This week some of my children and I hiked a hill by the windmills in Spanish Fork Canyon, it has a large cross on it. It was so windy, it was one of those rare moments when you feel the powerful force of nature, and how small and insignificant we are. We had to shout to hear each other speak, the wind was so strong. Another person was hiking, she said she lives close to the hill and has never seen it as windy as it was today. It took energy to focus on the rocky trail that was steep in a few places because the wind felt like it would blow us over. We saw a huge boulder on the hill and went to the rock for shelter. The large rock stopped the wind, and we rested in the shadow of the rock before going to the cross.
Once we were back in the wind, the kids loved leaning into the wind to see how much of their weight the wind would support- for them the wind added to the adventure. We took a few pictures at the cross then headed back.
On the way back we rested at another huge boulder to get a break from the wind. In the shadow and shelter of the rock, it was still and quiet. It made us think of the scriptures that talk about Jesus being our Shelter, our Rock, and that in his shadow we can rest. I came home and looked up the scriptures that talk about this.
"The Lord is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my Strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my High Tower. I will call upon the Lord, for he is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from mine enemies." Psalm 18:2-3
"My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my Rock and my Salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; the Rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah (forever)." Psalm 62:5-8
One of the boulders had a hollowed-out round spot on the sheltered side. The hollowed part of the rock was shaped like a hollow part of a hand, and the thought came that Jesus holds us in his hand. The kids commented that the hollowed part was big enough to sleep in, and that even with the wind, this spot looked so safe you could camp here.
Jesus felt so safe in Heavenly Father's care, that he slept in the ship during the storm, when his disciples were afraid. That is a lot of faith and trust in his Father's care- to rest, and be able to sleep in a storm. I used to love it when my children fell asleep in my arms, because it meant they felt safe and protected in my care.
"And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat over into the ship; and he was in the hinder part of the ship asleep on a pillow; and they awoke him, and said unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace; be still; the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" Mark 4:30-33
Do we trust that we are in the Lord's care? I love the phrase Jesus used, "Peace; be still" followed by "and there was a great calm." Do I turn to Jesus to calm the storm in me? Am I focused on Jesus, or am I constantly checking news reports to see how bad the storm is? Would he say to me like he said to his beloved disciples, "Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?" Where is my faith? Is it in Jesus, Jesus alone? Where am I putting my faith? Is my faith in other people or in Jesus? Am I at rest in Jesus' care?
The things that were mild stresses before feel much more daunting with the pandemic. Some of the added difficulties feel like gusts of winds that are trying to knock us off our feet. Jesus is our rock, our rest, our shelter. With Jesus taking care of us, it will be OK. It was interesting on our hike that the wind was the strongest where the cross was. At the cross is where Jesus took the final punishment for us, bearing all the sorrows and pains of our sins. He also knelt and suffered for us in the Garden of Gethsemane, bleeding from every pore, suffering more than we can imagine. He took the storm for us, so that He can be our calm place, our shelter. How thankful I am that the God we worship would take time to teach us, walk alongside us, and give us reassurance that we are under his care and held in the hollow of his hand.
Thankfully during this pandemic we have felt more clarity of priorities and unexpected blessings. With the fire evacuation in our area a couple years ago, one of our daughter's health issues that had been ongoing for months, resolved. This time with the quarantine, we have also seen blessings in her health and progress which we have prayed a long time for- although other challenges remain. More time at home has been a blessing for us, more time to read, more time to learn together, more time to spend in the garden. It has been a time to think about what matters most. Some challenges during this time have been figuring out homeschool for so many children, in addition to daily medical care, monitoring long term health issues, and job loss. We trust that God will take care of every need, we have learned from experience that God loves and cares for His children in every situation. We are safe in his care and rejoice in his goodness to us.
We saw some sego lilies on our walk. Their shape is like 3 separate flowers that combine to form one.
"Your Heavenly Father will provide for you, whatsoever things ye need for food, what you shall eat: and for raiment, what ye shall wear or put on . . . Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. Therefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he not provide for you if ye are not of little faith." Matthew 6:28-34
I love this song "You Raise Me Up". It is how I feel about Jesus.
