Waiting . . .

The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be hope; let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults. For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men. 

(Lamentations 3:25-33)

Rejoice!

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Romans 5:1-5).

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice" (Philippians 4:4).

 "Rejoice always" (1 Thessalonians 5:16).

 "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer" (Romans 12:12).

"Finally, brothers, rejoice" (2 Corinthians 13:11).

Hope

I have been thinking about hope lately--specifically hope in hard times. Difficulty and suffering are a part of the Christian walk of life. Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation" (John 16:33). In fact, in 1 Peter 4:12 we read, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you." Fiery trials are to be expected.

The world also has troubles and difficulties. Christians aren't the only ones to suffer the loss of a loved one, a debilitating disease, or personal struggles. The unbelieving too have hurts and pains that they must endure.

What makes the difference between the suffering of the lost and the suffering of the redeemed? Hope. There is a hope for those who believe in the Gospel, for in the Gospel we find: (1) the promise of strength that is sufficient for our every need (2 Corinthians 12:9), (2) the promise of God's presence with us (Hebrews 13:5), and (3) the promise of eternal life (Romans 6:22).

The lost do not have access to any of these promises. They have no hope (Ephesians 2:12). When they are enduring difficulty, they have no higher source of strength to go to, no God to lift up their needs to. They must simply bear the pain alone, and struggle through life without hope.

These truths should affect us in several ways. First, they should give us a greater appreciation for our salvation. We have a hope when formerly we had none! Second, it should cause us to have a greater burden for those who are struggling through life hopelessly. Third, it should motivate us to more fully live upon the hope we have been given. Fourth, it should give us a greater appreciation for the God who has given us hope. We could never endure our sufferings apart from Him and the hope that He has given us through the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. We were hopeless, but He gave us a hope.

"But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:21-23)

Hawk vs. Squirrel

The Cooper's Hawk was back. But this time, he met his match.

It was a sight to see. I can't help but wonder what prompted the squirrel to attack the hawk, but it sure made a great video. I am just thankful for the opportunity to capture it all and share it.

Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He uttered.

- 1 Chronicles 16:8-12; Psalm 105:1-5 

How amazing to look at these creatures, living, thinking, interacting, and even fighting, and to realize that God made them. He initiated this incredible system of life that we see every day on earth.

Such glorious wonders, yet so easy to overlook. How easy to get caught up in our own lives and forget to look beyond ourselves to a world that's going on outside of us, not just in nature, but in the world. God is doing things in this world, and most of them take place outside of us. In fact, even those things which we are a part of are beyond us. Let us not get so caught up in our own little worlds that we forget that this is our Father's world. He has a plan and it is being enacted. What a shame it would be to miss it!

Dependence

I finally got them!




A really neat time, to say the least. It was a bit cold, but well worth it for the beauty of seeing those deer simply grazing. I don't know how those first two didn't see me for so long. I was in plain sight, for that was the only way to get good shots. I had a good 15 to 20 minutes of just standing there photographing them. It was beautiful!

I saw all three deer again a few days later, and they saw me--and fled. 

Shortly after their departure, I heard several gunshots from the direction they had gone. Though I don't think they were shot (I think the shooter was target practicing), it made me think. These deer left a place where they were perfectly safe and ran to a place that was not safe at all. On our property, deer don't have to worry about being shot. But as soon as they step away, their lives are in constant danger.

If they had realized how safe they were on our property, and how unsafe they were off of our property, I think they would have chosen to stay where they were. Their ignorance led them to endanger their lives.

How much we can be the same way! If we only realized that our greatest security is in the arms of our Lord, trusting in His strength for our daily sustenance, surely we would not get into the fixes and jams we get ourselves into. But often we don't realize this, and take our lives into our own hands. We try to go it alone, to do it ourselves, to follow our own plans, and we invariably fail.

God's strength is an infinite and available source of protection and help. Let us learn to live by the strength of His might, and to "not lean on our own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). If we trust in anything else, we only put ourselves in danger. Only by trusting in the LORD our God can we stand.

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright" (Psalm 20:7-8 ESV).