(My goal this week is to publish a series of blog posts that look back and chronicle our time at http://www.sosmemphis.org each post will begin with the theme verse for the week: Psalm 102:18-22.)
Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise YHWH: “YHWH looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.” So the name of YHWH will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem when the people and the kingdoms assemble to worship YHWH. — Psalm 102:18-2
I love airplanes.
Wednesday was “Half-Day” at SOS. You work in the morning, have lunch and devos, and then you are out on your own until 10p to explore Memphis.
We were going to Graceland.
At Graceland, not only can you see the house, the Jungle Room, Platinum Records and Elvis’ various cars, but you can also see his airplanes.
I love airplanes.
EB takes care of securing tickets and we head to the house.
During the tour, the lights go out.
It’s dark.
No power.
First time that anyone could remember this ever happening.
They decide to get everyone back across the street to the visitor’s center (where the airplanes are parked), and begin to have conversations on refunds.
If you’ve never been to Graceland, then something you should know is that it’s not cheap.
I was now bummed. I wasn’t going to be able to see the airplanes.
EB works with the group sales folks on the ticket refunds. However, computers are still down. They tell us to tour the rest of whatever we want to see, and then come back and they would process the refund.
We saw the airplanes. We got our refund.
We found God at Graceland.
The lesson here is that God takes care of those who take care of God’s work.
Way too often, God moves, and we write it off to good fortune or luck, and we miss God. In doing so, we miss God’s blessing in our life. If we could see that blessing for what it is, then our faith could be strengthened.
God cares about the little things. God cares about us having a good time. God cares about taking care of details that we fret about.
Consider Matthew 6:25-34 (CEV): I tell you not to worry about your life. Don’t worry about having something to eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t life more than food or clothing? Look at the birds in the sky! They don’t plant or harvest. They don’t even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren’t you worth more than birds? Can worry make you live longer? Why worry about clothes? Look how the wild flowers grow. They don’t work hard to make their clothes. But I tell you that Solomon with all his wealth wasn’t as well clothed as one of them. God gives such beauty to everything that grows in the fields, even though it is here today and thrown into a fire tomorrow. He will surely do even more for you! Why do you have such little faith? Don’t worry and ask yourselves, “Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?” Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these. But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well. Don’t worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today.
God’s got it taken care of. We simply have to worry not about tomorrow, but be about the work of God today.
We found God at Graceland.
