Living in the Promises of God Through Dirty Knees and Hands

As I went to bed on Tuesday, June 7, I read and prayed the following prayer in my devotions: “Lord Jesus, abide with us in these latter evil days. Grant to Your Church true shepherds and faithful pastors who preach Your Word in its purity, and who lead us in the way of truth. Preserve our souls from being deluded by worldly wisdom and the teaching of men who walk after their own thoughts, and keep us steadfast in Your Word to our end. Amen” (Praying the Psalms with Luther, Psalm 26)

So do you resonate with the thought in that prayer that we are in a time of “latter evil days?” The last number of years have seen changes which cause my heart to grieve. I grieve the loss of a country whose values, in many ways, reflected the values found in Scripture. I relish the time when people with different ideas could talk through their differences and, even if they could not come to agreement, they could at least civilly agree to disagree. I remember fondly when churches were part of the heart of our culture. I wish I could leave the experiences of my childhood for my children and grandchildren. However, it is unwise to live out of touch with the reality of our world. So, we live in these “latter evil days” as children of God, knowing that we have a unique opportunity to touch today’s world and all its troubles with the love God gives in Jesus.

We should not be surprised at the evil of these days, but often we are surprised. Scripture is full of warnings of trial and tribulation, of persecution and suffering, for the people of God as we await the time when Jesus comes again as Judge on the Last Day. (Consider Matthew 24, Ephesians 6:10 ff, 1 Timothy 4:1, 2 Peter 3:3, and the Book of Revelation, etc.) So, we do live in evil days because of the sin in our world, and that evil brings trials to our lives.

Where do you find comfort and solace, where do you find strength to persevere, as we live and work in these difficult days? Mainly, I find my strength in the promises of God’s love and in His presence. Psalm 46:1 tells us, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” God is with us in love and power to help us through troubles. He is especially merciful to us through His Son, Jesus. The people of God, found in God’s church, are others who also trust in the Lord. Time with God and with His people is vital!

But, as we live through the evil of these days, where do you find peace in the midst of the storms of this world? You probably know that I enjoy God’s creation and the outdoors. I find my time on the water to be an opportunity to commune with our Lord through His creation. But, another promise God made to Noah at the end of the flood speaks again and again in my head. “21 The LORD . . . said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. 22 “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” (Genesis 8:21-22)

I love living in the midst of that promise of God, the promise that “seedtime and harvest . . . will never cease.” My kids don’t always understand, but I really enjoy getting my knees and my hands dirty working in my vegetable garden and in our flower beds. I’m convinced I might even save money if I bought my vegetables from a grocery store rather than spending money on seeds, and starts, and fertilizer. But, when I compost, when I till the garden plot, when I plant the seeds and starts, and then when I watch them grow, I am living in the promise and power of God in this world. There is something reassuring to plant a seed and see the sprout poke through the soil. God Himself made that happen! I am part of God’s working in this world when I garden. When I pull and I hoe the weeds away from the vegetables in my garden, I also learn how important it is to tend the faith which God grows in our lives. The trials and suffering, the thorns and weeds of this life, can choke trust in God and His love.

God loves us eternally through the life and the death and the rising of His Son Jesus. But, God continues to care for His creation and His world in this life. Consider Matthew 6:26-31. “26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (Matthew 6:26-30) Working in my gardens gives me assurance that God is working in this world, even if the days are evil.

So, if you come by our home and I’m not fishing, you might find me outside working in the yard, living in the promises of God.