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GOD’S GENTLE CARE
You are trying to find a cool spot to relax in your
outdoor lounge chair, but the sun is stationed at 2
o’clock and beaming down pulling moisture through your
pores trying to help cool you off. The air is still
and stifling. Fanning and drinking iced lemonade
doesn’t do much to lower the temperature of your body,
and you are about to just give it up and hunt the
comfort of the humming indoor air conditioner.
Then it happens. First you only hear the soft
rustling of the leaves and see the barely perceptible
movement. Then you feel it—the gentle breeze that
sweeps over you bringing wonderful relief as it cools
your moist skin. Ah! Relish the moment. It is one
of God’s gentle blessings.
The thought first occurred to me as I was headed for
the post office a few days ago. I had two
letters to mail; related to each other to clear up a
business matter. They were going to different addresses with
a copy of one letter in both envelopes. I had made my
way from the car through the parking lot and was
nearly to the steps to go in the building, when I
happened to look at the addresses showing through the
windows on the envelopes and discovered that the same
address was showing on both of them. I had made a
mistake with one so that the wrong address ended up on
top to show through the window which would have just
added to the confusion I was trying to clear up.
From somewhere deep inside me, the thought came to my
mind, “A gentle blessing from God, that I caught the
mistake before posting the letters.” The thought
began to build and snowballed into a catalog of the
“gentle blessings” that I have every day. Some so
swift and gentle that I probably allow many of them to
pass unnoticed, just taken for granted.
God doesn’t “toot a horn” nor give a blast of a
trumpet every time He comes our way with gentle
blessings. We have to be alert to His gentle care to
catch them. We have to have our ears in tune
spiritually to hear the brush of angel wings as they
bring gentle blessings of God’s gentle care.
Oh yes, He comes sometimes like a mighty army when the
occasion demands it. His ministers are a “flame of
fire” (Hebrews 1:17) as they go forth to do His will,
but sometimes they are like the gentle breeze as they
quietly go about the Master’s business deflecting
fiery darts that we don’t even see coming. How many
“bloopers” have we been saved from by God’s gentle
care? How many careless words have been stilled by
some “accidental” interruption before we could utter
them?
Paul thought He knew exactly where he was supposed to
go next, Asia; but the Holy Ghost had other ideas
(Acts 16). We don’t know how “gentle” the directions
were, but He got the message: Bypass Asia.
So he
decided to go to Bithynia. Now Paul was a man who
listened to the Holy Ghost with disregard to public
opinion or disagreeing companions, and he was prepared
to go to Bithynia. But the gentle care of God got his
attention when the Holy Ghost again said, “No.” If he
had not been in tune with the gentle care of God, he
might have missed the vision of the man who pleaded
that they “Come over into Macedonia and help us.”
God could take a “big stick” and beat us into
submission if He cared to. That’s not what He is
looking for though. He prefers to guide us with His
gentle care if we would but listen intently.
After his magnificent victory over all the prophets
of Baal at Mount Carmel, Elijah became despondent even
of his life at the threat of Queen Jezebel (2 Kings
19). God had given him the privilege of turning the
spotlight on the God of Heaven who showed His might
and power by answering by fire when the 450 prophets
of Baal had failed to even get a spark. When Elijah
slew the false prophets, Jezebel swore that she would
do the same to Elijah and he was running scared.
Hiding under a juniper tree, he fell asleep. A
gentle blessing of God came to him as an angel touched
him to awaken him with his lunch already prepared.
“Arise and eat,” he was told. After his snack, he
went back to sleep, and later he was touched by the
angel with another meal prepared for him.
Even with these gentle blessings, Elijah was still
despairing. He hid in a cave and complained to God
that, though he had been faithful, here he was the
only faithful one left and his life in danger. The
gentle care of God! He knew how discouraged Elijah
was. He called him to stand upon the mountain and
caused him to witness a tornado that tore the rocks in
pieces and then an earthquake and a flaming fire.
But, guess what! God was not in them! No, not there;
but the still (calm, quiet), small voice that came
next was a gentle blessing from God. The gentle care
of God let him know that assignment.
In his despair, Elijah might have missed the gentle
blessings of God, thinking he should look for God in
the strong wind, earthquake or the fire. Not finding
God there, he could easily have missed the gentle
blessings that followed and sent him on his way to his
next appointment..
With
all the clamor of life around us, we need to stop,
look and listen for those gentle blessings that
accompany us each day. How many times have our feet
been watched that they not stumble? No doubt, far
more than we realize.
Sure, we want the clash of cymbals and the grandeur
that God displays at times. Wouldn’t miss it for the
world! But let us not miss the gentle care of God
that is lovingly watching over us, moving obstacles,
sending a friend just when we need them, guarding and
guiding us heavenward.
Quiet! Listen for the gentle blessings like a
refreshing breeze on a hot summer day!
......Delores
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