PRAYER ROCK

I recently came upon this little piece of verse in some old notes. I have no idea where it came from or who may have authored it.

PRAYER ROCK

I’m your little prayer rock and this is what I’ll do.

Just put me on your pillow until the day is through.

When you turn back the covers and climb into your bed,

WHACK–your little prayer rock will hit you in the head.

Then you’ll remember, as the day is through,

To kneel and say your prayers, as you had wanted to.

Then when you are finished just dump me on the floor,

I’ll stay there through the night to give you help once more.

When you get up next morning, CLUNK–I’ll stub your toe,

So that you will remember your prayers before you go.

Put me back upon your pillow when your bed is made.

And your clever little prayer rock will continue in your aid.

Because your Heavenly Father cares and loves you so,

He wants you to remember to talk to Him, you know.

THE TRAIL IS MARKED WELL

“Where are you headed?” the husky, bearded man asked as we stood gazing out over the magnificent vista all around us.

We were standing on a small promontory which allowed us to view the rugged mountainous country all around us. This time of year, late summer, there were only a few spots where snow still remained, but as we looked we could see that, for some of these high peaks, to be completely rid of snow was probably rare.

After my son-in-law and I told the man the small mountain lake we were planning on hiking to he asked, “How are you going to get to it?”

“On the trail, I imagine,” I replied.

At this the man asked if I had ever been back into this lake. When I replied that it had probably been 25 years or more he began to shake his head. “I don’t think you want to take the trail that is shown on the maps.” he said. “If you do, I think you will be sorry! Let me offer you a suggestion.”

For the next several minutes the man told us how the trail into the lake, which was difficult even when it had been maintained well, was now almost impassable. There were no longer any signs leading a person to where it began and if you found it you could expect a miserable time as you slipped and skidded, many times on other parts of your anatomy than just your feet, as brush slapped you in the face and water from a creek, which ran down the trail for most of the distance to the lake, insured you were completely soaked by the time you arrived. Following the trail back out was next to impossible! The man then assured us that there was, in fact, another way. It was a far better way. It might not seem to be at first, but it was the only route a sensible person would follow once they heard of it.

Several hours later my son-in-law and I stood at the edge of this beautiful lake, truly a work of art by the hand of God. But we did not appear to be! We were wet and sweaty, mud covered a good portion of our clothing, and red marks from the slap of branches against our arms and face showed clearly. And we had reached a unanimous decision. That man was right! That “trail” was not the way to travel!

Later, with the afternoon sun beginning to drop towards the horizon, we determined we had rested enough that we would see if we could find our way out of this secluded spot. The man had told us that if we would simply go into the tall timber on the east side of the lake and begin to zigzag back and forth beneath the trees, we should be able to spot a tiny piece of yellow tape which had been tied to a tree. When we found that first one we could look ahead of us and we should be able to see another one. By following the pieces of tape, which marked out a trail unknown to many people, we would be led out of the rugged country in which the lake rested and find ourselves in a short time, high on a ridge top near where our pickup was parked. And he was correct! The hike out, though it was a little further in distance, took much less time and we were in much better physical shape than we had been after that downhill “slide” into the lake which appeared so easy!

In the Bible, in the Book of Proverbs 3:5-6, we find the words, “Trust in the Lord will all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

The trail has been marked out well for us! Which path will you choose?

AWAY FROM THE STORM

Only a few hours earlier the two other men and I, each on a snow machine, had been making all kinds of designs in the deep, soft powder snow as we swept first one way and then another, back and forth over the small mountain meadow we had come upon. As I sped across the smooth, unbroken expanse of glistening snow I was filled with a feeling of exhilaration as the fine, icy crystals assaulted my face. It was one of those days when it is great to be outdoors in midwinter, the cares of the regular workday world left behind for a time, simply enjoying the fascinating scenes of winter in the depths of the mountain wilderness. The sun had been shining from a deep blue sky with occasional white, puffy clouds drifting overhead. But, that had been a few hours earlier. Things had changed.

Now we found ourselves far out on a harsh, winds-wept ridge top, attempting to reach a Forest Service fire lookout tower located high on a rocky bluff. The sun was gone now, blotted out by dark, gray foreboding clouds. The wind was blowing hard and showed no sign of letting up. The deep, soft powered snow we had been cavorting around in earlier was gone and we found this stormy ridge top blown completely bare of snow in many places, causing us to travel slowly and cautiously, watching the trail carefully to avoid the many rocks along the way. This was really cold and miserable! It was not what we would call in the category of “fun”!

