Lions and Tigers and Bears- Oh My!

A beautiful weekend was spent on the coast of Maine at Acadia National Park. If you have never travelled to a national park I urge you to do so soon! It was a breathtaking view of God's creation. A few guys on the trip biked to the top of Cadillac mountain while the rest of us drove up to the summit.

I have never seen a horizon like the one in Acadia. It was every shade of blue I could imagine and some that never would have graced my mind. The mountains in the distance and the small islands in sight rounded out the captivating view.

I believe I have a connection to nature that is rooted in my love of God. Bodies of water especially pull me into the presence of God and away from the world.

As I sat atop Cadillac mountain I could not help but reflect on Job 38. My dear friend, Gretchen, suggested I take a look at this passage when I am weighed down with questions about what God is doing in my life by taking my Mom. It talks about the greatness of God and all the things that he created and brought to life. It is a portion of scripture where God is speaking to Job and asking him simply where he was when God was making the sun and the moon. How could we question God's motives when we are surrounded by his creation and see his goodness?
I thought of this sitting on that mountaintop. I thought about how in the world I would feel like I had any right to question what God was thinking when Mom passed away in light of the majesty displayed before me in the landscape upon which I gazed. God is mighty. His ways are perfectly planned out and deliberate.

If God gave the waters a beautiful sparkle in the sunlight and the trees an ebb and flow up the mountainside wouldn't he spend much more time investing in the creation of my life? I am his child, and the Bible teaches us that his beloved children are cherished far more than his other creations.
I can't explain it, but to see God's face at Acadia and realize that it was a face that is kind and always overflowing with love for me was life changing. God, the welcoming father, the place to find refuge and safety.

My prayer is that I could rely entirely on him. My life is not beyond the reach of his arm, and my woes are not without his care. There is a psalm I read by the ocean this weekend where David asks God to place his tears in his bottle. I love the picture this brings to mind. God, the Almighty, has a bottle that holds my tears. He counts each one and knows the reasons they flow. Praise be to God for his everlasting delicate care of me. His gentleness amazes me.