Pastor's Corner
October 2007
"For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal, and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay."
Habakkuk 2:3
Dear Church Family,
Jeanelle and I were given an incredible gift to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary! It was an Alaskan Cruise! We wondered if we would ever be able to do that and then, there we were, flying to Anchorage, Alaska and taking an opulent ship on a journey through Glacier Bay and down the Inside Passage to Vancouver, B.C.! To say the journey was amazing is an understatement! It was wonderful to sail on such a beautifully appointed vessel of the high seas (along with several thousand other people on board!). It was a huge joy to travel with my in-laws (Jeanelle’s parents LeRoi and Juanita). It was amazing to behold the grandeur of the enormously beautiful state of Alaska. And yes, it didn’t hurt to be able to eat such delightful food 24/7!
However, my favorite part of this journey was to travel to Glacier Bay and to see the giant glaciers that run to the sea. I was awestruck at the colors of these enormous rivers of ice and rock and to hear the cracking (like gunshots) as the ice moved in its inexorable journey toward the water. The penultimate experience was watching the glaciers "calve" as huge chunks of ice broke away to become icebergs drifting past our ship! Words fail to capture this movement of God’s creation!
Now Habakkuk was not a prophet describing glaciers and their slow and steady journey down a mountain. He was a man who described, though, the movement of God in history. In my mind he describes that movement in a way that reminds me of what I know about (and saw) with the glaciers. You see, you couldn’t really observe the glacier moving but you had signs that it was. One evidence was the noise and the other was the "calving". Is that not what we know about God working in our lives? We "hear" His word and we see our circumstances and we interact with people and all of it reminds us that God is speaking. Slowly, forcibly and in His time (not mine!). Then we see events give birth to actions and attitudes where we know that God is at work. We "see", if you will, the result of the movement of God. With that said though, we may still find ourselves watching the "glacier of our lives" and not seeing the "calving" - yet. So we wait and yes, we wait! Then like wheels grinding slowly, we hear the "crack" and see the splash as the ice gives way.
Thus as Habakkuk spoke of the work of God ("a vision yet for the appointed time"), he said it was coming. It’s "hastening" at His pace! Wait for it! Tarry a little while longer! It certainly will come! Even if it moves as the glacier!
Is there a prayer unanswered? A prodigal still away? A confusion as to what decision to make or direction to take? Are there needs that cry out or questions that remain unanswered? Wait. The vision, the work of God is coming. Listen to the "cracking" and watch for the "calving"! And you will see the grandeur and the glory of our God’s work that is far greater than any glacier on earth! God is moving and we are watching!
Serving with you,
P.S. I am thrilled to see how God is "moving" in our church family from the 165 or so kids in our Awana club to the great number of new members joining our church to some nine babies born in our church fellowship this year! Not to mention women’s Bible studies, men’s Bible studies, Growth Groups, youth ministry, Sunday School, etc.! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
