Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK
Jan. 24, 2012

“Looking for Landmarks—The Presence of God”
“Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life…no need to panic over alarms or surprises, or predictions that doomsday’s just around the corner, Because God will be right there with you; He’ll keep you safe and sound." – Proverbs 3:21, 25-26 (The Message)

When you are traveling down the road, highways and interstates, you are constantly looking for landmarks to indicate either where you are or how far or near you are to your destination. The presence of those landmarks makes a difference in the success of one’s journey.
I remember as a young pastor living in a rural area—when I was going to visit a family and was unfamiliar with where they lived I found it almost comical when receiving instructions on how to arrive at their home. The landmarks I was told to follow had nothing to do with street names or roads—often I was told to turn at “the blue house just past the large oak tree next to the Baptist Church that used to be the old Miller place.” I have been asked, “how can you get lost in a town of a couple thousand?” Try following instructions like these and you will see for yourself! The reason why so many people are “lost” in the journey of life is simply due to the fact that are not able to see the landmarks—the presence of God in this world. The Apostle Paul writes in the book of Romans: “…the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see; eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of His divine being. So nobody has a good excuse.” (1:19-20, MSG)
In a Children's Sermon, a pastor included this little tribute to his "Grandma." A small green shoot appeared out of a crack in the sidewalk one day, in front of Grandma's house. Through broken concrete, this tiny bit of life forced its way into the world, ever so quietly. Imagine its determination, its drive to sprout, to grow, to blossom. How like Grandma to notice this seemingly insignificant event! To even celebrate it and point it out to me. Me, who had passed by it dozens of times without stopping to appreciate or investigate it. Grandma had been eyeing it for days, coaxing it as the sunshine did. Grandma's attention turned from her lush flower beds and carefully kept lawn to this single blade of green something-or-other, growing out of a crack in her sidewalk.
"Come look," Grandma said, down on her hands and knees. "Look here," she said, breathlessly. "This is how I know God exists. How can anyone see such a thing and not believe in God? Imagine a world where a bit of life forces its way through concrete?"
In a world where we are impressed only by the spectacular, here is a person who is far more impressed and moved by a single blade of grass! This is God telling us that the Resurrection of Christ was not impossible and that life is so very important!
The landmarks are there—they have always been there and they will always be there. What we need are “spiritual” eyes to see those landmarks and realize that God is truly with us! When things get tough there is no need to panic, no need to get upset—look for the power of the unseen and the hope that is ours through Christ!
Pastor J. T. Carnell