The lookout tower finally came into sight ahead of us but it seemed as if it took much longer than it should have to reach it, the cold, biting wind ripping across our faces as we painstakingly made our way along the rocky trail. We finally pulled up next to the building, our heads tucked down trying to give our faces some protection from the force of the gale blowing across the rocky point. A door on one side of the building was unlocked and within moments the three of us had stepped inside, closed the door behind us, and were removing our gloves, blowing into our cold hands in an attempt to warm them.

We were tired and it was past lunch time. We each found a place to sit and brought out the cold sandwiches we had prepared early that morning before leaving the cabin and began gulp them down as the wind shrieked and moaned around the small building. Hot coffee poured from a thermos soon sent three twisting columns of steam upwards from the metal cups we held. It seemed as if this were the one comforting thing present in this harsh environment we were in. All too soon it was time for us to leave the meager shelter afforded by the fire lookout, stepping out into the biting winter wind to find our way off the mountain top.

Many times our lives can be compared to that day which the other two men and I experienced. We were having a great time in the morning when we were in that meadow in the deep powder snow with the sun shining brightly down upon us. Yet, only hours later, we were on a cold, wind-swept, uninviting mountain top which, if not treated with respect, could actually become a killer. The interior of the unheated lookout offered only a brief respite from the wind. It was still cold and uncomfortable. We could not have afforded to stay there long. We wanted to get away from the storm and into the peacefulness down off the mountain. We looked forward to the warmth of the cabin we had left early that morning.

In the Old Testament, in Psalm 107, the writer is speaking of men out on the seas in the midst of storms. But, the storm may be anywhere or at any point in our lives. Beginning in verse 27 we read, “. . . . . they were at their wits’ end. Then they cried out to the lord in their trouble and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper . . . . .”

God does that in our lives if we allow Him to.

DOOR CRASHER

This really was not my thing. Standing in a long line of people in front of the locked doors of a large department store, in the early-morning darkness, in the rain, and on a Thanksgiving Holiday to top it off! No. This really was not my thing!

It all began when my brother, who lived a few blocks from my parents in a city in another state, got in touch with me to say he was giving our folks a gift for Christmas of a year’s subscription to cable TV. Hey, all right! That was an unexpected act of generosity on the part of my younger brother, let me tell you. But, he went on to say that he thought it would be nice if I were to get involved. (I should have known something like this was coming!) He went on to tell me that the television our parents presently had was in very poor shape and it would be nice if they had a new one for that cable to be attached to. So that was it!

My brother continued by stating he had seen a newspaper ad that indicated a local outlet for a large chain store was having the “grand-daddy” of all sales within the next several days. The advertisement included a “limited number” of high-quality, name brand, 19 inch color televisions. He suggested that if I were to choose to be so kind as to purchase one of them for my parents it would be an excellent Christmas present from my side of the family. My brother knows how to put the pressure on—in a nice way, you understand. Since my wife and I were going to be traveling to the city in which my parents lived for the Thanksgiving Holiday, I could go to that sale!

He concluded his “presentation” with the real bad news last. The sale was on Thanksgiving Day, yet! Not only that, it was between 7:00 and 9:00 AM! I had to wonder if there were no holidays that were sacred any longer. And it is barely light at 7:00 AM! Aren’t you supposed to sleep in on holidays? My brother suggested that I might wish to be at the door of the store a “little” before 7:00 AM, so that I could purchase one of these fine electronic marvels for my parents. Why, it would make the entire year 2000 much better for them!

So, that is how I found myself standing in a long of people, a light rain sprinkling down on all but a small group fortunate enough to be standing beneath an awning over the doorway, wondering how long it would be before daylight would arrive. Some folks had planned ahead and had mugs of coffee and umbrellas. I determined they must be professional “door crashers.” They had come prepared!

As the hands on my watch crawled towards the unearthly hour of 7:00 AM, I began to count the number of people between the doors and where I was standing. It appeared there were about 50. A turn to look behind me, towards the end of the line, showed there were roughly another 150 people waiting for the “checkered flag” and the line was growing longer all the time as people came into the parking lot from all directions, some of them running towards the line as soon their feet hit the pavement.

As I stood watching and listening to people I overheard a lady say, “Are you here for one of the TV’s?” The reply was a mumbled, “Yup. That’s what I’m after. Wish we could have more than one.”

Then I heard another voice, “They say they are back in the middle of an aisle by the Electronics Department . . . . . . And they only have fifty of them.”

