The play of the wind upon the surface of the water cannot alter the plan of the Creator.
"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah" - Psalm 46:4-7
UNPLUGGING TO RESET
Sometimes you’ve just got to get away.
Sometimes you’ve just got to leave behind the sights and sounds of city life and get away. You’ve got to trade congested streets for lonely hiking trails, beeping horns for honking geese, nighttime sirens and train whistles for chirping crickets and croaking frogs. You’ve got to trade the smog and pollution of the concrete jungle and breathe in deep the crisp, cool air of the Northern woods.
Sometimes you’ve just got to get away…not by yourself, but with your Creator God.
This summer my daughter Karli and I had the opportunity to do just that. Along with two other dads and daughters, we departed early Sunday morning to begin the 450 mile trek to Willow Creek’s Camp Paradise in Michigan’s beautiful and wild Upper Peninsula.
Our time together created memories we will never, ever forget. Getting away carved out room for us to grow – closer together as dads and daughters and closer to God as our Heavenly Father. I will always cherish the memories of that wonderful time on the beautiful shores of the Tahquamenon River.
Sometimes you’ve just got to get away.
At regular intervals in the pilgrimage of life, we all need to reset, recharge, refocus, and recalibrate. In order to do so, we must discipline ourselves to regularly power down, unplug, step back, and sit at Jesus’s feet, choosing what is better and knowing that it will never be taken away from us (see Luke 10:38-42).
When we get away and spend time with God, we…
…Power down to reset.
…Unplug to recharge.
…Step back to refocus.
…Sit at Jesus’s feet to recalibrate.
A BETTER PERSPECTIVE
Let’s step away for a moment right now. Come sit in my chair next to the whispering white pine on the shores of the Tahquamenon. Listen for the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit as He speaks through His Word. “You never know how God might whisper when you carve out space to step away.”[1] God indeed whispered to my soul as I sat in natural solitude, meditating upon the slow flow of the Tahquamenon River and the play of the wind upon its surface.
Proverbs 21:1 reminds us that "the king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will." The stream of water described in this verse is “water flowing through a manmade channel or irrigation ditch, which a skillful farmer can turn to flow wherever he wishes.”[2] The idea is that the Lord God is a much higher judge than the king, whom He controls. In the end, God always gets the final word, and His word is just and righteous.
Even when the world seems upside down and inside out, God is sovereign. God is in control.
Even when world leaders, presidential candidates, Supreme Court justices, political pundits, and local politicians seem to be guided by the evil trifecta of Satan, sin, and self, God’s purpose and plan remain ever sure. Civil engineers may have figured out how to reverse the flow of the Chicago River, but God’s course cannot be thwarted. The flow of His Story can never be reversed. Evil may seem strong, but it will not win. For "the LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble" (Proverbs 16:4). From beginning to end, God’s purpose will not fail. God’s plan will not falter.
The play of the wind upon the surface of the water cannot alter the plan of the Creator.
Allow me to illustrate. Each day at Camp Paradise begins with breakfast at 8:30 AM. Prior to breakfast, Dads and Daughters enjoy quite time with God and with each other. The waterfront area opens at 7:00 AM for Dads and Daughters to canoe, kayak, or ride water bikes on the Tahquamenon River. On our first full day of camp, Karli and I chose to ride a tandem water bike together. Now, being very practical and having a little experience, I checked with the staff member as to which way the current flows in the river, the idea being that you always want to start paddling (or in our case peddling!) against the current, so that when arms and legs are tired on the return trip, the current will help you home.
Glancing out at the water from the perspective of the camp, the river seemed to be flowing toward the south. A stiff breeze was blowing, and the water appeared to be flowing quickly in a southward direction. Good thing I checked in with an experienced river guide, because I was wrong. The wind was blowing the surface waters of the river in a southward direction, but the deep and powerful current of the river flows ever northward, just as its Creator planned from the very beginning.
Going against the visual evidence of the surface waters, we trusted the experienced river guide and started out toward the South. Sure enough, when it came time to turn around and head home, the deep currents of the river helped push us in the right direction, even against a stiff wind! Both Karli and I looked at each other and commented how much easier it was to paddle (or in our case peddle!) with the current rather than against it. Even in the face of a stiff wind, even though the surface waters were flowing quickly South, the deep currents were leading ever North. I’m glad we checked with an experienced river guide before setting out. It made the trip home much easier and much more enjoyable.
The next day, I found myself sitting in my special chair next to the whispering white pine on the shores of the Tahquamenon. I was studying my Bible, listening for the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit as he speaks through His Word. Suddenly, in the quietness of that special place, the enormous white pine caught the wind, as it always did, about five seconds before the smaller trees around it. As the whispering wind blew, I glanced up from my Bible to gaze upon the glistening river below.
