Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” (NIV)
People were thrilled when we finally got a much needed dump of snow over a three day period. It had been so cold and all our previous snow had melted during a warm spell, leaving the ground exposed before the temperature dropped almost 30 degree. This meant that a lot of folks had frozen water and sewer pipes as well as septic tanks. However, now with the goodly amount of snow, these same pipes and tanks were insulated against the worst of the frigid weather and were able to be thawed and begin functioning again.
As I considered this issue I was reminded of the insulation of God’s love and goodness that surrounds me as a believer. Knowing how much God loves and accepts me through belief in His Son Jesus, protects me from the worst of so many situations. When someone is unkind or hard times arrive in their many and various forms, I am able to keep functioning with confidence and peace because I know and trust that God is with me and He is busily at work within my problem. I remember as Peter wrote: Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7 NIV). And Paul has told us that in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us: That neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37, 39 NIV)
And the most wonderful thing of all is that God’s love and goodness is for each and every one of us, not just me. So today take precautions. None of us ever know what the weather forecast of life may bring. Choose to enfold yourself in the truth of His love and goodness. Wrap the fact of God’s word around your mind and actions, for it has the power to insulate you against those things in the world that seek to freeze us with worry, panic, depression and the like.
Prayer: Father God how wonderful it is to know that You love us with an everlasting love, You have drawn us with loving-kindness through Jesus Christ Your son. Bless us this day with diligence to insulate ourselves with Your goodness and love as we read and know Your word. Let us trust by faith to stand upon it that we may be confident and at peace amidst whatever trials and disappointments may come our way. In Christ’s name we ask. Amen. (Jeremiah 31:3b)
Lynne Phipps Atlin, B.C.