Details

  It had been a long valley. Prayer had gone up for several weeks, the burden had come, lifted, come, lifted . . . The "passing through" the valley I knew would surely take place, but my feet seemed to be wearing heavy boots. Each step I endeavored to take seemed to carry with it the wearisome effort of pulling my foot out of gooey, thick sticking mud, like the "Montana gumbo" I remember from childhood. It seemed I would manage to take a step -- only to get stuck again. I prayed earnestly for God to release the prison bars as He had done for Peter. Longed to see the gates of my prison open -- much like the doors to a supermarket open -- automatically.

   Then, in the middle of one ordinary evening, the door began to crack. It was a miracle -- though not the way I'd hoped. Of all things, it was a "miracle in the making." In other words, when I first heard of the beginnings, my heart leaped for joy -- and then my mind took over. "What about this . . . what about that . . ." I took a big step, ready to rejoice -- started sinking in the mud of wondering . . .

   "There are just so many details  . . ." I said to the Lord. Oh, my, the words He gave in reply . . .

   "I'm good at details."

   Like Job, my hand must go over my mouth! (Job 40:4)

   He set my mind to thinking again, and my spirit rose a little -- should have been a lot! (Confession IS good for the soul.)

   Details. I don't know as if I'd seen it quite like this before. Oh, I marveled at the majesty of mountains, and surveyed with wonder the magnificence of the stars. I knew His great all seeing eye cared for me as He does the sparrow. I reveled in the glory of a God large enough to create a world, yet small enough to live within my heart, and felt the warmth of His embrace as He revealed His unfailing love to me . . . but, details? I always thought of God as the One who sees the universe as a whole . . . and He does. As the One who knew His plan from before the begining of time . . . and He did. But for some strange reason, it never dawned on me, as it did that morning, that within all of the "wholeness," is a God who is extremely concerned with, and VERY GOOD AT, DETAILS!

   Have you ever taken time to look within the wildflower you happen to pick? Or think for a moment about the intricate design of thegolden winged bird at your bird feeder? Take a closer look at the trees in the forest -- from the bark to the leaves -- detail! Oh, sure, He sees the whole, but His balance is perfect! He also takes care of each detail.

  So, I chose to rejoice in the miracle of the "beginning." Began my climb out of the mud on to solid ground. I chose to trust the remaining details to the One patient enough to remind me, in all His glory, "I'm good at details!'

Janene A. Dubbeld/FGG

Take it with You

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;  for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Psalm 95:6-7a (NIV)