I remember the first time I heard that beautiful song of faith. It was sung by the incomparable Mahalia Jackson who always put her heart and soul into her songs of praise for God. And when I saw the beautiful picture above, sent to me by a Facebook friend from Arizona, it reminded me of the meaning of that song and I knew I had to write about it. I find the picture breathtaking and I see it as a clear sign of the presence of the Living God all around us. All we have to do is look about routinely and we'll find many such signs to show us the way. To my view, it provides the same powerful message as the picture I have used where the rays of the sun rising from the sea form a perfect cross, symbolic of the crucifixion of Christ, and such pictures restore hope in salvation by living for our Creator as He wishes us to do through faith.
So, if we believe that God shows Himself in such a picture like this, what does the picture say to us? Well, maybe God is reaching out to the young new mother with a very sick child to let her know that He is there to comfort her? Or to the Arizona cattle rancher in the middle of a severe drought, maybe He is saying that he should not worry, that He is there and the rains will soon come? Or what about the lost soul who has decided that he just doesn't believe God is there anymore, perhaps He is merely saying that He is right here waiting for Him to cry out for help. Actually it doesn't matter as long as we see that beautiful sight as a sign that God is with us and always will be and it's never too late to change our ways and let Him touch us, we just must do so before our mortal life comes to a close.
The message is really quite clear. It doesn't matter if we are on the sea, in the mountains, city or working on a farm or ranch. God is with us always because God is everywhere. He knows each of us better than we know ourselves and all He wants us to do is believe in Him and love Him. After all He created us in His image and He cries with each of us when we suffer and laughs with us when we find joy. So, if we open our hearts to Him, we will see the meaning of the signs like the beautiful hands of God reaching out to us in the picture above. In doing so, lives will change, we will live filled with hope and realize just how much we are loved. And then when this life is finally said and done, we will, as believers in Him by faith, inherit the Kingdom and sit at the table that has been set for us. to spend Eternity at His loving side.
Dear Lord, We thank you for the many signs you use to show us you are there and help us to open our eyes and see them, knowing that they are provided as a sign of the beautiful future that awaits us. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.