The Heat is On...

"When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures." Jeremiah 10:13

Photo: rodro pixabay

Good morning, dear friends!

My dad has visited our family once in France, around Christmastime a few years back.  His visit coincided with one of the coldest Decembers that we had ever experienced here in France.  We had snows that came and stayed for two weeks, and temperatures in the -15s Celcius.  It was cold.

I have yet to be able to convince him that the weather that year was a fluke, and that it normally does not get or stay that cold, but my Dad still believes that we live in Ice Station Zebra, and that the weather is always freezing here.

I will admit, that most of the time, it is much cooler here than in Virginia where my dad lives.  But it does get hot here, too.

Yesterday was one of those days.  It started off sticky and went to muggy, even with the fans on.  By the end of the day we were all starting to melt a little, and then, it happened.

Right at the end of the day, as the kids were preparing for bed, God sent a cool refreshing breeze that no other word can describe but DELICIOUS!  How wonderful that breeze felt against our skins!  We threw open the windows and let it sweep through the house, chilling the tile floors beneath our feets and cooling the sheets on the bed enough to finish the day off in sweet comfort.

What a blessed relief and sweet gift from a loving God.

It never fails to amaze me how lightly the people around me take God's blessings.  Many are quick to blame God for the unpleasantnesses of life, and slow to praise Him for the blessings He sends.  If I were to believe, as many around me do, that God is responsible for every "bad thing" in life, shouldn't that also mean that God is also responsible for the "good things" in life as well?  Instead, people have the tendancy to blame God when "bad things" happen, but chalk up "good things" to chance or happenstance.

For example, in 2003 France experienced one of the worst heat waves in its recent history.  For almost six weeks the country received little to no rain, and the temperatures climbed into the 100s for days on end.  (I remember the year because I was pregnant with Timothy, and delivered him in August.  It was hot that year.) Many elderly people died in their homes and many more were hospitalized that summer for care from the heat.  The television media had a feeding frenzy finding out "who was responsible" for so much loss of life.  People were encouraged to check on their loved ones, and government agencies were created to deal with the "disaster."  Many people tried to lay the blame on government or familial oversight, and many I am sure blamed God as cruel and unloving toward their plight.

How different it is to believe, as I do, that every circumstance, "good" or "bad" in life, is a result of God's loving and tender care over me.  If I truly believe that, then I will have no trouble accepting the difficulties of life as well as His blessings, even the simple one like the breeze from last night, as circumstances that God allows in my life, for my bettering.  Either I will be encouraged and strengthened in my faith, or God will reveal in my heart the areas in which I still have trouble trusting Him.

I love this verse in Jeremiah that I discovered in writing this blog this morning: "When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures." (Jeremiah 10:13) How wonderfully encouraging to know that:

1.  God is in control.  He alone controls the winds and the storms.
2.  God is all powerful.  He "uttereth his voice," and the elements rush to obey.
3.  There is none like God.  Just a few verses earlier in this same chapter, the Lord through Jeremiah denounces the false gods that the people created with their own hands and worshipped.  (v.11-12).  God alone is worthy of worship.
4.  God holds all things in ready for just the right times and circumstances.  Like yesterday, God brought forth "the wind out of his treasures." He had a plan all along.

May the Lord help me today to praise Him for the smallest blessings He sends in my life today.  If I am not careful, I will let so many "little" things pass me by, not heeding the loving care that God sends on the breeze today.

And when difficulties arise, may I be careful to see God's hand working there, as well.