These are extraordinary days. People all over the world find themselves anxious, afraid, isolated or maybe even discombobulated. One difference in this particular crisis is that it is extraordinarily universal. Perhaps the world wars came close; they certainly took more lives and destroyed more cities—beautiful architecture and every single type of housing; hotels, mansions, row houses and more. Yet this seems possibly more universal. When in our lifetimes have all of us everywhere been told to stay home; with no sports, no eating out, no movies, no school? No person can truthfully tell us how or when this will end, how many will fall sick or die, whether we live in China, South Korea, Italy, Spain, California, New York, Washington, Louisiana, Alabama, Nigeria or Niger. Yet we as believers in Jesus and His power to save remember disciples in the storm, lepers cleansed and restored, Lazarus in the tomb; we know we can trust Him. We can share His confidence in our Heavenly Father who saved Noah and his family in the ark, Moses and his people passing through the Red Sea, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fire. We know our Father is good and will see us through, though there are far too many who have no such confidence. We must pray for them—that though they might never have looked for Him before; that now in this time with so many questions and so few answers, they will lift their eyes to Heaven; so that, as God reveals Himself again, they will begin to look to Him and discover just how wonderful life can be.

Even Today . . . Especially Now

Even today I saw three splendors;
a glorious purple wisteria tree,
a pristine pure white dogwood
blooming for us as we walked
relaxed around our circle, and
a beautiful black and gold
butterfly fluttering by to check
out gardenias, tulips and daisies.

Each spoke a parable of love
spectacular from our creator,
(those three and me), for He never
wastes a beauty—He always inspires
my heart, my soul, my mind and
moves my strength down on my
knees to worship Him and
rejoice in His omnipresent love.

Especially now when it all seems
bleak when all our modern
wizardry seems appallingly weak
I hear the wisteria sing her
praises for our Maker, the dogwood
testifying for our Savior,
and that butterfly whispering—
grateful for our redemption.

M.S.
April 1, 2020

Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness,
tremble before him all the earth!
Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
he will judge the people with equity.”
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the fields exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Psalm 96: 9-13 (ESV)