Say, now! That last comment grabbed my attention—only fifty? I counted the number of folks in front of me and, sure enough, I was real close to being number fifty. What if all those people in front of me were after television sets. This could be close!

Suddenly I heard the sound of keys in the lock of the doors and, at the same time, the line began to surge forward. I pulled my hat down over my eyes and began to move along with everyone else. No sense going against the current in a deal like this!

As I squeezed through the doorway with several other folks at the same time it became clear that this group of people were determined about what they were doing. As the group swept through the door and into a long left turn, some lay all restraint aside and began running up one of the main aisles of the store. Though I was unfamiliar with the layout of this business it did not take a genius to determine where the crowd was headed and I just rolled along with them, thinking to myself that this would not be a good time to trip and fall! Several people dropped out of the line to grab shopping carts and I suddenly found myself struggling to keep my place in the moving mass of people as a lady pushing one cart, and pulling another behind her, tried to force her way past me. Say, these people were serious about this!

The crowd of men and women roared into another turn, to the right this time, and headed down the stretch toward Electronics. Suddenly I realized I was meeting people who were going against the “current,” and they were packing huge boxes with pictures of a television set on the side. Hey, I must be getting close. Then I heard someone yell, “They’re going fast. One pallet’s gone already!”

Oh, oh. I realized the mass of people was slowing, while at the same time people seemed to become more focused in their determination to achieve their goal of getting a low-cost TV set. I looked over the heads and shoulders of those ahead of me and saw a huge mountain of boxed televisions sets that was disappearing with a speed that was utterly incredible. As I continued to struggle ahead I realized, in those tense moments, that I may have waited in the dark, and rain and cold for nothing. The boxes of televisions were almost gone!

Hmm. . . . . . I read a story this week about a scene very similar to the one I have just described. In that case, the hundreds of people who thronged into the store to find the best bargains failed to notice a man who was trampled by the crowd. Nobody went to his aid as busy shoppers continued their mad dash to accomplish their mission. At the end of the day, when the store manager locked the doors for the night, he was shocked to see this helpless victim. The person on the floor looked vaguely familiar.

It was later learned that the stranger trampled in the Christmas rush was a man named “Jesus.”

It is something to think about, isn’t it? Oh, by the way, my parents do have a new television set.

SILENCE

SILENCE

I was seated out on the back deck of our home, early in the summer, having a real difficult time concentrating on things related to all the work that I needed to get done. I wasn’t being too successful.

I have learned over the years that for me to be most effective in getting prepared for each Sunday I need to get away from the hustle and bustle of life around home, and get away where it is quiet. I have found it beneficial to get out into God’s creation and kind of power down, allowing myself to turn away from the many distractions found at home where the phone seems to clamor for attention far too often and the doorbell rings with a regular frequency.

Where do I get away to? Sometimes I simply grab my baseball cap, a travel cup filled with coffee, and head out of town walking along the railroad tracks. Oh, an occasional car or pickup may go by on the gravel road across the tracks from me, but most the time I am alone, but for God and his creation around me. I am walking in country where the coyote thinks he’s king and where the deer have a fantastic time feeding in the farmer’s fields around me. It is normally quiet except for an occasional jet plane going overhead far above me or, sometimes, a train that passes by.

On other occasions I will jump into the car and drive about 30 minutes to a lake where I have a spot where I can sit and think and allow the pace of life to slow down. Again, I am in a place where there are few other people, it is quiet, and it becomes a time of reflection and restoration for me.

Sometimes I drive 6-7 miles out of town and out into the midst of the farming country around our community. There are several hilltops that I have found where I can see for miles in every direction. Again, I find myself surrounded by quietness and the beauty of God’s creation.

But there are other occasions I have learned when it is good to get away from people—at least most people. This can be during times of high stress or deep crisis. Sometimes it can be good to be with other folks during such a time—but usually only if everyone is keeping their mouths shut—keeping quiet.

One of my favorite portions of Scripture is the last chapter of the Book of John, in the New Testament. It is a story literally saturated with deep meaning and life lessons for us.

Jesus had died a horrible death on the cross and the lives of his disciples had been thrown into absolute chaos and confusion. Things simply had not gone according to their expectations. The disciples knew that Jesus had come back from death—they had each seen Him on at least a couple of occasions. But they must still have been filled with questions. What did their future hold? What was ahead for them?

