Behind the Scenes
Al Swanson
For God alone my soul waits in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress;
I shall not be shaken. Psalm 62:5-6.
The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines rock as “a mass of stony material”; also as “foundation support, refuge.”
First thoughts of rock may go to the Rock of Gibraltar or to El Capitan at Yosemite National Park in California, or possibly to some other well-known scene.
We may not think too often, if at all, about the foundation that supports our homes. The foundation is just there; the concrete or blocks keeping the building that is our home steady and firm, erect and solid. There every day, all day, all night, always.
Not as visible as these examples is God. But like these visible, tangible examples, God is always there. Strong, solid, supportive, silently working behind the scenes with and for us.
Like the baseball pitcher who doesn’t see the line drive smashed back up the middle until he catches it — the thumb of his glove brushing against his ear. Or my experience as a caddy waiting a hundred yards down from the tee. The golfer pulls his shot, leaving me and fellow caddies to watch the slow-motion sight of the approaching golf ball, gradually growing larger as we flatten ourselves to the ground until the ball whistles just a few feet over our heads. The day when nothing seems to go right — frustration overwhelming, the down feeling that seems to cloud everything — and the spouse or friend who just listens. Gradually, the gloom lifts and then the day brightens. Suddenly it’s a much better day.
Luck? Happenstance? God at work? My peace comes from God. When has God been your supporting rock?
Lord, give me the wisdom and faith to recognize the myriad ways you are my supporting rock every day, in things large and small. Amen.
Encounters With Christ 