I got up about 2:00 a.m. this morning and as is customary I let my little dog Cooper out of the crate that he has slept in every night since he was six weeks old. For some reason he is in an outstanding mood today. Sometimes he will act grumpy and stretch and yawn and stiffly walk around, stretching and yawning some more as he heads for his daytime bed.
At these times he will barely acknowledge my presence and hardly even wag his tail in response to my telling him “Good morning!” When he is in a mood, he shows little interest in going outside, until a couple of hours later and he’s had a chance to wake up a little and get his bearings; (I think if we could share a cup of coffee in the mornings that it would help, but he doesn’t seem to care for the taste and opts for a cool drink of water instead).
Today the second I let him out he ran all over the place like he was a puppy again, and insisted that I immediately take him outside. While he was sniffing every bush, leaf, pine cone, and blade of grass of every square inch of my front yard, I stared at the heavens above. The stars were brighter this morning than I believe I’ve ever seen them and I could see billions of them scattered across the sky like diamonds on black velvet. One thing about my beloved Honey Lake home site is that it is inky black at night and the beautiful stars stand out against its jet black backdrop providing one of the most beautiful sights anyone could ever ask for.
I didn’t really have a topic in mind for Words for the Day today, but I believe Coopie gave me one, because as I looked up at the sheer number of stars, it reminded me of God’s incomprehensible intelligence and awesome power. Just think that God knows everything about you, me, and the billions of other people around the world and even the very hairs on our heads are numbered. The sheer magnitude of the size of the heavens and this little blue speck on which we live, and what lies beyond is amazing to me and even more astounding is that God loves this little speck named Bob. I mean why does He bother?
I read a letter this morning from a guy in prison who had just finished reading my book. He is trying to enlist my help to assist him with getting a copy of his GED so he can try to enroll in Bible College while he is serving his 14 year sentence for armed robbery and aggravated assault which were committed to feed his drug addiction. His mother and wife are the only two people he knows on the outside that are in a position to assist him, and they are both drug addicts themselves and will not spend the eight dollars it costs to get his diploma to him.
He told me if I was so moved to help him, that I should go online and check to make sure that he hasn’t been transferred to another prison before I send his diploma to him at his current residence.
Hmmm… This seemed to strike a chord with me. I wonder if his mother and wife will know when he gets transferred. I wonder if they know where he is right now, or even care. This guy is like so many other prisoners in the system that I’ve seen. One guy told me he had not received a letter or had a visitor in 30 years. Nobody aside from his fellow inmates and the correctional institute even know that he exists.
I remember when I was homeless and hitch hiking all over the country and sleeping on the side of the road. Sometimes I looked up and saw the black sky and stars, but I was not filled with thoughts of God and His love. I was just lonely and sad. I thought I was all alone. Little did I know that all of the time God was watching me and loving me with all of His heart.
I was thinking that this prisoner is surrounded by plenty of others in his world in that prison, but in reality is all alone without one single person that is willing to help him. I wonder how many people are in the prison of this life and feel all alone. The good news is that the same God that was watching over me is watching over them and loving them with all of His heart.
The prisoner wrote that he found Christ after entering prison and if he had not ended up there would probably have died in his sins from an overdose, or being shot, or some other “mean streets” tragedy. He feels that going to prison was the best thing that ever happened to him because it saved his life, but more importantly now provides eternal salvation through Christ. He now has hope in God.
God is watching and waiting for us to draw near so He can draw near. No matter how dire the situation, or how hopeless things might seem, God can heal all wounds and fill the biggest hole in anyone’s chest. There is no reason to be all alone in this world. And yes it may seem like a paradox, but we can be all alone even when surrounded by hordes of people. I would suggest that you ask Elvis Presley, or Michael Jackson, or Whitney Houston, or Jimi Hendrix, but unfortunately they are gone now.
I’m not, so I guess I’ll have to speak for them in saying to you: You don’t have to go through this life all alone. Jesus is watching and waiting, won’t you ask Him into your heart today?
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.