The Wings of the Morning

August 8, 2005

Over the past several days, like many of you, I prayed for the well-being of human beings in peril aboard vessels in distress. One group is our astronauts aboard a space shuttle Columbia, ominously in similar trouble to the last voyage that ended in horrible tragedy. The other group is the Russian sailors trapped on the ocean floor, again ominously in similar trouble to another tragedy five years ago.

No one is beyond the caring hand of God, even when dancing among the stars or plumbing the depths of the abyss. The Psalmist knew this long before the age of spaceships and submarines.

“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” (Psalms 139:7-10)

That the voyagers died aboard the Russian submarine Kursk in August 2000 and America’s Columbia in 2003 does not diminish the fact that God’s hand leads and holds us on our journey through life. The providence of God is not that we shall escape every danger, but when danger comes, God is in the midst of our trials.

In 1987, an 18-month old baby girl named Jessica fell into a narrow abandoned well near Midland, Texas. The world seemed to come to a stand still, holding its collective breath for three days as rescuers worked non-stop to free Jessica from her miry pit. The sight of Jessica in the arms of a rescuer reminded us that no matter how deep a hole in which we find ourselves, no matter how desperate our circumstances, and no matter how insignificant we may seem against the backdrop of time and eternity, the wings of the morning carry us into the loving arms of our heavenly Father. In the eyes of God, the value of each life is infinite, whether astronauts or submariners or a precious baby girl. For God so loved…

Thank you, O Lord, for your leading, holding hand amid the wings of the morning.

Personal note: I well remember August 2000. That was the birth of my granddaughter, Kat. As most of you know, she owns a lot of real estate in my heart. Thank you for allowing me to be away in Simi Valley this past weekend to participate in her birthday party. Thank you, especially, David Stump, for preaching in my absence. Saturday night, I was on the floor with Kat, who took great delight in using my large old body as a “jungle gym”. Anita asked Kat, “Why are you crawling all over Paw Paw?” Without hesitation, she answered, “Because I am the ‘grand’ daughter!” Indeed, she is.