“No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Joshua 1:5 (NIV)
“My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.” Psalm 119:148 (NIV)
Where were you last week when the ice and snow converged on North Central Alabama? Had you made adequate preparations? We live on the dividing line in Birmingham where weather forecasters James Spann and Richard Jacks try their best to predict as accurately as they can, but it’s always very ‘iffy.’
Everything South of Interstate 20 was supposed to receive ice and North of I-20 was to receive snow, however, that was not the case. Birmingham and Eastward was slap dab in the middle of an ice storm that paralyzed the city in some areas for several days. We received 3-4 inches of ice in Roebuck.
For me, work didn’t cease. There was no holiday nor was there much relaxation. My vocation requires us to arrive at work early as well as have staff late each business day, sort of like medical personnel or ministers, we are always on call. Thankfully, we had a very good group that could work from home and some were even able with the aid of four-wheel drive and chains on their vehicles to make it to the nearest hotel in order to arrive at the office the day after the snow and ice in order to make the legal deadlines required for our work.
Life can be like that for all of us, very unpredictable. Oh, we would like even sailing and no rough seas, no bumps in the road with newly paved asphalt, everything going as ‘smooth as silk.’ But is that how life works? Not really. But, we have hope, God is with us! He promised to be with us through the difficulties we face. It may be that you are going through a very difficult time now with your health. Perhaps you are facing some tough decisions about what to do with your living arrangements. Maybe you are anxious and want to see ‘round the bend’ on your journey. Take heart, my friend. Know that God never slumbers nor sleeps. His eyes are watching over you throughout the night. Yes, we do encounter difficulties that can make us irritable and try our patience. Yes, sometimes it may feel as if we have been abandoned, but ‘you know what?’ We haven’t been left behind. God sends down His Love through friends who care, a hug or kind word given by loved ones, a phone call received with someone on the other end giving us an encouraging word and showering us with a blessing at the most unexpected moment, just in the ‘nick of time!’
So, how do we go on? We trust God, through thick and thin. Don’t go at life alone. Lean upon Him, who is able to deliver us through the floods and perilous times that we face in life. Trust Him! Allow friends to minister to you. You are loved! Touch lives, by touching others. You can truly make a difference in someone’s life! God is there to listen to our faintest prayer; God cares and will see us through.
This is another day, O God.
I know not what it will bring forth,
But make me ready.
If I am to stand, help me to stand bravely.
If I am to sit, help me to sit quietly.
If I am to lie in bed, help me to do so patiently;
And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly.
Make these words more than words, and give me Your Spirit.
Amen
(adapted from The Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church of Canada)
As we serve along-side each other, I remain,
Your devoted friend,
Mark David Jackson
