Country Perks & Grit: Delightful, Unexpected, and Hilarious Epochs of Country Living. by Dianne Marie Andre
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Little did Joe know what his Christmas gift to his little boys would lead to. As the days, weeks, months and years passed, Dianne, Joe, and the two boys learned what living off the grid meant. This book is a fun, and at times dramatic, story that grants insight into living off the grid. Those interested in life on farms, ranches, or anywhere away from the city lights, will love this book.
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A Place of Safety for All in Any Storm
[stextbox id=’alert’]To stop the spread of the coronavirus Covid-19 in South Africa, a National lock-down is currently in place. For more see: National Covid-19 website[/stextbox]
Keep you safe?
He will keep you safe from all hidden dangers and from all deadly diseases. He will cover you with his wings; you will be safe in his care; his faithfulness will protect and defend you.
(Psalms 91:3-4 GNB)
Really?
He will keep you safe from all hidden dangers and from all deadly diseases. Really? Read on.... Share on X
As I type these words from South Africa, we are in extremely strict lockdown from the deadly microscopic COVID-19 virus. Our borders are mostly closed. Schools, businesses, shops, factories, are shut down. Only essential services are in operation. People are restricted to their homes except for essential reasons. The army has even been called out to support the police to enforce the ban.
Why? In an attempt to limit the spread of this killer disease and return our lives to some form of normalcy.
Yet God’s Word says You need not fear any dangers at night or sudden attacks during the day or the plagues that strike in the dark or the evils that kill in daylight.
God's Word says, You need not fear any dangers at night or sudden attacks during the day or the plagues that strike in the dark or the evils that kill in daylight. Share on XReally?
COVID-19 is by no way the first plague to ever hit mankind. Over the next weeks, we’re going to explore a few of them. I would really encourage you to respond to these posts in the comment section. Add anything else that you think should be included, so we can encourage others as we struggle through this monstrous storm.
THE BIGGEST STORM EVER
In Genesis chapters 6-9 we read of another world-changing event, one so massive that it destroyed all of mankind.
Nothing microscopic here. We’re talking about the flood God sent upon the world.
Can you imagine the terror growing among the people of Noah’s time as they began to realize that the gigantic monstrosity their strange neighbor had been building for years was actually going to be needed? They had laughed and jeered. Humiliated him and his family. Carried on with their partying and lawlessness.
And then the rains came. And the storm began.
Did the skies turn black? Rumble with a thunder never heard before?
What was the reaction when well-behaved rows of animals lined up in groups, apparently without any type of herding, in order to enter the ark?
WHEN DID THEY START TO BELIEVE?
At what point did panic set in?
Sadly, it was too late. All but Noah’s family perished in the worst human calamity ever.
As I look at the havoc and devastation caused by out-of-control weather patterns or invisible-to-the-naked eye viruses, I cannot help but wonder. We are so dependent upon God’s laws of nature. We rely on going to bed one night and waking the next morning to a world that’s operating the same way as the night before.
Yet how often do we thank Him for this global routine?
Suddenly, it is no longer operating the same way. We may go to our beds one evening and awaken to a whole new reality as COVID-19 continues to cause disease that thrashes the continents, and governments take drastic steps to try and flatten the curve of the pandemic.
Do we ever stop to praise Him for the routine and normalcy of life as we know it?
Or have we taken it all for granted?
Noah’s ark must have been the most horrific lockdown of all time. Imagine how you would feel if you learned our current lockdown (or whatever your country is observing) would last for over 360 days*?
The only way the people of Noah’s day could experience safety from the dreadful storm which was about to hit their world was to enter the door to the ark. And there was no back way in. There was only one door. All those who entered also stepped out over a year later, to see God’s glorious rainbow. The assurance that He was still with them.
In the same way, for us today, the only salvation we can experience during this horrific pandemic of disease is by entering the door–the only door–God has given to us. The door of Jesus Christ. Only through Him, do we receive a guarantee of eternal life. Unfortunately, some of God’s own people are testing positive with COVID-19. Some will probably pass on. But there’s the beauty. If they have entered into the salvation offered by Jesus, their death will be a move into eternal life in Heaven.
I think there must have been times when Noah and his family wondered if it was really worth it. What a terrible experience it would have been. But God saw them through it. And He’ll see us through it too. If we only take that step and put our trust in Jesus.
How about you? Have you taken that step? Are you secure in your relationship with God? I pray you are.
READ MORE:
He will keep you safe from all hidden dangers and from all deadly diseases.
He will cover you with his wings; you will be safe in his care; his faithfulness will protect and defend you. You need not fear any dangers at night or sudden attacks during the day or the plagues that strike in the dark or the evils that kill in daylight. A thousand may fall dead beside you, ten thousand all around you, but you will not be harmed. Whoever goes to the LORD for safety, whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty (Psalms 91:3-7 GNB).
LET’S PRAY:
Lord Jesus, please help us to appreciate every moment of the lives you have given us. Thank you for Your goodness in providing us with a place of safety, and a Door that will lead us to Heaven. Lord, please help me to take that step through the door, and encourage me to stretch out a hand to those around me to help them on board as well. Oh Lord, we do plead with You to end this pandemic. But Lord, help us to learn lessons from this time. Help the people of this world to listen before it’s too late.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
*https://bibleanswergirl.wordpress.com/2013/10/13/how-long-was-noah-on-the-ark/
*https://creation.com/how-long-was-noah-on-the-ark
