Dear Fellow
Children of God,
Has the beauty, the grandeur, the
power of the mountains around us in Alaska ever struck you? I do know that the mountains used to catch
the attention of my mother in law, Alice Tobin.
After a stroke in 1996, Kathy’s mom lived with us in one way or another,
beginning in March of 1997. This elderly
daughter of God, who was born in Shreveport, LA, and who lived most of her life
in Memphis, TN, spent the last 12 years of her life in Palmer, Alaska, of all
places. As her years progressed, her
mind became fuzzy at times. So, as we
drove her from our home to the Pioneer Home, we often heard her exclaim, “Look
at those mountains! Have they always
been there?” Perhaps her mind was still in
Memphis, and she was surprised by the mountains of Palmer. The thing is, the mountains of Alaska really
caught her attention, again and again.
On Tuesday, July 26, Kathy, and
Mary, and I were driving from Sterling to Palmer. As we were traveling through Turnagain Pass
the splendor of the mountains surrounding me caught my attention again, and
almost overwhelmed me with their presence, their beauty and grandeur. They towered high above the road on which we
drove, filling the windshield and windows.
The rock cliffs stood out. Green
meadows gave contrast to the black fields of shale. The streams of runoff from the rain and the
snow melt cascaded down from the heights.
It is hard not to catch your
breath when confronted with the creation of God!
We in Alaska are truly blessed,
because the creation around us stands out so obviously that the hand of God is difficult
to miss. I have recently also been
fishing on the Kenai River, and fished with a dip net at the mouth of the
Kasilof River. I have traveled into Cook
Inlet and fished for halibut. The sound
of the rushing rivers, the beating of waves on shore, the bouncing of the boat
on the incoming and outgoing tides, and the swells caused by the wind, all
speak of power greater than anything I know or possess. But, perhaps the imposing height and beauty
of the mountains catches my breath most often.
As we drove through Turnagain Pass
and the mountains caught my attention, and my awe, I thought of Psalm 121. Actually, in my early days in Palmer, as I
visited the home of Herb and Claire Kopperud, I read this Psalm. Claire calmly declared, “O, The Palmer Psalm.” Please consider God’s truth with me in this
short prayer of ascent.
“1 I lift up my eyes to the
hills-- where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD, the
Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip-- he
who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you-- the
LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all
harm-- he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your
coming and going both now and
forevermore.”
The trouble in the world around me
often causes me concern. I have friends
who are ill, some with cancer, some with back troubles, some with breathing
issues, and many more with other illnesses and injuries. I know family and friends who are struggling
because of difficult or even toxic relationships. I pray for folks I care about who have made
some bad choices in life, and are struggling to regain a healthy place in
life. Add to those concerns for people I
love, other concerns about our world, our country, and the health of our Lord’s
Church as we seek to proclaim the Gospel of forgiveness and salvation found in
Jesus.
Yet, in the midst of all those
concerns, the hills, no THE MOUNTAINS, stand out. They proclaim power, and permanence, and
beauty, which only come from God Himself. And yes, the truth of Psalm 121 comes
obviously to my mind and my heart. “I lift up my eyes to the hills--
where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of
heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121 vv. 1-2)
The Creator and Lord of all helps us with the troubles, the concerns,
the suffering and trials of life. He
after all made our world. The Lord is
greater than any trouble we face. He
cares for us night and day, physically and spiritually, now and eternally. In
fact, God teaches us in the final verse of Psalm 121, “the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and
forevermore.” The
One who made these mountains is also the one who has overcome the sin and
suffering and death which plague our world.
The Creator of All is also the Savior of All in the incarnation, in the
perfect life, in the suffering and death and resurrection of Jesus. In a world full of concerns, the One who
created the mountains offers eternity through faith in His Son!
So, in answer to my mother in law’s
question, “Look at those mountains! Have
they always been there?” I have an answer. “Yes, the mountains have always been
there. At least they have existed in
this world as long as our Creator has been active in forming and sustaining our
world.” And, just as long as the
mountains have existed, God has loved us.
He promises His powerful help in this world. Our Father promises to redeem us in our
Savior, Jesus. When I am struck by the
impressive presence of these mountains, that is what they speak to me.
A Child of God, Listening to the
Message from the Mountains Which God Created!
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Just a note.
While Alice, my mother in law, had a fuzzy mind at times in her final
years, I also remember times of total clarity.
I especially remember a day in 2006 when I was visiting with her in the
hospital. She had fallen and broken her
leg. Part of her treatment was a blood
transfusion. When receiving new blood
she knew all the details of our life and hers.
She knew her grandchildren, and what they were doing, and where she
lived, and she understood about the mountains. J
P.P.S. This was a GREAT WEEK for fishing.
· I went Dip Netting
on Wednesday, July 20, with friend, Wayne Mize.
We were blessed to hit a GREAT DAY!
We dipped 33 salmon in an hour and 45 minutes. https://photos.app.goo.gl/XxX86D7X7hPwg9FK9
· I had the
priviledge of halibut fishing with friend, Fred Vasilie, and Pastor CRAIG Schultz,
on Thursday, July 21. We caught a limit of really nice fish. https://photos.app.goo.gl/fdDvMPm6zs6Sxd9SA
· I took my oldest son,
Josh Rockey, dip netting, on Friday, July 22, along with his oldest children,
Jake, and Emma. https://photos.app.goo.gl/Rk7N4taumd1EuTwV9
· I went on a
planned halibut fishing with daughter Mary, friend, Pastor TONY Schultz (and
family friends), on Monday morning, July 25. https://photos.app.goo.gl/pikgvKwMmod1gPKf7
· After halibut
fishing on Monday morning, we went salmon fishing with a pole on Monday
afternoon. Our group included daughter,
Mary, friend, Pastor TONY Schultz, and his family friends. https://photos.app.goo.gl/kFxNghsu7DJMdV1FA
WHEW! I WAS TIRED.
P.P.P.S. I read a prayer in Monday’s devotions which
also spoke to my heart. Perhaps you will
appreciate this prayer:
FATHER, let the light of your truth guide us
to your kingdom through a world filled with lights contrary to your own. “Christian” is the name and the gospel we
glory in. May your love make us what you
have called us to be. We ask this
through Christ, our Lord. Amen. (For All
the Saints, Volume IV, page 230.)
*****
ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I retired at
the end of August 2019 from serving as senior pastor of St. John Lutheran
Church in Palmer, AK. I was writing a
weekly devotion previously entitled, "Thoughts from the Pastor." When I retired many asked me to continue writing
these devotions. So I have continued
writing. However, with life's changes I
now call this weekly devotion "Journeys Through Life as a Child of
God." Since I am no longer senior
pastor at St. John, I felt it right to only send this message to those who
asked to receive it. (Though I am now
serving again part-time at St. John as assistant to the pastor.)
So, if you stopped receiving these
devotions and wondered why, now you understand.
And, if you are now receiving these devotions and do not wish to receive
them, please let me know, and I’ll gladly remove your name from my distribution
list. My e-mail address is
jonrock53@mtaonline.net.
My prayer is that these devotions help
each of you in your daily walk with our Lord, Jesus.
*******
Jonathan Rockey
Child of God
Husband, Father, Son, Grandfather
Emeritus, St. John Lutheran
Church
E-Mail: jonrock53@mtaonline.net
“1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we
should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1a)
No comments:
Post a Comment