I just came in from walking my dog. We didn’t stay out very long. It’s a breezy 10 degree night and I wondered about her feet. The moon is busy painting shadows on the snow cover. It would be impossible to sneak up on someone because the snow is creaky and crunchy. When I was a boy I read lots of stories about Indians walking silently through the forest. I thought that was wonderful and used to try to do it. Carefully I would avoid stepping on a stick that would snap and echo through the trees.
God is very good at moving silently through the forest. He could even cross our creaky, crunchy snow without a sound. He is excellent at sneaking up on us. Frankly speaking, He is a stalker. He cannot help Himself. When one loves someone they want to see them, be with them, and share with them. Psalm 139 says, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”
I used to think the prodigal son’s father went out to the road each day watching for his son. But now I think differently. With the resources he had I am sure he had people watching his son everyday and reporting back to him. With great joy he heard that his son was on his way home and he ran to meet him. There was never a day he did not know where he was.
Written by Roger Bothwell on January 22, 2013
Spring of Life, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org