“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will also help you. I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10 NASB)
Young Drew was riding his new bike up and down the block, staying on the sidewalk for safety. It was his first big boy bicycle, and he was enjoying every minute of his ride. Drew’s street was not a busy street, and there was not a lot of traffic, seeing that it was a cul-de-sac with only an inlet and no outlet. Drew’s face was beaming with a sort of prideful expression. That’s understandable. He had a big boy bike and to top it off, his father went back inside and let him ride without supervision. Like I said, Drew was beaming with pride! He felt like a young man and not a kid.
As Drew was riding his bike, a car came down the street, driven by some young adult males. The music was so loud that you could hear it several houses away. Before they even got to where Drew’s house sat, you could see from a distance that heads were bobbing to the music and one of them, the driver, was smoking a cigarette. Initially, the car driven by the young men passed Drew’s house without incident. But there faces looked frustrated when they had to come right back after discovering there was no outlet.
Drew still was riding, still enjoying his new bike. As he was approaching the house, he saw the driver throw a lit cigarette into his yard. The cigarette landed on a pile of dry leaves. Drew did not notice anything initially, but after he had rode to the end of the cul-de-sac and came back by his house, he noticed little streams of grey smoke. The discarded cigarette, still lit, was about to be the cause of a fire. Drew jumped off his bike and ran to get the water hose to put out the smoldering fire. Seemed simple enough to Drew. But things got a little more complicated than Drew thought. First, the water hose was all tangled up, and it took Drew a few minutes to untangle it. He looked back at the smoldering fire and what was probably a small spark turned into a quite visible flame. Next, Drew discovered that the water house was not connected to the outdoor faucet. Still feeling like a big boy because of his big boy bike and because he was allowed to ride without adult supervision, Drew tries to connect the hose to the faucet. Give Drew credit. He tried, but he just couldn’t get it. Maybe it was a missing washer or some other type of problem that was keeping Drew from hooking up the house. But try after try, Drew could not do it.
Drew’s father, still inside, goes to the living room window to check on Drew. He sees the bike, but no Drew. He sees the fire too, but no Drew. He runs out the front door and sees Drew still trying to connect the hose. The father says, “Move out of the way.” Drew let his father take over and within seconds, not minutes, the father had handled the problem. Afterwards the father does not scold or chastise Drew. He commends him for trying. But the father also took the opportunity to tell Drew, regardless of the size of the problem, the type of the problem, or anything you face that presents a challenge, come and get me.” The father goes on to say, “Whether it is little or big, come and get me!” Drew silently agrees by shaking his head up and down, acknowledging that he would do as the father said.
Drew teaches us a lesson. Instead of continuing to try to resolve things on our own, we need to “Move out of the way,” and let our Father which art in heaven resolve and remedy our real problems; dowse out our difficulties and deliver us from all dangers. I think the songwriter, Charles Hayes, said it best in the lyrics below. Take note now! Be blessed!
“All in His hands! I put it all in His hands! All in His hands! I put it all in His hands
All of my burdens, problems, if I have a question, I put it all, yes, I put it all, I put it all in His hands.”
“Whatever the problem, I put it all in His hands. I know that He can solve it. I put it all in His hands. This and that, I put it all in His hands.”
“No matter how great or small, He’s the Master of them all! I put it all! Yes, I put it all
I put it all in His hands!”
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King