[This entry was originally written on Friday, December 6, 2013, but for some strange reason, it did not post as scheduled. It has now been posted and has not been altered since its original “failed” publication.]
Since Monday, the National Weather Service has predicted that my town. like most of the tri-state area, is under the threat of a severe winter storm. Expecting a severe storm, many people are rushing to grocery stores everywhere to buy bread, milk, and other goods they believe are needed to survive the approaching winter storm. While being ready to for this storm is wise, these same people are totally blind and unprepared for the spiritual storms that are rapidly approaching; even some who consider themselves Christians will be caught unprepared and unsure where to turn.
Since 1996, I have had at least one bird feeder in every place I have lived. I have enjoyed watching the various types of birds and other animals that have come to depend on the feeders. I often think of the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ where he teaches how He cares for the sparrows and would care for us all the more if we would just let them, Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one
of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows (Matthew 10:29-31). Through my love of nature, God allows me, a mere sinful man saved by His grace, to take part in providing food for his creation. Throughout the year, regardless of the weather, I make sure that the feeder is refilled each time it is empty. There is a real blessing that I get out of hearing the chirps and squeaks from the various birds and the other animals that regularly visit the feeder. During the winter months and particularly after a good snow, I enjoy the natural beauty of the picture created by my feathered visitors.
Just as the birds and other animals have learned to depend on my bird feeders, we also must learn how to depend on God in a similar manner. There’s no membership fee, no special tasks, or other hard tasks required of us before he offers his grace to us. There comes a point in every believer’s life where we must realize that we must let go of our own understanding of what we think life means. Solomon, considered one of the wisest of all rulers in the Old Testament, wrote, Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). There is no doubt that he had learned this crucial concept from his father, the man who was described as by God as a man after his own heart (I Samuel 13:14b). David wrote that phrase, Trust in the LORD, seven times in the book of Psalms. David offers us several reasons why we should unquestionably put our complete faith in God: Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (Psalms 37:3), Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield (Psalms 115:11), and It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man (Psalms 118:8).
According to Biblical numerology, seven represents completeness and spiritual perfection. If we are ever to have a near complete and perfect walk with the Lord Jesus Christ while we are living within the flesh, we must learn to look to Christ for his guidance and not depend on our own sense of right and wrong. When we face trials and tribulations, we must remember what the prophet Isaiah wrote, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD (Isaiah 55:8). Just with this verse in mind, we see the importance of not trying to find our own solutions for the problems we face; we simply must trust in the Lord. David wrote, Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield (Psalms 115:11), and there is a lot of wisdom in this verse of only sixteen words. This verse reassures us that the Lord is what will not only deliver us but will defend us when we seek his will in handling the trials and temptations we face. There’s not a more reassuring thought than knowing that God will give us safe passage if we will turn to him and seek his will.
