The Shepherd’s Scrawl
Winter 2017
Here we are, firmly in
the grip of yet another frigid northern Maine winter. The busy-ness and
excitement of the holiday season from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, which
kept us on the edge of our seats (and calendars) for the early weeks of winter
have given way to the grim endurance of January and February. The daily routine
of sub-freezing temperatures, gray, overcast skies, dirty snowbanks and pitted
ice in our driveways and sidewalks can leave us discouraged.
On top of all of that, our
country has been rattled by a devilishly contentious presidential campaign, a
shocking outcome to the election, and weeks of angry protests culminating in
the inauguration of our 45th President, to the accompaniment of
discordant celebrating and rioting.
All of this may leave us
(many of us!) discouraged, disillusioned, doubting whether our country, or we
ourselves, will make it through any and all of this. This past week in one of
our Bible studies, a question was asked, not in these exact words, but in so
many words: “Is there a word from the Lord for us today?”
Is there a word from the
Lord for us? Is God aware? Has God turned away? Has He given up on us? Has He
written America off? Has He thrown up His hands in disgust? Could God really
say “Well, if you don’t want Me in your schools, and you don’t want Me in your
halls of government, and you barely acknowledge Me even in My own houses of
worship, then I’ll just leave you to it.” Would it really be that easy to get
rid of God? Could we simply wish Him away? If we ignore Him long enough, will
He go away? If we don’t believe in Him any longer, will He cease to exist?
Someone once said (maybe
you’ve heard this before!): “God said it, I believe it, and that settles it.”
It’s a good statement, but there’s a clause in it that is unnecessary. Let’s
clean it up a little: “God said it. That settles it.” In other words, God IS, and
whether all of us believe, or none of us believe, it does not change that fact.
The day after the
Presidential Inauguration, I wrote this and posted it on Facebook: “Yesterday
my President was named Barack Obama. Today, my President is named Donald Trump.
That has changed. But I am the same person today as I was yesterday, and the
One I follow, the One I trust, has not changed. My hope is in the Lord, the
Maker of Heaven and Earth, and He does not change. Promises He has made are not
broken, but kept.”
Along with that thought,
I shared a link to a song, “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow”, written by Ira Stanphill
and performed by the Isaacs. It’s not a new song, but I love the Isaacs’
performance of the song, and I especially like the lyrics:
I don't know about tomorrow
I just live for day to day
I don't borrow from the sunshine
For its skies may turn to gray
I just live for day to day
I don't borrow from the sunshine
For its skies may turn to gray
I don't worry o'er the future
For I know what Jesus said
And today I'll walk beside Him
For He knows what lies ahead
For I know what Jesus said
And today I'll walk beside Him
For He knows what lies ahead
Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand
Ev'ry step is getting brighter
As the golden stairs I climb
Ev'ry burden's getting lighter
Ev'ry cloud is silver lined
As the golden stairs I climb
Ev'ry burden's getting lighter
Ev'ry cloud is silver lined
There the sun is always shining
There no tear will dim the eye
At the ending of the rainbow
Where the mountains touch the sky
There no tear will dim the eye
At the ending of the rainbow
Where the mountains touch the sky
Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand
If the weather has you
down, or if the unrest in our country has you anxious, remember this: God holds
your today and your tomorrow in His strong and loving Hand.
Jesus said in John 10:27-29:
“My sheep listen to my
voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they
shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has
given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my
Father’s hand.”
I am very, very thankful
for the sense of safety that statement brings to me.
In His Grip,
Dennis Ashley
The Scrawling Shepherd
