What are your plans today? We had an ice storm early this morning so I cancelled my previous plans, put on some warm, comfy clothes, made some orange-cranberry scones and a cup of tea, and sat at my computer to write you a note.
Plans change for all sorts of reasons. Through my TV, I rode along with some storm chasers yesterday. I thought they got a bit too close to those tornados for my comfort. I cannot imagine facing such monsters, and the fact that many come at night would terrify me.
I watched one young man race along back roads to gain the closest viewpoint. He got close enough that hail and debris pummelled his truck; yet, he was the first on the scene to help an elderly couple out of their demolished home. So many people have lost everything, including loved ones, in the wild tornados, floods, earthquakes, snowstorms, landslides and avalanches these past few months. I don't understand how so many people can still think they can control our planet.
Many insist on saving daylight; it doesn't save any time for me; it just makes me late. I'm sure that is what makes me late! Many want to control the climate. I know that we need to be good stewards of our land, but I also remember sitting at Old Faithful in Yellowstone Park and hearing people complain that the geyser was not erupting on time. I think we tend to get a distorted view of our own power and influence.
I recently bought four large posters to decorate my classroom at our Learning Centre. Two of them were the Pleiades and Orion star groupings. God had asked Job if he could bind the beautiful Pleiades or if he could loosen the bonds of Orion. The Pleiades stars are 50 times closer together in their region than those in our region of the galaxy; I don't think I can bind them together. Orion contains two stars of special interest; they are Betelgeuse and Rigel. Rigel shines 55,000 times brighter than our sun and Betelgeuse is 600 times larger than our sun. (We can fit nearly a million earths into our sun.)
I hung up the poster of Andromeda, the closest galaxy to us that is relative in size to our Milky Way galaxy. There are over 100 billion suns in our galaxy; there are a hundred billion galaxies in our known universe, each containing millions to trillions of suns. I attached Psalm 19:1a beside it. The heavens declare the glory of God.
My favourite poster was of our home, the earth. The scripture that I put beside it is from Job 38:4-7.
Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand.
Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know.
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
On what were its footings set,
Or who laid its cornerstone-while the morning stars sang together
And all the angels shouted for joy?
The best long-term goals and daily plans are those we coordinate with the One who can bind the Pleiades together and display His beautiful galaxies for everyone to see in this new technological age. We can attend a Kingdom meeting with the One who laid out the universe and submit our plans to His plans.
This is when life becomes exciting! Isn't it amazing that He actually invites us to talk with Him and hear His heart and His wisdom for our day? He made us too and He calls each of us to follow Him and use the gifts He gave us to display His love for the world.
I hope you have a good day, dear ones, no matter where you are or what your life looks like right now. Our Creator is the One who can give us a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
Our Creator really does have an unbelievable plan!
Sue Carlisle grew up on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. An enrolled member of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, her passion is to encourage people to look at creation and see our awesome Creator. Sue is author of Walking with the Creator Along the Narrow Road. She and her husband, Wes, now live in Thunder Bay, Ontario. To purchase Sue's book, see https://www.indianlife.org/product/walking-with-the-creator-along-the-narrow-road/
