Catch an Eye
On a summer day I took my three-year-old daughter to a kiddy park in Dallas to ride the rides. I put her on a small ride which she insisted on trying even though it was the “scariest.” As she whipped around the corners in the kiddy car, she wrinkled up her face into a terrified cry. I tried to catch her attention, and finally she caught my eye, and I was smiling and shouting, “Hey, this is fun!” When she saw that I was not terrified, but smiling, she also began to laugh. What was once terrifying became enjoyable—even fun! I though how our Heavenly Father will “put us on some scary rides” in life, not really to terrify us, but to cause us to catch His eye, to teach us that He is in control and we can trust Him.
Facing Reality
Anyone who doesn’t believe in miracles isn’t a realist. –David Ben-Gurion
The Ultimate Answer to Lostness
An elderly gentleman was out walking with his young grandson. “How far are we from home?” he asked the grandson. The boy answered, “Grandpa, I don’t know.” The grandfather asked, “Well, where are you?” Again the boy answered, “I don’t know.” Then the grandfather said good-naturedly, “Sounds to me as if you are lost.” The young boy looked up at his grandfather and said, “Nope, I can’t be lost. I’m with you.” Ultimately, that is the answer to our lostness, too. We can’t be lost if He is with us. –King Duncan
I Know Who Holds Tomorrow
A few days before I left home to prepare for the ministry, my gray-haired pastor, Rev. Temple, told me this story. I have told it many, many times since, especially in connection with the song, “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow.”
“When my son was small, we often walked together out through the fields and neighboring pasture behind the parsonage. At first the little fellow would hold only my little finger, but he found that when he stepped into a hoof-print or stumbled over something, his grip would fail and down he’d go in the dust or snow. Not giving it much thought, my mind on other matters, I’d stop and he’d get up, brush himself off, and grab my little finger again, gripping a little harder this time.
“Needless to say, this occurred frequently until one day as he was brushing himself off, he looked at me and said, ‘Daddy?’ I replied, ‘Yes, son, what is it?’ He said, ‘I think if you would hold my hand, I wouldn’t fall.’
Pastor Temple then turned to me and with a tear in his eye, he said, “You know, he still stumbled many times after that, but he never hit the ground. Now, as you walk with God, don’t try to hold on to Him, let Him hold on to you. You may stumble, but He’ll never let you fall.” –Fred Musser
Following
Do not follow where the path may lead. Follow God, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.
An Inside Job
In a remote Swiss village stood a beautiful church. It was so beautiful, in fact, that it was known as the Mountain Valley Cathedral. The church was not only beautiful to look at—with its high pillars and magnificent stained glass windows—but it had the most beautiful pipe organ in the whole region. People would come from miles away—from far off lands—to hear the lovely tones of this organ.
But there was a problem. The columns were still there—the windows still dazzled with the sunlight—but there was an eerie silence. The mountain valley no longer echoed the glorious fine-tuned music of pipe organ.
Something had gone wrong with the pipe organ. Musicians and experts from around the world had tried to repair it. Every time a new person would try to fix it, the villagers were subjected to sounds of disharmony—awful penetrating noises which polluted the air.
One day an old man appeared at the church door. He spoke with the sexton and after a time, the sexton reluctantly agreed to let the old man try his hand at repairing the organ. For two days, the old man worked in almost total silence. The sexton was, in fact, getting a bit nervous. Then on the third day—at high noon—the mountain valley once again was filled with glorious music. Farmers dropped their plows, merchants closed their stores—everyone in town stopped what they were doing and headed for the church. Even the bushes and trees of the mountain tops seemed to respond as the glorious music echoed from ridge to ridge.
After the old man finished his playing, a brave soul asked him how he could have fixed the organ, how could he restore this magnificent instrument when even the world’s experts could not. The old man merely said it was an inside job. “It was I who built this organ fifty years ago. I created it—and now I have restored it.”
That is what God is like. It is He Who created the universe, and it is He Who can, and will, and is in the process of restoring it.
Different Strategy
God gently leads His children along. Me, He yanks!– Bob Pierce
Creeping on the Promises
In the early days of our country, a weary traveler came to the banks of the Mississippi River for the first time. There was no bridge. It was early winter, and the surface of the mighty stream was covered with ice. Could he dare cross over? Would the uncertain ice be able to bear his weight?
Night was falling, and it was urgent that he reach the other side. Finally, after much hesitation and with many fears, he began to creep cautiously across the surface of the ice on his hands and knees. He thought that he might distribute his weight as much as possible and keep the ice from breaking beneath him.
About halfway over, he heard the sound of singing behind him. Out of the dusk there came a man, driving a horse-drawn load of coal across the ice and singing merrily as he went his way.
Here he was—on his hands and knees, trembling lest the ice be not strong enough to bear him up! And there, as if whisked away by the winter’s wind, went the man, his horses, his sleigh, and his load of coal, upheld by the same ice on which he was creeping!
Like this weary traveler, some of us have learned only to creep upon the promises of God. Cautiously, timidly, tremblingly we venture forth upon His promises, as though the lightness of our step might make His promises more secure. As though we could contribute even in the slightest to the strength of His assurances!
He has promised to be with us. Let us believe that promise! He has promised to uphold us. Let us believe Him when He says so. He has promised to grant us victory over all our spiritual enemies. Let us trust His truthfulness. Above all, He has promised to grant us full and free forgiveness of all our sins because of Jesus Christ, our Savior. And He has promised to come and take us to His heavenly home. Let us take Him at His word.
We are not to creep upon these promises as though they were too fragile to uphold us. We are to stand upon them—confident that God is as good as His word and that He will do what He has pledged.
How Do You Think of God?
At first, I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die. He was out there sort of like the president. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I didn’t really know Him.
But later on when I recognized this Higher Power, it seemed as though life was rather like a bike ride, but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that God was in the back helping me pedal.
I don’t know just when it was that He suggested we change places, but life has not been the same since—life with my Higher Power, that is. God makes life exciting.
But when He took the lead, it was all I could do to hang on! He knew delightful paths, up mountains and through rocky places—and at breakneck speeds. Even though it looked like madness, He said, “Pedal!”
I worried and was anxious and asked, “Where are You taking me?” He laughed and didn’t answer, and I started to learn trust.
I forgot my boring life and entered into adventure. When I’d say, “I’m scared,” He’d lean back and touch my hand.
He took me to people with gifts that I needed, gifts of healing, acceptance, and joy. They gave me their gifts to take on my journey, our journey, God’s and mine.
And we were off again. He said, “Give the gifts away; they’re extra baggage, too much weight.” So I did, to the people we met, and I found that in giving I received, and our burden became light.
At first I did not trust Him in control of my life. I thought He’s wreck it, but He knows bike secrets—knows how to make it lean to take sharp corners, dodge large rocks, and speed through scary passages.
And I am learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places. I’m beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant Companion.
And when I’m sure I just can’t do any more, He just smiles and says, “Pedal!”