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This doe came into our backyard briefly for at least a couple of evenings. Later, I went on a walk at an out of the way park, and noticed a young doe heading across the gravel trail toward a creek. She saw me, and I walked slowly toward her to get a picture, but she just strolled unseen into some tall weeds near the creek. I told myself she must have been thirsty.
That doe by the creekside really made me think of Scripture. Psalm 42:1 says, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.” I feel the same way.
A recent headline of ABC News was, “2 women killed in shark attacks in Egypt’s Red Sea“. They went on to say that, “A 68-year-old Austrian woman and a Romanian tourist were swimming near the resort town of Hurghada, Egypt, according to the AP.” Interestingly, a commenter said, “I’m a diver and have travelled on liveaboards in this region and sadly, I’m surprised these incidents don’t occur more regularly. Before I begin, it’s VERY IMPORTANT to start with the point that SHARKS ARE NOT THE PROBLEM. The problem is how resorts manage tourist access to the ecosystems they’re based in. The Red Sea has an abundance of oceanic white tips and other open water predators; they’re biologically programmed to be more curious out of necessity given scarcity of food in their environment. They’re so abundant that I practically straddled one stepping in to commence a dive – it was as shocked as I was. The feeding zone is usually 0-5 metres below the surface. As a diver, you have to descend as quickly as possible. So you can understand why I was shocked to sail past resorts’ ‘snorkelling zones’ marked by buoys that floated over a steep drop-off into the open ocean. This, combined with the irresponsible waste of animal carcasses from passing ships, means you have the risk of unsuspecting swimmers coming into contact with curious predators. This is a very sad incident and it’s about time resorts and tour companies took more responsibility.”
According to Red Sea Diving Safari, “There are over 10 shark species that call the Red Sea home,
- Oceanic White Tip Shark
- Hammerhead Shark
- Tiger Shark
- Grey Reef Shark
- Thresher Shark
- Silky Shark
- Nurse Shark
- Black Tip Reef Shark
- White Tip Reef Shark
- Whale Shark”
Exodus 14:21-22 says, “21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.“
The Red Sea Diving Safari also mentioned other Red Sea sealife: “Estimates put the abundant Red Sea fish population at over 800 species, 10% of which exist no where else in the world. This is by far one of the Red Sea’s exclusive attractions with a myriad of thriving colorful fish…Bottlenose dolphin, Spinner Dolphin…Estimates put the total Dugong population at 4,000 in the whole of the Red Sea, with only 7 documented along the southern Red Sea coastline.Dugongs reach up to four meters in length and can weigh up to 1,000 kilograms…Four species of turtles can be found in the Egyptian Red Sea: the green, the leatherback turtle…”
Since God made a path for the Israelites between the Red Sea walls, wouldn’t they have been pointing and staring at that wonder God had just created? Maybe the Israelites saw various beautiful fish, spinner dolphins, a dugong or two, sharks, and turtles going about their lives in the tall water walls. It seems to me that God gave the Israelites an exclusive, limited time, free visit to the Red Sea aquarium!
You may have heard the new song, “Honey in the Rock” on Christian radio. The lyrics say, “There’s honey in the rock Water in the stone Manna on the ground
No matter where I go I don’t need to worry now that I know Everything I need You’ve got There’s honey in the rock”. If you wondered like I did about what verse the artists have been singing about, it might be Psalm 81:16 that says, “But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Honey is only one of God’s many provisions. Enjoy the goodness of God!
I have a cousin in Texas, and on Facebook, she had an April post of a beautiful picture she took of an Easter rainbow. Rainbows make me think of floods.
I live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and in June 2008, we had a flood. The Cedar River rose, and rushed over everything in its path. A nearby park pond charged toward our neighborhood, crossed two streets, pounded our back fence, and easily pushed through debris like logs from a neighbor’s recently chopped tree. We watched the logs float by in our side yard. The water raced across our street and into another street.
I have a friend that experienced a flood too, and she told me she thought after Noah’s flood, there wouldn’t be any more floods. I told her gently that God didn’t say that. “And God said…I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth…and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
Yesterday, my family and I saw a lethargic, about quarter-sized snapping turtle with a drooping head, on a rocky area in a mostly dried up creek bed. Emily thought it might be dehydrated, so we relocated the baby turtle further down the creek bed where there was shallow water. Ethan recorded the rescue. Emily named the baby Snaps, snapped pictures, and placed its weak little self mostly in the water. It started to revive! On turtlepets.com, we learned that, “…turtles should be able to survive for about 12 hours without water…”, so we’re glad we arrived to help the little critter have a chance.
