"Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God.
Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift
from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace . . . This is your Father
you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need." (Matthew
6:6,8 The Message)
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
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.