In John 21 we find the a group of 7 men who had been followers of Jesus—men who had been the very closes of those who walked in His footsteps, and they are hanging out down at the beach, probably feeling just a bit sorry for themselves and wondering what their future held. It was getting on toward evening and suddenly Peter says, “I’m going fishing. Anyone wanna’ come with me?”

In moments the entire group of seven men gets their gear and climb into the boat and they are on their way, no doubt headed for a spot on the lake where they had caught fish before. They fished and fished, hour after long hour. Nothing. They were using nets and they did not even get a small one to throw back. They just flat were not catching anything.

I can’t help but think there must have been some grumbling at the outset as the night grew darker and the hours dragged by. It probably began to cool off quite a bit and those guys may have had to deal with a rain shower or two. But no fish. They no doubt cast the net off one side of the boat and then the other. Nothing seemed to work. Nothing.

I wonder what kind of thoughts must have been running through their heads as that night wore on. Maybe they became quieter. Maybe they began to take longer periods where they rested, not worrying so much about catching fish as they did just resting—and thinking. Thinking about all that had happened and what might lie ahead.

Yes, I would expect these men grew quieter as the night wore on. They were probably lost in their own thoughts with only the sound of an occasional fish jumping, or the cry of a bird, to interrupt their thoughts.

You know something? Many people find silence uncomfortable. We are so used to sound—to noise. Like the noise of the television. We cannot escape the incessant ringing of someone’s cell phone. We live in a world and a society where mechanical or electronic-generated sound is all around us. And when we suddenly find ourselves in a location where it has become quiet—really quiet—we often become uncomfortable. It is not unusual for us to want to hear noise, or even create or make noise, to fill such silence. We can find ourselves feeling a bit awkward and uneasy. Such silence may feel somewhat painful or even embarrassing. We just don’t know what to do with it.

And yet, it is in those times of quiet—those times of silence—when we often find that we are able to become quiet inside. It is during such times that God—our Heavenly Father—can begin to speak to us and we can actually hear Him!

Earlier this year I happened to be watching a movie—that in itself is unusual for me as I find it hard to sit still for so long. But this was a good movie and it held my attention. At one point during the movie a Navaho Indian woman made a statement to a relative—a relative accustomed to the business and the hustle and bustle of city life. She said, “Do not try to fill the silence.”

Hmm. Say, I have to tell you that her remark caught my attention. “Do not try to fill the silence.” I have thought of that statement many times over the recent weeks. It made me wonder how many times I might have missed the voice of God speaking to me because I tried to fill the silence. How many occasions have there been when I simply did not experience the joy of listening to my Heavenly Father because I was too uncomfortable with the silence around me? I have wondered—what have I missed that God wanted me to hear—but I was too concerned with filling the silence.

The Old Testament book of Lamentations is not one that we often turn to for encouragement and yet, every single book, chapter, verse and word in the Bible has value—real value. In Lamentations 3:28, in the paraphrase The Message, we find these words:

²⁸When life is heavy and hard to take,

go off by yourself. Enter the silence.

²⁹Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:

Wait for hope to appear.

Don’t always try to fill the silence, but listen for the voice of God speaking to you. And I am convinced He will.

THE STORM

I was seated on a narrow walkway outside the small, 14 x 14 foot room that was the limited space inside the window enclosed fire lookout tower. The sun had finally descended below the horizon to the west and I was now staring into the distance to the east, watching the cloaks of darkness settle down upon the earth. This was our second night staying in the fire lookout. The appearance of the sky indicated that we would probably be unable to see the large moon during the coming night. Towering clouds surrounded us and as I watched I observed the first display of lightening, far to the south. In fact, it was at such a distance that I was unable to hear any thunder following the flash of light.

My thoughts were going a multitude of directions as I enjoyed the quiet, hearing only the occasional sound of a bird, the chatter of a squirrel, or the subdued conversation of my grandsons from inside the lookout. What an awesome scene of God’s creation all about me! I could see no man made light anywhere I was looking at the present. In the direction I was facing all I could see were the dark shapes of rugged mountains, the clouds and the increasing flashes of light to the south from the approaching thunder storm.

Suddenly, I heard a low, far off rumble. Aha! The storm clouds with their accompanying flashes of lightening must be moving closer. I could hear it now. When the next flash occurred I began counting the seconds until I heard the rumble that followed. It was still a long way off and now it was well past my bedtime.

I got out of my chair and walked to the other side of the lookout and stepped into the tiny living space. The three grandsons were already in their sleeping bags and my son was about to do the same. In minutes I had joined them and I lay looking out through the windows all around me. Flashes of lightening continued to move towards us from the south. I was unable to view the scene for long as sleep soon overcame me.

