This is how 2010 began.I closed out 2009 by going to bed early, anticipating an early morning and long day of driving. My heart was a bit heavy and discouraged as I lay my head down.
Up at 6 on New Years’ Day, I got dressed and stumbled across the camp to the bathrooms to brush my teeth. A bit more awake, I meandered back to our banda, and through a small clearing in the bushes to my left I got a glimpse of this spectacular sight! I am rarely awake and outside in a position to see the sunrise, so what a gift this was! What better way to start 2010?! It was a reminder to me of the hope that I have in Jesus Christ. As the sun creeped up the sky, as the reds, oranges and yellows changed moment by moment, I was reminded of who I am because of what He has done on my behalf, of His love for me, His faithfulness to me, and was given hope for what is to come this year. I'm not sure what will happen, not sure where God will take me, what He will do, but I do know that He has what's best for me in mind - can't wait to find out what that might be!
I read this Psalm this morning and it seemed to resonate with my heart and how I seem to be heading into the next year - aware of the challenges facing me and hopeful and believing that I will in fact see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, that He will lift my head and make me sing songs of joy, and praying to be grounded in the truth that He is my salvation.
Psalm 27
(Of David)
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.
One thing have I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to inquire in his temple.
For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.
And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the LORD.
Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!
You have said, "Seek my face."My heart says to you,
"Your face, LORD, do I seek."
Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation!
For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the LORD will take me in.
Teach me your way, O LORD,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence.
I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living!
Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!
3 comments:
That looks like a beautiful start to me :-)
Happy New Year, Heidi!
Hope you and everyone in Bundibugyo have a blessed 2010! Since I’ve been slow to comment, I don’t know if you’ll get to read this but anyway, for a couple of reasons, your picture of the sunrise and the posting of Psalm 27 reminded me of a reportedly true story told in a Christian book written for children back in 1876. It’s a bit long but it really touched me and I hope it will bless you and others. (I had to post this in 2 parts - hopefully you'll think it's worth it.)
LIGHT IN A MINE
There was a little boy in England named Willie, whose parents were miners. They lived in a little cottage near the entrance of the mine; but their young son had to stay down in the damp, dark mine all the week. The only time when he came up out of the mine was Saturday night. He always spent Sunday at home. That was a bright and happy day to him. Then he could see the green fields, and the trees, and the flowers, and the beautiful sky, and bask in the bright beams of the glorious sun. How he enjoyed those Sundays! Everything seemed pleasant to him; but the Sunday-school, to which he always went, was the pleasantest of all. There he had learned to know Jesus as ‘the bright and morning star;’ and we shall see directly what a blessed hope this star gave him.
One day, while the miners were blasting, a stream of water burst out. Pretty soon it began to fill up the passage-way where they were working. They all fled for life to the main shaft, or opening of the mine. Among those who met here were the father and mother of Willie, for they both worked in the mine. They looked round for their little boy; but he was not there. They called him: ‘Willie! O, Willie!’ but there was no answer. He worked in a little chamber in a far-off part of the mine. His mother started to run for him. But the narrow passage way was already filled with water. Nobody could get through it. She found it was impossible to reach her child. They were obliged to go up, and leave their little boy behind, separated from them by that flood of cold, dark water. Oh, how hard this was! But there was no help for it. Nobody could get at poor Willie, in that dark and distant corner of the mine, where he was shut up.
(I'll try to post the 2nd part in the next comment.)
Here's the 2nd part of
LIGHT IN A MINE
The great steam-pump was immediately set at work to try and get out the water. It was kept going night and day; but it took several days before the water was low enough to allow anyone to enter the mine. Willie’s father was the first to enter. He knew where to look for his boy. With a miner’s lamp in his hand, he waded through the passage, which was still half full of water. Presently he came to the chamber where Willie used to work. Here he held up his lamp and looked round; over there, stretched out on an upper ledge of the coal, lay the body of poor Willie, cold and dead. He had not been drowned, but had crept up there out of the reach of the water, and had died a slow and lingering death from the want of fresh air and food. The poor, sorrowing father held up the lamp to let its light fall on the face of his dear, dead boy. There was no look of pain upon it. A sweet, happy smile seemed to be resting on every feature, just as if he had been seeing something beautiful, when he was dying all alone in that dark corner of the mine.
On looking a little further, the father saw that Willie had died with his pocket knife in his right hand. He wondered what this meant. But he soon found out. Holding up his lamp, and looking round him, he saw some letters cut in the smooth surface of the wall of soft coal under which he had died. The letters were big and rough, for they had been cut in the dark, and the dear fellow had been obliged to feel his way with his fingers as well as he could. It took the poor father some time to spell them out, for his hand trembled so that he could hardly hold the lamp steady, and his eyes were so full of tears that it was hard work for him to see at all. But at last he managed to spell them out, and then he found that his dear boy had busied himself during his last hours in cutting this sweet text from the 27th Psalm in that rock of coal:
‘When my father and mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.’
How beautiful that was! Yes; Jesus, ‘the bright and morning star,’ was there shining sweetly on that dear boy as he lay down to die in the corner of that dark mine! And the shining of this star gave him hope, - the hope of a bright and better home in heaven. And this blessed hope it was which left that sweet smile which the father saw on the face of his dear, dead boy.
The book is Rays From the Sun of Righteousness by Richard Newton (1813-1887).
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