The Heart of the Matter

This morning I woke feeling terrible. I have been fighting illness for over a week now, and it seems today that I have lost the battle.

My husband is away on an overnight retreat so I turned my computer on and settled in to work on a dear friend's book for awhile. The following metrical composition especially touched my heart. I know Jack won't mind that I share it with you. I pray it lifts your spirit and gives you hope as it did me this morning.

Shimmers of heaven, Oh how we need them,
The fragrance of God, that floats in the air.
In the shadows of earth are shimmers of heaven,
When God in His mercy, walks with us here.

He whispers, I love you; come near, He is pleading,
Though I don't see Him, His voice I can hear.
In the babbling brook, in creation I'm reading,
A story of love from my God who is near.

I know of a tree, of God's own making,
Shaped into beams, to fashion a cross,
'Tween heaven and earth, hung my Savior there bleeding,
Paying my debt, so I'd not be lost.

This earth will pass, my friend, I assure you,
In the book, 'tis written, line upon line.
In Jesus, my friend, is life everlasting,
Like the line in that song, "Jesus is mine."

In the whispers of wind, dear God you are calling.
To all of this world, come worship Him.
The shadows of earth, can't hide heaven’s shimmers,
When the glory of Jesus, is sung like a hymn.

by Jack Bowers

Copyright © 2009 by Teresa L. Haymaker

The weather was perfect; sunny and warm. We were filled with excitement as we piled into the car for our trip to Mount St. Helens. The volcano had been active for almost a year after having settled down following the devastating eruption of 1980.

On this day we hoped to see the crater up close. Still over ten miles from the mountain, we began to see evidence of the destruction from the 1980 eruption. Tree trunks stood tall and barren, singed by the blast of hot gasses and shattered pieces of the mountain. Tree trunks, broken and discarded, scattered the landscape, having been carried on the winds of the blast from the forest nearest to the mountain. The symmetry was astounding! Tree trunks lay end to end and side by side as if being carefully placed there.

As we drew nearer to the mountain we saw trees that had been torn from the ground, blown over or snapped in half. The heat of the blast had stripped them of their foliage and few charred branches remained. Twenty five years after the eruption evidence of the century-old forest now stood in lifeless ruin.

In incredible contrast to the destruction still evident in the forest, new life has returned to the area. Foliage returned, followed by the birds, insects, and animals that are sustained by it. What a testimony to the healing power of nature!

Standing in awe of the power of nature, it occurred to me that God created all the natural laws and circumstances that caused the eruption, the death and destruction that followed, and the healing of the land that has taken place since.

This reminded me of God's Word to us in Isaiah 55:6: Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. ( NASB )

Each day God allows us to be a part of His world; His creation. This is easy for most of us. Incredibly, He also gives us the opportunity to be healed and renewed in His presence, if only we will call upon Him. How long will God be "near" for us to call upon? James 4:14 tells us there are no guarantees.

…you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. (NIV)

The life on and near Mount St. Helens in May 1980 was completely destroyed in a matter of minutes. Our lives could be lost just as quickly.

Copyright © 2009 by Teresa L. Haymaker