There is a pretty little tree at the bottom of our hill. Each evening while walking our dog we brush its branches. You can imagine my more than slight reaction to notice, now that the leaves have fallen, there is a hornet’s nest inches above our path. How often do we have close encounters of which we are totally naïve? Highways, of course, are notorious. We almost come grill to grill with other vehicles each doing sixty plus miles per hour with only a paint line between us and instant death. Many years ago in north Georgia while hiking with my family I was totally unaware that I had just stepped on a poisonous snake until my family kindly pointed it out.
When I was really little my parents put a picture of an angel on my wall with Psalms 91:11. “For he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.” It was very comforting. We can add to this, “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.” Psalm 34:7.
I wish I could say this is always true. But we know it isn’t. I do believe it is true on thousands of occasions but terrible things do happen to good people. And really good things sometimes happen to really bad people. Even Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 said of His Father, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” The truth is we do not understand all the “whys” of our existence. We just have to trust that someday God will explain and then we will see that He always has our best interests at heart. Always!
Written by Roger Bothwell on November 12, 2013
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org