As time came for boarding, we did not see our oldest son anywhere. He called to say that they had been caught up in traffic, but he would get there before too long. Unfortunately, that did not turn out to be the case. Instead, his friend took a wrong turn and they were headed away from the port. Thus, began a series of urgent phone calls to us telling us to ask if the ship could be held. Of course, this is not a possibility for one person.
Our daughter started looking for flights from Miami to Puerto Rico as this was the first port for our ship. We had all been called to our "muster" drill to know what to do should something happen at sea. It seemed that the ship was being held up for one reason or another as it was taking much longer than usual to disembark. As we were standing around concerned and worried over our son's predicament and praying for a miracle, our daughter said she saw her brother. Sure enough...he made it!
Later, we learned that one of the airlines that works with the cruise line had a group of passengers coming from the Northwest part of the country. The flight had been delayed due to inclement weather, so they had to hold the ship until this group of passengers were able to make it. Some call this luck, but I call it God's providence and mercy! Certainly, for us, it was answered prayer.
Each of us face "holding patterns" in life don't we? We make our plans, and for reasons unknown, things don't seem to fall into place. Yet, we cannot see what God sees. Perhaps that is why I love the verse from Jeremiah 29:11 so much: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." These words were spoken as comfort to the people of Judah who were about to go into exile in the land of Babylon for 70 years. I am certain they were not happy with God's plan for them, but they had lived in utter disobedience to the LORD for so long. However, God was letting them know that He would bring good out of all that would transpire.
Over the last couple of weeks, I have heard several different pastors talking about time and its relationship to God. They said that God is outside of time unlike us. For Him, the past, present and future are all now. Everything is completed in His realm and accomplished. His name "I AM" reflects that. For us, it is a mystery as to how this could be because we live in a time oriented world. Therefore, with this in mind, He knows the beginning and the end of all things...we do not. I believe one day when we see Him we will understand the things He has protected us from and why there have been many twists and turns in our path.
What we know now is that God is good, that He loves us, that He sent His only Son to die for our sins and deliver us from eternal punishment. We know from His Word that His promises are certain even when we cannot see how things will ever work out. This is where faith and trust must enter the picture.
We certainly didn't think our son would make the ship in time, but God had other plans. He did work all things together for good on that day turning our concern into celebration. God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). There are many times where we are left to wonder, but we can rest in Him knowing that He has us in His hands. Today, let us lay our burdens at His feet rejoicing in the hope of His salvation, protection and care for He knows our needs. Selah!
No comments:
Post a Comment