It was then that God brought the analogy home to my heart: Surface Waters & Deep Currents…
The play of the wind upon the surface of the water cannot alter the plan of the Creator.
From the vantage point of the camp, the wind was blowing the surface water south, against the northerly course designed by the Creator. But the deep currents were ultimately driving the river north, exactly as God had designed.
Are you starting to get the idea? Presidents and politicians and pundits may seem to be taking us further and further upstream from God’s purposes and plans, but they are nothing more than wind playing upon the surface of the water. From beginning to end, History is moving in God’s direction. No matter how powerful, no country, no terrorist organization, no political movement, not even Satan himself can alter the deep currents of God’s eternal purpose and plan.
Truth be told, I’m growing more and more tired of the hopeless hand-wringing that occupies the time of so many professing Christians. It seems as if some truly believe God has lost control of the present situation in our world today. Of course, it is right to be concerned about present circumstances. It is right to mourn the moral decline of our country. It is right to decry injustice and cry out for God to intervene. But let us never forget: our hope is secure. Let the wind blow where it will, our God is in control.
"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah" (Psalm 46:4-7). "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23).
TAKING IT HOME
Think about your personal life and circumstances for a moment.
How is the wind playing upon the surface of the waters in your own life?
a) Home Life: Marriage, Kids, Finances
b) Work Life: Security, Boss, Conflict
c) Health: Aging, Diagnosis, Insurance, Medical Bills
d) World: Violence, Terrorism, Persecution
How can you learn to grow in trusting God and the deep currents of His abiding purpose
and eternal plan? Have you fallen victim to the rampant spirit of fear that so grips people
today? Have you fallen prey to hopeless hand-wringing in the face of all that’s going wrong with
the world?
"God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control" (2 Timothy 1:7). "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Remember, no matter how the surface winds blow, God’s purpose for History and His plan for you remain unaltered, unhindered, and unchanged. The play of the wind upon the surface of the water cannot alter the purpose and plan of the Creator. This is true of our personal lives and this is true of the broader course of history. So let’s stop wringing hands in hopeless desperation and start folding hands in hope-filled prayer.
No one and nothing can alter the purpose and plan of the Creator.
Psalm 46:1-11 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. 6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. 7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah 8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. 10 "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" 11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Romans 8:28-31 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
[1] Camp Paradise 2016 Guidebook
[2] ESV Study Bible
"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah" - Psalm 46:4-7
UNPLUGGING TO RESET
Sometimes you’ve just got to get away.
Sometimes you’ve just got to leave behind the sights and sounds of city life and get away. You’ve got to trade congested streets for lonely hiking trails, beeping horns for honking geese, nighttime sirens and train whistles for chirping crickets and croaking frogs. You’ve got to trade the smog and pollution of the concrete jungle and breathe in deep the crisp, cool air of the Northern woods.
Sometimes you’ve just got to get away…not by yourself, but with your Creator God.
This summer my daughter Karli and I had the opportunity to do just that. Along with two other dads and daughters, we departed early Sunday morning to begin the 450 mile trek to Willow Creek’s Camp Paradise in Michigan’s beautiful and wild Upper Peninsula.
Our time together created memories we will never, ever forget. Getting away carved out room for us to grow – closer together as dads and daughters and closer to God as our Heavenly Father. I will always cherish the memories of that wonderful time on the beautiful shores of the Tahquamenon River.
Sometimes you’ve just got to get away.
At regular intervals in the pilgrimage of life, we all need to reset, recharge, refocus, and recalibrate. In order to do so, we must discipline ourselves to regularly power down, unplug, step back, and sit at Jesus’s feet, choosing what is better and knowing that it will never be taken away from us (see Luke 10:38-42).
When we get away and spend time with God, we…
…Power down to reset.
…Unplug to recharge.
…Step back to refocus.
…Sit at Jesus’s feet to recalibrate.
A BETTER PERSPECTIVE
Let’s step away for a moment right now. Come sit in my chair next to the whispering white pine on the shores of the Tahquamenon. Listen for the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit as He speaks through His Word. “You never know how God might whisper when you carve out space to step away.”[1] God indeed whispered to my soul as I sat in natural solitude, meditating upon the slow flow of the Tahquamenon River and the play of the wind upon its surface.
Proverbs 21:1 reminds us that "the king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will." The stream of water described in this verse is “water flowing through a manmade channel or irrigation ditch, which a skillful farmer can turn to flow wherever he wishes.”[2] The idea is that the Lord God is a much higher judge than the king, whom He controls. In the end, God always gets the final word, and His word is just and righteous.
Even when the world seems upside down and inside out, God is sovereign. God is in control.
