6-18-2023

Good Morning All,

    Psalm 136:1; “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

    I want to relate a story to you that I was told a few years ago.  I might not have all the details exactly right so I might take literary license as it were.  A young father was telling about his daughter when she was very young.  At the age of 2 she had decided that when she grew up; she wanted to be an elephant.  Nobody is sure where that came from, but she was only 2 and she was fascinated by elephants.

   As she got a little older, she was still infatuated by elephants.  She still thought being an elephant would be neat.  She had books about elephants and had stuffed elephants in her room.  When she drew pictures, it was of elephants.  When they talked about Noah’s Ark, she only asked about the elephants.  I think you get the picture.  When she was 5 years old, the decision was made to take her to the circus.  What a great idea, unfortunately they told her a little too soon. 

   Those three days that she had to wait were almost unbearable.  She was super excited each time she would stop and think of the elephants she would squeal with delight.  They were going to go on Friday.  By Wednesday, the parents were thinking about giving her sedatives so they could sleep.  This was one excited little girl.  Finally, it was Thursday night.  They had put her to bed a couple of times when she came out for the third time.  She was about to be scolded for not going to bed when she ran to them and hugged them and said, “I want to thank you today for what you are going to do tomorrow!!”

    This little girl had total confidence in her parents that they would keep their promise.  She knew that on Friday the elephants would be real.  She knew that nothing would stop them.  We have an even better promise from God.  He promises us the blessings of forgiveness and new life.  He re-creates us every day.  He draws us to him through the redeeming and atoning by Jesus.  We have so much to be thankful for.  Whatever the world throws at us, we face with God on our side.  That is a promise we can live with.

    We can go about each day confident that God will take care of us.  This is part of why Jesus tells us, “don’t worry about tomorrow;” we do not have to; God has already taken care of it for us.  Isn’t that comforting to know that God takes care of us and not just today but tomorrow as well?  Now as we face the trials of this sinful world, we know that it really has no long-term impact on us.  There will always be a tomorrow for us because God has already taken care of it.  He will guard us and protect us and when necessary, he will comfort and console us with the gentleness of his Word and nourish us with his precious body and blood.  I thank you today for what you are going to do tomorrow.  What a gift! (By the way she loved the elephants)

Dearest Father, I want to thank you today for what you are doing today and what you are going to do tomorrow.  Keep me in the certainty of this knowledge that I might always be in the comfort of your loving arms secured by your grace.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret