"Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work: If
one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity
the man who falls and has no one to help him up!
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be
overpowered, two can defend themselves."
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NIV)
Recently, I stood on my
fifth-floor balcony and watched a gentleman clean my
windows, hanging by a rope. When he had finished my
windows, he eased the clamp on the rope and safely
lowered himself to the next floor.
As I watched, I thought
about the fact that the rope saving him from falling
to injury and perhaps even death was really just
single threads woven together until they became
extremely strong.
My mind also went back to
a Saturday in 1982. At that time, we were living in
a condo on the 32nd floor on the waterfront in
Toronto, Canada. From our floor-to-ceiling windows,
in front, on a clear night, we could see across Lake
Ontario as far as the lights of Rochester, and from
our bedroom windows, we could look out over downtown
Toronto.
Our younger son called
excitedly from his bedroom, "Dad, come see this!"
We felt quite safe in our
condo, but as we stared out his bedroom window, we
saw a window cleaner on a safety platform that was
held up by two strong ropes. The cleaner took one
foot off the platform and leaned out, holding on by
one hand, so that he could clean another set of
windows — to save time!
To this day, I feel sick
to my stomach just thinking about it. Realizing how
far up we were, we knew that a slight error by
either his hand or his foot would undoubtedly have
proven to be fatal.
How often we feel that
things are proceeding in a difficult way, and we
think that we are hanging by a thread.
The strength of others in
helping to hold us up is so important, as stated in
today's verses from Ecclesiastes.
But it is so much more
important to realize that, even if our figurative
rope fails, God has promised to keep us in the palm
of His hand.
As I sometimes feel like I
am in free fall, it is so reassuring to realize that
God is there to care for me. He is available for
you, also. While there are many such references in
the Bible, here is one of my favourite verses:
"The eternal God is your
refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms."
(Deuteronomy 33:27a NIV)
Prayer: Dear Father, help
us to realize that we each have a responsibility to
help others to have a strong rope to hang on to You.
Most of all, we are grateful that You maintain the
strength that never fails. In the name of Jesus, we
thank You and pray. Amen.
Vincent Walter
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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