by Macy Johnson
all your waves and breakers have swept
over me.”
(Psalm 42:7 NIV)
A picture
of a woman floating on a raft on a crystal-clear lake made me feel uneasy. I
like to swim in pools and see what is beneath me. I do not want to know what is
below my raft in the lake near my house. I do not want to watch creatures swim
and crawl under me. Large rocks beneath the woman in the lake loomed larger
than life and a bit intimidating.
by Macy Johnson
“You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy.”
(Psalm 30:11 NIV)
One Sunday
morning our congregation sang “Thy Mercy, My God, Is the Theme of My Song” as
our Hymn of Praise. As I sang the second verse I thought of my recent injury
and how my heavenly Father brought me through the pain and recovery. Then I
looked up at the choir and caught the tear-filled eyes of one of the sopranos.
She recently experienced a close brush with death and the words touched her
heart, too.
by Macy Johnson
“My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’
Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
(Psalm 27:8 NIV)
Someone remarked
that every time they thought of Moses, they pictured Charlton Heston. As the
star of the 1956 film, The Ten Commandments, his face was solidified in
the minds of moviegoers. Jonathan Roumie of The Chosen series has provided
viewers with a face to put with Jesus. Jonathan recalled in a documentary how
he is often stopped on the street by people who request prayer for their needs.
They feel a connection to God through Jonathan.
by Macy Johnson
“A strong wind was blowing
and the waters grew rough.”
(John 6:18 NIV)
I looked
out my window one summer morning and watched the wind blow the trees to and fro
in a frightening manner. The water on the lake bounced back and forth. Waves
seemed to dance on top of each other. Overcast skies hinted at much-needed
rain, but it was not in the forecast. What is God trying to tell me? I
thought. Am I in for some rough spiritual weather?
“But we have this treasure in jars of
clay
to show that this all-surpassing power
is from God and not from us.”
(2 Corinthians 4:7 NIV)
Robert
Redford won an academy award for directing the 1980 film, Ordinary People.
It is about a typical family’s struggle with death and reminds the viewer no
one is immune from the pain of everyday life. I am reminded daily my frame is
frail. My first thought every morning is to give my heavenly Father my body for
His use, to be a page in His Word. I am an ordinary messenger.
