Pastor Darryl Miller
Sand Lake UMC,
65 W. Maple, Sand Lake
South Ensley UMC,
13600 Cypress, Sand Lake
Isaiah 41:10: “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.”
What a crazy spring this has been! The weather, the politics, the health issues, and that’s just this last week! Sometimes it’s hard to remember these words from our God. How can we look around us on some days and not be afraid? Let’s face it, it’s not easy but God’s reassurance is always there and always true. He is always with us throughout our struggles.
I used to become agitated when we would receive an unexpected income of some kind. A mistake on a bank account, or an underpayment of a refund. We would get some extra money and make plans for it, and then the car would explode or the water heater would melt. Or some other such disaster. (Yes I am being over dramatic.) And then the unexpected money would have to go towards the unexpected repairs. But finally, after experiencing this several times, I suddenly realized that this was a huge blessing that I was missing. God had been providing the needed money for the upcoming problem before we were even aware of the problem!
Sometimes seeing the blessing and presence of God means looking at things a little differently. When we look for God with an earthly perspective we may not always see God in action. However, if we look for God in a Spiritual perspective we can see Him more clearly. God acts in ways that we don’t always understand. And certainly in ways that we don’t expect. We may not notice if we are looking for what we expect instead of what God sees as important for us. There’s an old joke about a preacher who is caught up in a flood. When a boat comes along, he refuses to leave saying that God would take care of him. When a second boat comes along and the preacher is up on his roof to avoid the water, he again refuses to get in because God will take care of him. Now standing on the chimney a helicopter comes along and He waves them away saying that God will save him. And of course he drowns. When he complains to God, God replies: “What do you mean? I sent two boats and a helicopter!”
God can see far more things than we can. He can see things that we would never expect and because he loves us He does now what is best for us in the future. This is why we do need to learn to stand on His words. He truly is with us and He truly holds us up. Check out a church near you to find out more about God’s love.
