Hallelujah NOT!

Years ago, when my oldest granddaughter was about 4, she and her parents lived with me for a time right after my son was discharged from the Army.  I lived in Abilene, Texas and tornados were a part of life.  Now mind you, I was told when I moved there that, "we haven't had a tornado hit Abilene in over 20 years!"  That did NOT bring me comfort.  In fact, in an odd way it actually had the opposite effect.  It seemed reasonable to me that if they had not had a tornado in over 20 years, they were due one, right?!  I lived in the church parsonage that didn't have a basement.  However, just a few blocks away was Dub and Evlyn Allen's cellar, behind their house, built by his loving hands years before.  They were elderly parishioners who welcomed us to their cellar any time we felt the need or we heard the tornado sirens blow.

Naturally, the day after Easter the skies grew black, the clouds rolled low over-head and the conditions were right for the spawning of tornados -- and I was ever watchful.  My daughter-in-law was in a panic that quickly spread to us all, but most of all, to Katelynn.  I was holding myself together as the brave grandma that I was, for Katlynn's sake. Suddenly, the siren's began to blow and bravery was out the window!  You never saw anything like it!  We ran wildly to the car, headed for the Allen's house, ran 2 red lights - while the rain and hail blew sideways.  Evlyn was waiting for us on the porch with an open door ready to usher through the house, across the yard and down into what she called, "Dubbie's playhouse."  Katelynn was NOT impressed.  We tore through the yard and down the steps into the dark-dampness of that musty hole in the ground, while our feet hardly landed on the steps.  For a moment we relaxed in the safety of that haven, but not Katelynn.  She bounced from adult to adult as we tried to calm her until the deafening rumble seemed to roll right over us.  and then it was silence.  Dubbie opened the door and the sky was blue again, the birds were singing praises to God, and all was well.  No downed trees, the house still in tact, and we were unharmed and safe.  After a quick inspection, the men-folk gave us the - all clear.  Once out of the cellar, Evlyn said, "well Hallelujah!"  Katelynn whipped her head around to Miss Evlyn, cocked her head to one side, placed her hands on her hips and spurted out, "Hallelujah NOT, that was scary!"

Today after Wes and I returned home from meeting with the radiation oncologists about his cancer, I sort of felt like Katelynn.  It was another of those "fearful tornado moments," that threatened certain destruction.  Panic set in at the over-whelming news of a fifty-percent chance of survival.  My faith responded, "Hallelujah, that's a fifty-percent chance of beating this thing," while my flesh cried out, "Hallelujah NOT this is scary!  That's a fifty-percent chance of not!"

In that moment God reminded me of David's words in Psalm 42:11, that says:

"Why are you cast down, O my inner self?  And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me?  Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him; for I shall yet praise Him Who is the help of my countenance, and my God."  (The Amplified Bible)

Matthew Henry's commentary on Psalm 42 with regard to this section, verses 6-11 wrote, "the way to forget our miseries, is to remember the God of our mercies."  Is that not an incredible quote?  O how often we get trapped in our miseries, our fears, our circumstances, and forget the God of our mercies.  His mercies are NEW EVERY MORNING!  Every morning our loving Creator God, creates for us a new day filled with new mercies.  Not yesterday's mercy, not last weeks mercy and not even tomorrows mercy.  Instead, every day, our daddy God meets us where we need it the most.  There is mercy for the moment, mercy for the hour, and mercy for the day. 

King David the psalmist, does a little self-reflection and finds that his soul is downcast.  He is feeling restless and filled with sorrow, but he doesn't give in to it.  Instead, David has what my Grandma would call a "come to Jesus meeting" with himself, and demands his feelings to put their hope in God.  He reminds his feelings, his flesh, and his very soul to be patient, hopeful, and even expecting of God's favorable outcome.  David's cure for the blues, is praise, not self-pity!  He banishes the blues by singing praises to God who is the only One who can speak to a storm and calm the raging sea.  When my flesh wants to cry out, "Hallelujah NOT!"  I will do the opposite and experience the power of praise for this I know, He's the lifter of my head! (Psalm 3:3)

Most people know the first few words of the first verse of "His Eye Is On The Sparrow,"  and most can sing the chorus.  But, very few know the third verse that says:

Whenever I am tempted,
Whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing,
When hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him,
From care He sets me free:
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He cares for me;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

Hallelujah!  His eye watches over me and over YOU! 

Comment and share with me, how He watches over you!