God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in times of trouble. Psalms 46:10.
Turtles are one of God's most interesting creations. I knew lots of facts about them. Their shells are beautiful works of art and each as individual as human finger prints. In addition to being beautiful, they protect the turtle's vulnerable body. Without a shell, the turtle would be easy game to predators. but with it, only the most aggressive and resourceful enemies can harm it.
Nothing I learned in books prepared me for the reality of having a turtle at our house. One day while driving through the middle of nowhere in West Texas, I saw a box turtle crossing the road. I picked it up and took it to the babysitter, thinking that it would be fun for the little boys there. The first lesson we learned was that while we hear that turtles are slow, they can really put a move on when exposed to two year olds. The turtle came home with us after a couple of days of torture at the babysitter's. This gave rise to a series of utterances that I never dreamed would ever come out of my mouth. For instance, I never dreamed I would have to tell a child, "Don't give that turtle coke." or "Don't chase the turtle." One sentence that was uttered just a little too late was, "Don't kiss the turtle.!" His reply was "I kiss Spike" Spike's response was to clamp down on his lip. My child let out a blood curdling scream and let go of the turtle, who hung off of his lip. As I stared, Spike let go of his lip and fell from 2 year old height. I put him in the cage, where he was very still for 2 days. I was unreasonably pleased when I heard scratching in the cage. Apparently the shell can protect turtles from the most ruthless of danger.
Jesus tells in Matthew 6 about how God cares for his creation but says that we are of much more value. We serve a God who cares deeply about our well being. Matthew 10:29-30 tell us this.
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
We need to be assured of God's care and protection for us. In a difficult time or when beginning a new stage in life, we need to know that God will protect us from fear, from physical danger, and from the attacks of the enemy. One of the most beautiful verses I know of is Psalms 46:10-14. God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in times of trouble. Therefore we will not fear, thought the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. The Lord Almighty's with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress.
When Abraham was afraid, God told him in Genesis 15, I am your shield and your very great reward. He says the same thing to us today. One thing he gives us is his presence. He told Jeremiah in Jer. 1:9
"Be strong and courageous. Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with your wherever you may go. In Ephesians 6, he tells us about a resource we often ignore - our spiritual armor. This includes the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.
We may feel weak and ineffective, and on our own we are. However with God we can be assured of protection and can face our lives and our enemy with faith and confidence.
Friday, May 27, 2016
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Blooming
Bloom
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!
OK, boys and girls. Today we are going to have science class. What does it take for flowers to grow. You all know the answer to this. Soil, water, sunlight, and food. Flowers that have plenty of all of these things will be healthy and beautiful. Unfortunately, there are lots of places that do not have plenty of these things. Here in West Texas, we have lots of sunshine, but usually not enough rain. We still get flowers, though. The ones that grow here send deep roots to find the water that is available, or they grow on cacti or succulents that store water. In the rain forest, the tree canopy is so thick that the flowers cannot always get the sunlight they need. The flowers that grow there are sun seekers, even turning on their stems to follow the light. While soil is necessary for flowers, they can adapt. We have all seen flowers growing out of the cracks in the sidewalk or a rocky crevasse, and water lilies can grow with no soil at all. It amazes me when I think about how God has enabled the flowers to flourish in less than ideal circumstances.
You know, God has done the same thing for us. Like the hardy flowers, we exist in less than ideal circumstances. You may be in a job that you would rather not do but you have the integrity to go every day and do your best. You may have people in your home that are difficult. Maybe, like me, you read those facebook posts about how people are married to their best friend and they are so happy. While you are happy for them, your spouse is being a royal patoot today. Maybe you are still waiting for your royal patoot to show up. Maybe the child that you adore has broken your heart. Whatever your inhospitable environment, by the grace of God you can bloom.
Just like flowers need certain conditions to bloom, so do we. First we need contact with God. This comes through prayer and meditation and through the hard work of being still. (Psalms 46:10) We can be so busy (even busy doing God's work) that we don't stop to come into the presence of God. Being still is hard for Western Christians because we don't practice. Second we need the food of the word. (Hebrews 5:12-13) We need gratitude and praise in our lives, which are also not in our nature. Psalms 35:10 and so many other verses make this clear. Finally we need to let God use the difficult circumstances in our lives as fertilizer, taking the negative things and using them for our good.( Genesis 48, Romans 8:28)
If we do these things we can be an encouragement to others and a sweet smelling aroma to our Father who adores us.
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!
OK, boys and girls. Today we are going to have science class. What does it take for flowers to grow. You all know the answer to this. Soil, water, sunlight, and food. Flowers that have plenty of all of these things will be healthy and beautiful. Unfortunately, there are lots of places that do not have plenty of these things. Here in West Texas, we have lots of sunshine, but usually not enough rain. We still get flowers, though. The ones that grow here send deep roots to find the water that is available, or they grow on cacti or succulents that store water. In the rain forest, the tree canopy is so thick that the flowers cannot always get the sunlight they need. The flowers that grow there are sun seekers, even turning on their stems to follow the light. While soil is necessary for flowers, they can adapt. We have all seen flowers growing out of the cracks in the sidewalk or a rocky crevasse, and water lilies can grow with no soil at all. It amazes me when I think about how God has enabled the flowers to flourish in less than ideal circumstances.
You know, God has done the same thing for us. Like the hardy flowers, we exist in less than ideal circumstances. You may be in a job that you would rather not do but you have the integrity to go every day and do your best. You may have people in your home that are difficult. Maybe, like me, you read those facebook posts about how people are married to their best friend and they are so happy. While you are happy for them, your spouse is being a royal patoot today. Maybe you are still waiting for your royal patoot to show up. Maybe the child that you adore has broken your heart. Whatever your inhospitable environment, by the grace of God you can bloom.
Just like flowers need certain conditions to bloom, so do we. First we need contact with God. This comes through prayer and meditation and through the hard work of being still. (Psalms 46:10) We can be so busy (even busy doing God's work) that we don't stop to come into the presence of God. Being still is hard for Western Christians because we don't practice. Second we need the food of the word. (Hebrews 5:12-13) We need gratitude and praise in our lives, which are also not in our nature. Psalms 35:10 and so many other verses make this clear. Finally we need to let God use the difficult circumstances in our lives as fertilizer, taking the negative things and using them for our good.( Genesis 48, Romans 8:28)
If we do these things we can be an encouragement to others and a sweet smelling aroma to our Father who adores us.
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