We all know summer will end at some point. Wednesday morning, the temperature here was in the low 40’s. This is more than a subtle reminder; it might be seen more as a wake-up call.
The news lately has been much about fires, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and other disasters. What is a person to think?
First of all, God allows these things to happen. Not for judgment, as some would have us to believe, but because of Adam and Eve sinning, i.e., disobeying God, creation is broken. Therefore, these calamities happen to all people at one time or another. As we see these things happening, we should be in prayer for those affected. Next time, we might be the one ‘standing in the need of prayer’, as the old song says.
As many of you know, our little dog has been deaf since we got her, and lately she has become blind. In spite of these things, we still communicate with her, mostly by touch. Except, at mealtime, when her sense of smell plays a large part. Along with what I might call side-effects of these things, she seems to be more anxious when she doesn’t know where we are. However, when she lies beside us in a chair or on the sofa, she is relaxed and usually sleeps
The other day, I was thinking about her situation, and it occurred to me this is a bit like us and God. We don’t see him or hear him, but we sense his presence many times just by his touch. It might be the hand of a friend, or some quiet, small voice that we don’t really hear, or maybe a passage of scripture, but we know it is him. And even though we don’t physically see or hear him, we know he is there. It is called faith and trust.
In our dog, I see a picture of Christians who, when they don’t see or hear God’s presence, become agitated and uneasy. Perhaps if we could picture ourselves sheltered in his arms, or sitting beside him on the sofa, we would be more at ease in our circumstance.
Here are some comforting scriptures:
“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27a).
“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge” (Psalm 91:4).
Trusting Him,
Pastor Jerry
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