Job 11:18
Having hope will give
you courage. You will be protected and
will rest in safety.
I
remember as a teen going with our youth group to an amusement park. They had a new roller coaster that year and my
niece and I were so excited to try it.
On this roller coaster, riders are pulled backwards and launched through
an unyielding corkscrew and a big loop. The ride travels about 75km an hour
through the station; it then goes into a cobra type roll which takes the riders
directly into a climb up to a second hill. The train is then pulled backwards
from the station and up a 121 foot tail lift before being released. The ride
ends with the riders travelling backwards on the track before it ends. I remember us standing in line for quite some
time just to ride this roller coaster. The roller coaster pulled up and we got
onto the ride. The workers made sure
that we were all secure and safe.
Our
adrenaline ran high as we were shot into the first loop. Then it happened, we
felt our shoulder strap loosen and we did not feel secure anymore. I remember holding on for dear life and
thinking “oh no this is it I am going to fall out of this thing “. My nails were dug in as far as I could get
them. I just wanted off this ride. I was fearful of the outcome.
How many times have you looked back at your life and felt
like you where on a roller coaster. I
know that I have been on many in my life time. Every roller coaster is designed with hills up
& down, and it seems like the whole world is falling apart and crumbling
before me. Sometimes things seem stable,
and upsetting, and disturbing, and sometimes we have no idea what to
expect. It is in these times that we feel
that our security strap is loose and we will not be able to carry on. Much like
I did on that roller coaster ride so many years ago. The devil has a goal to drop us off of the
biggest hill that we come to, and to make it so that we can only think of that
bump. He wants us to concentrate on
nothing but that hill. Sometimes we
doubt that God has it all under control. Our faith is weary and we feel like we
are losing control. We feel like we are about to fall, only to look back and
see that our security strap had us the whole time. God was in control of the
whole scenario. All we have to do is have
courage and faith and God has the rest under control.
“Lord help us to trust in you and to know no
matter that what roller coaster we are on. You have us securely strapped in and
you have it all under control. In Jesus name Amen”.
