Grains of Sand

Pixabay I love the Fall. It was something I missed while living overseas. Our seasons there were only two—dry or rainy. There is something about the crispness of the air in the Fall that is so invigorating. The colours are beginning to change and markets are full of local goodness from abundant harvests. People are canning and freezing, storing up the tastes of summer to enjoy during the long days of winter. The seasons are also a permanent testimony to the steady, stable, faithful presence of God in a world that is not steady, stable or faithful. They are a testimony to "right side up" in an "upside down" world. Early in history, God made this promise: " As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease " (Genesis 8:22). Frost will touch the flowers. Leaves will fall. Snow will fly. Ice will melt. Buds will appear. Harvests will be planted and gathered. Frost will touch the f...

ringof5.com (Google Images) This is what you say when everything is going well: “ But you are a shield around me, O Lord, my Glorious One, who lifts up my head. To the Lord I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. I lie down and sleep; I wake up again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side ” (Psalm 3:3-6) However, this psalm of David was written when he was forced to flee from Jerusalem when his own son, Absalom, was determined to kill him and take over his throne. No biggie. Who among us would be so secure in the Lord that under such circumstances we could say the same? David’s statement about sleeping peacefully while surrounded by his enemies reminded me of another psalm. “ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies ” (Psalm 23:5). David sleeps well and eats a leisurely meal even in the worst of times. We’d be tempted to call it foolharty but such is his faith in the Lord to deliver him on...

Google Images “ Because the Lord kept vigil ” (Exodus 12:42). Oh, I love these five words! The place is Egypt on the night of the 10th plague, on the night the Lord struck down the firstborn in every Egyptian household, on the night the Israelites were finally free to leave after more than 400 years under Pharaoh’s power. It was the night of the first “Passover.” The very name tells the story. The Israelites were instructed to pack their bags. They were give specific details as to how to prepare for their last meal in Egypt. Most important of all, they were told to brush the blood of the lamb designated for that meal on the doorposts of their homes. By this sign the angel of death would know not to touch the firstborn of that home. That child was protected by the blood of the lamb. The analogy is obvious. As that ancient household was protected by the blood, so is anyone who accepts Christ as his or her Saviour protected by the blood that He shed on the cross. The blood of Jesus Ch...

A picture is worth a thousand words. Couple the picture with the promise and we have a winning combination. Great picture, fantastic promise! God is good.

Abby, feeling secure I read somewhere that cats only sleep with their tummies exposed when they are feeling totally safe. David had plenty of times in his life when he was never safe, when a deep, carefree sleep seemed out of the question. In Psalm 4, the psalmist expresses his confidence in the God who will guard his sleep as well as He guards his servant's waking hours. " Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him...In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety " (4:3, 8, NIV). Some of us have a hard time letting go of the day. Sleep eludes us as we struggle with what has been, what is, and what is yet to come. David had as much reason as anyone to suffer insomnia. He had "issues," enemies who wanted to kill him, questions of food and shelter to deal with, people to rule, children who were rebellious. He released all these things into the Lord's hands and went ...

“ On what are you basing this confidence of yours? ” (2 Kings 18:19, NIV). This was the beginning of a message that Sennacherib, King of Assyria, sent to Hezekiah, King of Judah, as the Assyrian army lay siege to Jerusalem. Israel had been decimated, her people taken into captivity. And now, the Assyrians were threatening to do the same to Judah. Sennacherib ridiculed Hezekiah. He mocked the God of Judah, comparing Him to the gods of the pagan nations whom Assyria had swept away. It was an ugly situation—and a desperate one. The question had been a valid one, though the answer Sennacherib got was not the one he expected.  Just where WAS Hezekiah’s confidence going to be placed? Where is ours placed when our world threatens to blow apart. or already has? 2 Kings 19 describes how Hezekiah took the message the King of Assyria had sent and laid it before the Lord. He sent his leadership team to Isaiah, God’s prophet “ all wearing sackcloth, ” a symbol of mourning. “ Do not be afraid ...

Ask anyone. It is unlikely that there are many people on the planet who can't come up with at least one challenge that they are currently facing. Big or small, significant or not, there is always something. As Moses continues through his final discourse to the Israelites before he takes his final journey, he has some words of encouragement for the nation. Some might raise their eyebrows at that one since the instructions about obedience and faithfulness and the consequences of rebellion seem so prominent in the Old Testament books. But, yes, there are words of encouragement. As we start Deuteronomy 9, Moses reminds his audience about the report that had come back from the ten spies forty years earlier. These men had warned that there were giants in the land and were not at all excited about taking those giants on. Yes, admits Moses, these Anakites are big brutes (9:1, 2) living in strongly fortified cities. But God was bigger. " But be assured today that the Lord your ...

MacDesktop Wallpapers " Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit " —Jeremiah 17:7, 8, NIV 'nuff said!