ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER©

“Storms of every sort, torrents, earthquakes, cataclysms, ‘convulsions of nature,’ etc., however mysterious and lawless at first sight they may seem, are only harmonious notes in the song of creation, varied expressions of God’s love.” John Muir

I feel like I’m preaching to the choir today, because most of you reading my posts already know the importance of faith in the God of the universe. What I do hope is that my words will reach those who have lost their faith; who have never had it tested; or who never had it in the first place. Last month, we honored those who suffered, died and were victims of a horrible terrorist attack on American ground. This event still creates memories of anger, frustration, hopelessness and fear, yet it also stirred Americans to stand up for their country and take a deeper look at what happened those many years ago.

Every day seems to be filled with devastation on a massive scale – buildings submerged in floods, broken hearts, lost homes and memories.  On the other hand, we’ve seen people coming together to help those who have suffered.  It seems the best of humanity comes out in times of disaster. We were reminded of the cost of freedom, the blood shed to win it and the grit of our people.

How can any good come from disaster?  How can we ever get back what we lost?  How do people cope who haven’t faith in the consistency of God?

WE ARE A NATION FOUNDED ON THE TEACHINGS OF THE BIBLE.

Those words have become somewhat tainted over time. With the influx of refugees over 250 years, new ideas, forms of worship, who is worshipped is now a conglomeration of ideas which little resemble the thoughts of our founding fathers. Instead, we look to ourselves for solutions.  We only come to God when all else fails.  Even then, God welcomes us back with open arms. Our world has taken a serious downturn away from the One who created it.

I don’t believe disaster comes to us as a form of punishment from God.  I do believe that He never changes, in spite of the fact that we do.  He’s always available, faithful and loves us unconditionally.  He will provide a way out of all peril.  All we need to do is believe.

“We can’t solve modern problems by going back in time. Retreating to the safety of the familiar is an understandable response, but God has called us to a life of faith. And faith requires us to face the unknown while trusting Him completely.   Charles R. Swindoll
 

A simple time when days were filled with elementary things,

Like gathering wood and breathing air and songs that nature brings,

Enjoying all the scenes of life within our earthly pale,

And leaving all the cares behind when life starts growing stale,

To start each day with wonderment, instead of fear and care,

To feel the hand of God near you, His closeness there to share,

To simply think of quiet things and not be self-absorbed,

To turn your troubles to the Lord, you’ll surely be restored,

That simple place is in your heart, a place where Jesus dwells,

A place of calm and comfort too, and all our fears dispels.

THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR ANOTHER DAY!