The Railroad Tracks

Luke 12:22-31 (NRSV)

He said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you -- you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."

David said, "The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer."
- 2 Samuel 22:2 (NRSV)

IF you can't see God, how do you know that God will help you?" asked Mark, my six-year-old son.

"You don't have to see God to know God is helping you," I answered.

Before I could say more, Mark offered his own answer. "God must be like a railroad track. The engineer can't see a long way ahead, but he keeps driving the train because he knows the track is there."

I smiled, remembering how King David also used comparisons to explain God's help. In 2 Samuel 22:2, David compared God to a rock and a fortress. Jesus also used comparisons to teach people about God's care. In Luke 12:24, Jesus said that the ravens neither plant nor harvest crops yet God feeds them. Words cannot give us a full picture of God, yet each new illustration helps us to understand something more about God's nature. I learned from my son, who compared God's help to a railroad track.

Prayer: Dear God, give us words that help us to know you. Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
What images of God hold special meaning for me?

PRAYER FOCUS:
Railroad workers

By Julie Boone, North Carolina