WATCHWORD:
5 God’s voice is glorious and thunders in marvelous ways;
He does great things beyond our understanding.
6 “He directs the snow to fall on the earth
and tells the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ Job 37:5-6
For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6
So, do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Isaiah 41:13
Meditation:
Great Things Beyond Our Understanding
We had been married for less than a year when we traveled to Colorado to visit family. My wife and I decided to drive to a lookout point where we could see the whole of Denver, shrouded in a fresh fall of snow. We stood by a snow bank on a freshly plowed mountain road and threw snowballs at one another, and then threw them out and down into the valley below.
We were just getting back into our car when I realized that my new wedding ring was missing. Frantically, we pawed through the snow drift where we had been making snowballs, all to no avail. We gave up. In frustration, I made one last grab, and there in my hand was my ring. Impossible? Beyond my understanding? Luck? Whatever it was, the two of us just stood there in amazement, happily, thanking God.
Think about so many of our friends facing serious diagnosis and treatments, whose names dot our prayer lists. We need only consider Covid 19 to come face-to-face with a world-wide evil we could not have imagined just nine short months ago.
I think about that college student, victim of rape at age 13, forced by parents to abort, who now, six years later, struggles with the image of her lost child. Or the neighbor whose son was taken from them by cancer.
What about you? Happenings beyond your understanding? Were they God things? Some, yes, some, no. One commentary on Job says, “We can’t even imagine the greatness of His power.” We can find refuge in this because sometimes in life, things worse than we can imagine happen to us, or we find ourselves wanting to stand firm against what we consider impossible odds. And, maybe, we draw on Philippians 4:13, where we know He is a source of strength that will get us through this present darkness.
These kinds of situations are the perfect stage for God to show up and display his authority, and the extent of his truly amazing grace. You have heard me say many times, God is in charge and God loves us. To that I could add that God wants to be with us in the most difficult of circumstances. He extends to us the confidence to rest in His unparalleled strength and mercy through Jesus Christ.
Or perhaps you, like Joshua in ancient times, standing on the edge of the Jordan, preparing to cross and enter the Promised Land, who hears God’s Words: 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9). Amen.
It is not the circumstances that drags us down, but how we react to the circumstances. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
I did not forget the punch line to Saturday’s ‘Shaggy Dog Story’ in Watchwords. That is the nature of those kinds of stories. I did hear from many of you, pained by the experience. I am so sorry. So, here and now, I promise this…(Oh, sorry, there’s the phone.)
There once was a man from Nantucket
Who kept all his cash in a bucket.
But his daughter, named Nan,
Ran away with a man
And as for the bucket, Nantucket.
(Did you get that?)
Closing Prayer:
Two Morning Prayers —
God of Heaven’s Armies, my Father, You are near to me. Even in the valley overshadowed with the threatening specter of death, You are beside me giving me my every breath. In this season of strife and shadow, I need Your power. Father, strengthen me by Your Spirit. Grant me the fortitude to withstand the slings of the enemy. I ask this in the name of Your Son, who, when He was facing the cross, did not falter in His resolve. Amen.
Loving Heavenly Father, You have loved me with immeasurable love. You are love. I pray that I will be strengthened in my inner being – in my soul – with the love that is wider than I can understand, deeper than I am able to imagine, and greater than I could ever know. As You encourage and embolden me, may I more fully know the mystery of the Gospel as revealed in my life. In the love of Christ, I pray. Amen.