Crash! Wow! It seemed as if in the same instant I was wide awake, the inside of the lookout ablaze with bright light, and a crash and roar of thunder that was absolutely awesome! That storm had finally arrived. Within seconds there was another flash of light, a loud almost instantaneous crash and a long deep throaty rumble of thunder. Say, I can’t see how those grand kids could be sleeping though this. My son was awake and made a comment about the storm. I was thinking about our proximity to all the wild activity taking place outside the windows while hoping that this tiny building had an excellent system of lightening rods attached to it.

Over the course of the next several minutes there was one loud flash of light and crash of thunder after another. The storm seemed to be all around us. Sleep was gone. I felt as if I should cover my head with the sleeping bag but even then the bright light and thunder would make itself known. This display of nature’s power continued for several minutes and then I began to hear another sound. Oh, boy! Now we were going to catch it. Rain!

Did we ever, and did it ever! It rained, and hard. I began to wonder if the windows were tight enough to keep the deluge of water out as sheets of rain blasted the sides of the little cubicle we were in. And the rain continued as the storm seemed to enjoy leashing its power against our mountaintop bedroom. This was something else, let me tell you!

It seemed as if the storm battered us for a long period of time but, before I knew it, I was awakening again. This time it was not light and sound that awakened me. Morning was not far off. I peeked out of my sleeping bag and could see that it was beginning to get light in the east. Storm clouds still surrounded us but it appeared the lightning and thunder were far off to the north of us. The rain had stopped and we were still dry. I climbed out of the sleeping bag and realized that, even for late July, there was a real chill in the air. I stepped out onto the walkway of the lookout and breathed in air that was fresh, cleansed by the rain, and flavored with the scent of the trees and wildflowers growing at this high elevation. What a morning! And once more I marveled at all that God had created for me to enjoy.

I am reminded that, as Christians, we go through periods of time in our lives when we feel as if we are in the very midst of the wildest and harshest of “storms.” Most of the time we observe them from a distance, but there are those occasions when we are in the very midst of them. It also seems as if we are experiencing what some have called the “dark night of the soul.” We wish it would end. We want out of the storm. We want the night to end and the light of morning to bring us hope for a new day.

Well, hang on brother; don’t give up sister. Dawn will come. Sure! In Psalms 107, begining in verses 29 and 28, we are told that “He stilled the storm to a whisper; . . . . . They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.” (NIV)

So remember, night will end and the storm will pass. Dawn is just ahead!

CREATION? OUTSTANDING! NO. AWESOME!

There is nothing, for me at least, that can match the experience of being out in the rugged mountains of the Pacific Northwest enjoying the utter and absolute magnificance of God’s created world all about me. Far away from nearly anything man-made, it provides me with the opportunity to remember how powerful and awesome, how mighty the Creator of the universe really is.

I was seated outside a tiny 14 foot square Forest Service fire lookout in a rugged area of the Boise National Forest, gazing far into the distance, the only sound the voices of my grandsons in the background, the sound of a chipmunk chattering, and the occasional cries and calls of birds around me. The sun had been dropping towards the horizon back of me and as it descended further towards the west the deep canyons below be became darker. Even though the mountain tops and high ridges were still bathed in a soft and muted sunlight, that brightness had long been gone from the canyon depths around me.

I then remembered that, not long after the sun had stolen its light from this corner of the earth I presently occupied, a nearly full moon would be chasing it up over the horizon to the east and this mountaintop sanctuary would once again be saturated in light–a subdued, yet beautiful light in its own right. And by the time the moon was descending towards the western horizon a scant few hours from now, it would already be getting light in the east as the sun prepared for one more day of blessing God’s Creation with its warmth and light.

Except for the depths of those canyons around me. The amount of direct sunlight they received was limited. The amount of light provided for the moon was even less. So much of a 24-hour period in the bottom of those canyons were times of little light.

You know something? It reminds me of our journey through life with God. I realize we can’t always be on the mountain top. There are those occasions where, as we move forward in our walk with Him, where we find we have to cross through some valleys that are pretty deep and dark. But, if we are always on the move, if we are always looking up, if we refuse to stop or to turn back, the mountain top will always be there ahead of us, beckoning us forward, urging us towards that Light.

Friends, let’s not loiter in the valley. Let’s keep moving towards the mountain top. We can live with the hope that God will walk with us through the deep canyons and valleys, but it is on the mountaintop where we can truly behold His Glory. Keep climbing!