Where is He?

"He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5b KJV)

While sitting in my lounge chair for the past several days recuperating from recent surgery, I have been filling in part of my time watching the world go by, gazing out of my large picture window.

During this these days, I have been entertained by the antics of a little black squirrel racing around the yard across the street, searching for bits and pieces. Then he would scoot up a tall tree that he had chosen for his home to store them in his nest. He seemed to have boundless energy, and I often wished that I could have some of it.

Then one day, he disappeared. I found that a bit disconcerting since I had come to look for him every morning. As the days went by with no sign of him, I began to wonder, "Where is he?"

Finally, after several days had passed by with no sight of my furry friend, I came to the unhappy conclusion that he must have become some animal's dinner.

One morning during my prayer time, I found myself wondering, not for the first time, why God didn't seem to be answering some of my urgent requests for guidance in what I considered to be important matters in my life. It seemed as if He had turned a deaf ear to my pleas. I heard what sounded like a familiar question running through my thoughts, "Where is He in this situation?"

Then it dawned on me that I had asked that very same question when my little black squirrel had disappeared.

It seemed like a rather silly comparison, but it caused me to take a quick glance through the window, and much to my amazement, there he was. But this time he wasn't alone. A second little squirrel was there with him dashing about, collecting bits and pieces, then racing up the tall tree to deposit them in its nest.

Obviously, God was using this rather humorous situation to teach me a very important lesson. My little black entertainer had not been lost. He was there all the time, doing what he was designed to do, simply out looking for a mate. It seemed that God was saying that He was also there all the time, carrying out His divine plan for my life. There was never any need for me to anxiously wonder, "Where is He?", for He is there all the time.

It simply involved my learning to trust Him with all the affairs in my life. In that moment, a verse from a familiar song by Barbara C. Ryberg fluttered through my mind like a gentle feather:

What need to worry then, or fret?
That God, who gave His Son,
Holds all my moments in His hand,
And gives them one by one. All of this wonderful revelation began with a little black squirrel! What a wonderful lesson! What a wonderful God!

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, in times of anxiety and uncertainty, when we tend to become fearful, we need Your reassurance so much. We ask You to teach us to slow down our noisy, anxious thoughts so that we can hear the gentle words of reassurance that the Holy Spirit is longing to whisper into our minds and spirits. Forgive our trembling faith, strengthen our weak hands, and make firm our feeble knees. We know that You are always with us. Amen.

Sharon Y. Greer
Sandycove Acres, Innisfil, Ontario, Canada

Reprinted from the PresbyCan Daily Devotional with the author's permission