Even when world leaders, presidential candidates, Supreme Court justices, political pundits, and local politicians seem to be guided by the evil trifecta of Satan, sin, and self, God’s purpose and plan remain ever sure. Civil engineers may have figured out how to reverse the flow of the Chicago River, but God’s course cannot be thwarted. The flow of His Story can never be reversed. Evil may seem strong, but it will not win. For "the LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble" (Proverbs 16:4). From beginning to end, God’s purpose will not fail. God’s plan will not falter.
The play of the wind upon the surface of the water cannot alter the plan of the Creator.
Allow me to illustrate. Each day at Camp Paradise begins with breakfast at 8:30 AM. Prior to breakfast, Dads and Daughters enjoy quite time with God and with each other. The waterfront area opens at 7:00 AM for Dads and Daughters to canoe, kayak, or ride water bikes on the Tahquamenon River. On our first full day of camp, Karli and I chose to ride a tandem water bike together. Now, being very practical and having a little experience, I checked with the staff member as to which way the current flows in the river, the idea being that you always want to start paddling (or in our case peddling!) against the current, so that when arms and legs are tired on the return trip, the current will help you home.
Glancing out at the water from the perspective of the camp, the river seemed to be flowing toward the south. A stiff breeze was blowing, and the water appeared to be flowing quickly in a southward direction. Good thing I checked in with an experienced river guide, because I was wrong. The wind was blowing the surface waters of the river in a southward direction, but the deep and powerful current of the river flows ever northward, just as its Creator planned from the very beginning.
Going against the visual evidence of the surface waters, we trusted the experienced river guide and started out toward the South. Sure enough, when it came time to turn around and head home, the deep currents of the river helped push us in the right direction, even against a stiff wind! Both Karli and I looked at each other and commented how much easier it was to paddle (or in our case peddle!) with the current rather than against it. Even in the face of a stiff wind, even though the surface waters were flowing quickly South, the deep currents were leading ever North. I’m glad we checked with an experienced river guide before setting out. It made the trip home much easier and much more enjoyable.
The next day, I found myself sitting in my special chair next to the whispering white pine on the shores of the Tahquamenon. I was studying my Bible, listening for the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit as he speaks through His Word. Suddenly, in the quietness of that special place, the enormous white pine caught the wind, as it always did, about five seconds before the smaller trees around it. As the whispering wind blew, I glanced up from my Bible to gaze upon the glistening river below.
It was then that God brought the analogy home to my heart: Surface Waters & Deep Currents…
The play of the wind upon the surface of the water cannot alter the plan of the Creator.
From the vantage point of the camp, the wind was blowing the surface water south, against the northerly course designed by the Creator. But the deep currents were ultimately driving the river north, exactly as God had designed.
Are you starting to get the idea? Presidents and politicians and pundits may seem to be taking us further and further upstream from God’s purposes and plans, but they are nothing more than wind playing upon the surface of the water. From beginning to end, History is moving in God’s direction. No matter how powerful, no country, no terrorist organization, no political movement, not even Satan himself can alter the deep currents of God’s eternal purpose and plan.
Truth be told, I’m growing more and more tired of the hopeless hand-wringing that occupies the time of so many professing Christians. It seems as if some truly believe God has lost control of the present situation in our world today. Of course, it is right to be concerned about present circumstances. It is right to mourn the moral decline of our country. It is right to decry injustice and cry out for God to intervene. But let us never forget: our hope is secure. Let the wind blow where it will, our God is in control.
"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah" (Psalm 46:4-7). "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23).
TAKING IT HOME
Think about your personal life and circumstances for a moment.
How is the wind playing upon the surface of the waters in your own life?
a) Home Life: Marriage, Kids, Finances
b) Work Life: Security, Boss, Conflict
c) Health: Aging, Diagnosis, Insurance, Medical Bills
d) World: Violence, Terrorism, Persecution
How can you learn to grow in trusting God and the deep currents of His abiding purpose
and eternal plan? Have you fallen victim to the rampant spirit of fear that so grips people
today? Have you fallen prey to hopeless hand-wringing in the face of all that’s going wrong with
the world?
"God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control" (2 Timothy 1:7). "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Remember, no matter how the surface winds blow, God’s purpose for History and His plan for you remain unaltered, unhindered, and unchanged. The play of the wind upon the surface of the water cannot alter the purpose and plan of the Creator. This is true of our personal lives and this is true of the broader course of history. So let’s stop wringing hands in hopeless desperation and start folding hands in hope-filled prayer.
No one and nothing can alter the purpose and plan of the Creator.
Psalm 46:1-11 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. 6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. 7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah 8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. 10 "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" 11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Romans 8:28-31 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
[1] Camp Paradise 2016 Guidebook
[2] ESV Study Bible
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