Today while I was thinking about hurricane Irene and the effect its had on my family on the east coast. I realized just how many people are affected by the potential impending disaster, and that it could be quite a doozy for quite a lot of people. Then I remembered a line from This Hope's "This is Our God" - the waves and wind obey Him. Hurricane Irene will obey God. It will do exactly what God plans for it. Now, if His plan includes damage, that could cause some people to shake their fists at Him and ask "why?" But we can't know His ways, because we are too depraved and too finite to understand God and His will. But we can know that it is what will bring the most glory to Him. And that brings so much comfort.

Spurgeon Quote

"Whether I am up or down, the Lord Jesus Christ is the same. Whether I sing or sigh, the promise is true and the Promiser is faithful. Whether I stand on the summit or am hidden in the vale the covenant stands fast and everlasting love abides." -Spurgeon

"Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering. The love of God is of a different nature altogether. It does not hate tragedy. It never denies reality. It stands in the very teeth of suffering. The love of God did not protect His own Son. That was the proof of His love-that He gave that Son, that He let Him go to Calvary's cross, though 'legions of angels' might have rescued Him. He will not necessarily protect us-not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process."
--Elizabeth Elliot, Passion and Purity

For the Father up Above Is Looking down in Love

So many songs I learned as a kid in things like Sunday School, VBS, or Awana are full of doctrine. Serving in Awana last year was such a blessing (one of the biggest of my life) because I had the ability to be reminded of these songs which bleed rich truths, ones I took for granted as a kid. For several weeks, I've been toying with the idea of writing a blog post with quotes from some of my favorites. Then that idea turned into possibly writing a series of posts, each one about its own song. So this is my little experiment. Yes, I am a kid at heart.

"Oh be careful little eyes what you see...

"Oh be careful little ears what you hear...

"Oh be careful little feet where you go...

For the Father up above is looking down in love,

...so be careful little eyes what you see."

...so be careful little ears what you hear."

...so be careful little feet where you go."

This song, which I've known almost my entire life, is one I would do well to sing to myself and meditate on each day. If I truly lived my daily life remembering that God is watching me, I wonder how different what I see, what I hear, and where I go, would be. It's wildly important to remember to be careful, to be on your guard, each and every day. Peter reminds us, "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (I Peter 5:8). This is crucial to remember.

Also, the line in the middle is an amazing one - "For the Father up above is looking down in love." I can't even begin to tell you how many times today God's love was made evident to me. He really is up there, looking down here and helping us fight temptation, comforting us, teaching us, answering prayer, etc. And He really does love us. So, so, so, so much. If you're ever tempted to doubt that He's there, start looking back and counting your blessings. They're there, and there's an immense number of them. Sometimes, you just have to reflect a bit before you realize something was actually a blessing in disguise.