Focused on Abba. Alive Series, Part 17

Can you imagine facing the elements all by yourself? For some, this is exhilarating. For others, it's terrifying.

My eldest son and I were heading to Algonquin Provincial Park, for a week of camping. The weather predictions were not what anyone would expect from the month of August: two days of sunshine, (Yeah!), followed by 3 days of rain. (Boo!) During the latter of these, many of our fellow campers went to the park's Visitor's Center, as they could walk around and relax indoors without having torrents of rainwater dumped over their head.

However, my son and I had a different plan: we preferred to leave our activities for the day as well as the weather all in the hands of our Heavenly Dad. After all, He would watch out for us!

And in the end, He did exactly that! During the first day of rain, one where we received an onslaught of over 20mm, we still managed to squeeze in two hikes without any interruption by the weather! This included the hike around Bat Lake, which you read about a few days ago. It was supposed to start pouring around noon; however, we went along our merry way and enjoyed the presence of Dad while admiring His nature. We finished our last trek around three in the afternoon, three hours after it was supposed to start raining, without encountering a single drop ourselves.

"This was quite an epic hike!" My older son commented at the end of our escapades. "I agree, son!" I responded.

A few minutes after we entered our vehicle, the onslaught of rain finally started. We got to our campsite, completely dry, and spent the remainder of the evening enjoying ourselves, chatting with God and with each other, and writing. At least we had the opportunity to walk over seven and a half kilometers!

The following day was also supposed to be miserable, with a lot of rain in the forecast. Once again, we spent time with Dad and off we went on our merry way, visiting an outdoor logging museum. Only after we started to eat lunch in the car did it start to rain. Still, despite the rain, we decided to head out for a trek around another local hiking spot known as Peck Lake.

Once we reached the trailhead, it had stopped raining. And from thereon, what an adventure we had out there, as the trail was quite wet and treacherous. We enjoyed the many challenges that this path provided, and we probably had more fun due to the challenges than we would have had if it had just been an ordinary sunny day! Following this, we went on to hike yet another trail called Hardwood Lookout, and once again it only started to rain once we were safely back within our vehicle!

Some would wonder if this was pure coincidence. However, this 'coincidence' didn't just stop there! It was around six in the evening when we reached our trailer, and once we were safely inside, it started to pour so hard that neither of us even dared step foot outside. However, we didn't mind this, as we had eaten a late lunch at three o'clock and we were far from being hungry, despite it being dinnertime. Therefore, we decided to wait an hour or so before venturing outside to precariously prepare this meal on our outside stove.

An hour later, around seven fifteen, my stomach started to growl ferociously. However, the rain had yet to let up, and I simply couldn't imagine my son cooking in such a downpour. Once again, we left it all in God's hands.

And sure enough, a couple minutes later, when my son stepped outside to cook, the rain literally stopped in its tracks and the air remained rain-free for the rest of the night.

"Son, your Dad is watching over you!"

"I know! He is amazing!"

When my wife and I went to Michigan at the end of June, we too had experienced God's presence with the weather. Similar to the trip to Algonquin, it only rained on us when we were driving or visiting indoor attractions such as museums. Even though we were predicted to meet up with 30mm of rain, we were greeted with sunshine instead. Thank you, Dad!

The only place where we did experience the elements was in Scotland, where constant precipitation is quite normal. This time, however, I had asked my Dad to help us experience the real Scotland, even if this meant getting soaked by rain. And we sure did! Even in such occasions, we experienced Dad fully!

As Kingdom subjects, we can completely trust in our Dad. We have the opportunity to experience Him fully. Prayers are no longer dull, as they become conversations with our Lord and Master. His presence is at times so palpable, as our attention is veered completely towards Him. Often, He shows us how He sees our events, and this helps us to know what to do next. His presence is such a blessing! After all He is our Dad! We truly become alive in His presence, no matter our circumstances! He is always watching out for us! Thank you, Dad!

"Let's go for a hike!"

"But it's pouring outside!"

"Is that a problem?"

With Dad, there are no problems, only solutions!

Rob Chaffart

Focused on Abba. Alive Series, Part 17

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