january 2010e

Snow

So does the Bible have anything to say about this?

Job 37 verses 5-13

God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend. For to the snow he says, "Fall on the earth"; and to the shower and the rain, "Be strong." He seals up the hand of every man, that all men may know his work. Then all the beasts go into their lairs, and remain in their dens. From its chamber comes the whirlwind, and cold from the scattering winds. By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast. He loads the thick cloud with moisture; the clouds scatter his lightning. They turn round and round by his guidance, to accomplish all that he commands them on the face of the habitable world. Whether for his correction, or for his land, or for love, he causes it to happen.

We should remind ourselves that every natural phenomenon comes from God. These may be wonderful or they may make us feel threatened. Maybe it is to remind us of the power that God has at his disposal and it is not for us to question why or when or how. "Whether for his correction, or for his land, or for love, he causes it to happen."

Storms

Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks?

The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it. The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.

When the storms of life come upon us - and all of us will experience them - we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God. The storms do not have to overcome us. We can allow God's power to lift us above
God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment in our lives. We can soar above the storm.

Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them.

The Bible says, "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles" Isaiah 40:31.

"A Bucket of Surprises" - J John & Mark Stibbe

As a new year dawns

The following poem by Helen Steiner Rice

"So Swift the Way! So Short the Day!"

Our days are so crowded and our hours are so few,
There's so little time and so much to do ...
We are pressured and pushed until we are "dizzy",
There's never a minute we're not "crazily busy",
And sometimes we wonder as we rush through the day -
Does God really want us to hurry this way?
Why are we impatient and continually vexed,
And often bewildered, disturbed and perplexed?
Perhaps we're too busy with our own selfish seeking
To hear the dear Lord when He's tenderly speaking . . .
We are working so tensely in our self-centred way,
We've no time for listening to what God has to say,
And hard as we work, at the end of the day
We know in our hearts we did not "pay our way". . .
But God in His mercy looks down on us all,
And though what we've done is so pitifully small,
He makes us feel welcome to kneel down and pray
For the chance to do better as we start a new day,
And life would be better if we learned to rely
On our Father in heaven without asking "why". . .
And if we'd remember as we rush through the day,
"The Lord is our Shepherd and He'll lead the way". . .
So don't rush ahead in reckless endeavour,
Remember "He leadeth" and "Time is forever"!