A baby snapping turtle needs water to live, and so do we. But we also need a special water, a spiritual life-giving water that Jesus provides. Jesus said in John 4:14, “…But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
My kids, Emily and Ethan, were working on an exercise in a vocabulary workbook, and they were supposed to determine if the test word was being used correctly or incorrectly. The sentence read, “There are hundreds of thousands of SEAMEN in the U. S. Air Force.” They quickly said it was wrong and we laughed about there being no sea in the sky.
Later, I entertained the thought of a sea in the sky. My thoughts drifted to Heaven, and I remembered there is a river there. Revelation 22:1 says,”…pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.”
So although there’s no sea in the sky, there’s a river in the sky. God is so awesome!
Recently, I saw a man with a “Y’all Need Jesus” t-shirt. The very next day, I saw a woman with a “Y’all Need Jesus” t-shirt. How true! Receiving Jesus is definitely a need. And we need to know about Him. Jesus preached. Jesus stopped a storm. Jesus healed. Jesus fed thousands. Jesus walked on water. Jesus teleported. Jesus predicted. Jesus had communion. Jesus sang. Jesus was killed but rose again. Jesus ascended to Heaven.
Jesus, the Son of God, our Savior, lives. Jesus was and is REAL. He really did die for your sins and mine. We all need Jesus!
Acts 16:16-40, James 1:2-4 John 15:13
Last night, my family and I watched the 1987 movie classic, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The character, Uncle Tom, displayed exemplary Christian behavior. At one point, Tom was on a large steamboat and became quick friends with a young girl, Eva. While talking, Eva sat on a ledge against a weak railing and tumbled down into the water. Tom’s foot was chained to the boat, but, he managed to break free and dove into the water. He was able to save her by risking his life. Much later, Tom was sold to Simon Legree. One day, Tom was walking with others that had been picking cotton. He had picked the most. Then, he noticed a woman wasn’t well. She told him what would happen to her since she didn’t pick very much cotton. He then stuffed a lot of his own cotton into her bag to help her. Simon Legree was informed about what Tom had done. Mr. Legree then asked Tom to whip the woman. Tom said he couldn’t do a sin like that. Mr. Legree took great offense and had Tom whipped. Afterward, Tom was alone and singing about Jesus. A fellow slave came to take care of his wounds. She couldn’t believe he was singing about Jesus. Tom smiled at her surprise, stopped to exclaim that of course he’d sing about Jesus, and then continued to sing.
James 1:2-4 says that we should be joyful when we’re up against trials because it needs to lead to perseverance in order to become complete. In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were cruelly whipped, forced into prison, and their feet were put in stocks. What happened next? They sang hymns. So, despite whatever may be going on in your life, sing to Jesus.
John 6:16-21, John 21:25, Matthew 14:22-33
Jesus did walk on the water, and after a little study, I discovered that He accomplished that feat at least twice. In Matthew, Jesus walked on the water to the frightened disciples on a windy night. This is the account where Peter walked out to Jesus but started sinking. Then, Jesus and Peter got in the boat.
In John, Jesus walked on the water to frightened disciples in windy darkness. But in this account, when Jesus alone got into the boat, the boat and all aboard instantly arrived at the intended shore.
At the end of the book of John, he says there are so many things Jesus did, that writing too many books would be the result. Since all of the wonderful things Jesus did weren’t recorded, it makes me think he could have walked on water more than the above two accounts.
I’ve been reading The Underground Railroad by Charles L. Blockson. Some slaves endured long hours (6 a.m. – midnight), beatings, and being separated from families and sold. In my opinion, the most amazing account is about a nameless, adventurous woman slave from Mississippi. She prayed much about becoming free someday. One night, when everyone was asleep, she gathered some food and took off for a swamp. She walked in water so the bloodhounds couldn’t track her. But one time, she heard those bloodhounds and she wasn’t near water. She was a devout Christian and went to her knees praying to God about what to do. After praying, she felt peaceful and stood up. As the dogs approached her, she reached into her pocket and grabbed some crumbs. She held out her hand. Instead of showing aggression, as bloodhounds were trained to seize and mangle, the bloodhounds simply ate the crumbs and ran off in the woods. The woman then traveled to Canada stopping at homes on the way for a little food. She made rafts to get across waterways. When she got into Canada, she fell to her knees and kissed the ground. Then, in pure joy, she jumped up and down for 1/2 hour.
The woman from Mississippi was so very thankful for freedom. Being thankful pleases God. What can you thank God for?
Big Bible Fan 