, I positioned the magnifying glass over it. At first, I thought it was awesome—until I noticed the sharp pinchers and its pointy-looking appendages. Eww! Not what I expected! Then, I decided to look at gentler things: a butterfly that landed on a branch, a rock in the garden soil, a blade of grass in the yard, and a flower in the garden. But what did I see in the magnifying glass? A coiled hook on the butterfly’s mouth, divots in the rock, spiny edges on the blade of grass, and a horn-like part on a bee's face coming out of the flower. One afternoon, while playing in the yard, I got a splinter in my finger. My mother retrieved the magnifying glass. As she placed it over my finger, she pointed out the pattern of tiny swirling lines. “Everyone’s fingerprints are different,” she said. “Do you know that no one else in the world has fingerprints like yours?” I was so amazed by this fact that I hardly noticed it when she removed the splinter. These days, I still use a magnifying glass on occasion, but I don’t like using it on myself. What do I see? Age spots on my arms. Large pores on the sides of my nose. Tiny lines that accompany the spaces surrounding wrinkles in my face. My adult version of Eww! Not what I wanted, even if expected. However, if there was anyone whose life was ever magnified, it was that of Jesus Christ. His enemies scrutinized Him. They magnified every word or action, turned against Him, and twisted their interpretation of who He really was: the Son of God, blameless and without sin. Talk about magnification: Jesus took with Him the sin of man upon that cross as He gave His life for each of us. Sometimes, I wonder what God sees when He looks at me. I start to frown, but am reminded He isn’t looking at me through a magnifying glass. He overlooks every splotch and flaw on the outside of me and every speck of sin on the inside. As a child of the King, He sees through my flaws. I am comforted beyond measure to know that I am forgiven. And He loves me—and He loves YOU! Photo courtesy of Vecteezy.com (Blog adapted from an earlier post) ![]() HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Today is the day traditionally set aside to celebrate romantic love; however, it also encompasses the expression of the love we have for all who are dear to us. I happened to think about the traces we leave behind everyday as our mark on the world--the unseen traces, that is. If anyone wanted to find evidence of where we have been (excluding GPS or phone tracking), a forensics expert could easily track our activity by observing the fingerprints we leave on everything we touch. We don't consciously think about the invisible marks we leave, probably as infrequently as we think about the approximate 23,040 breaths we take in every 24 hours. Imagine, though, what it would be like if your fingerprints showed up in red (or another color) on everything you touched? That would be quite a sight, wouldn't it? Isn't it amazing to think that our Creator gave each of us a distinct, unique set of fingerprints, ones that cannot be matched to any other other person on this planet? If we were subject to being found, it wouldn't be too difficult for authorities to find plenty of physical evidence on us. In addition to the physical evidence we leave, what if our hearts left a "print" every time we expressed love, care, sympathy, or concern for others? I like to think of these as "Heartprints." If they showed up visibly (let's say in red), imagine what our world would look like? And what would your own corner of the world look like? We can only hope that our Heartprints would be even more numerous than the fingerprints we leave behind each day. Picture a world stamped with Heartprints--might it look like a giant Valentine? Speaking of the world, I cannot help but speak of our Creator, the Father above, the God of all creation, the Lord of Lords, the Alpha, the Omega, our Counselor and Redeemer, who long ago set His fingerprint, His Heartprint, upon each of us. We have been marked as His Own, unseen evidence that we were created for Him, and by Him. May you have a Blessed day, one filled with love! [A revisited blog post from 2/14/17] Photo courtesy of Vecteezy.com |
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