Today was just lovely! The sky was perfectly fall, a dark azure blue, clear and cloudless, the sun warming my face as I walked Penelope. Kat has been watching the birds and butterflies from her perch on the bannisters. The zinnias are full of yellow cloudless sulphur, black swallowtail, and dark orange monarch butterflies. Tomorrow I’m going to sit in my purple chair by the flower bed and try taking some photographs. It’s like a gift from Mother Nature, a rainbow of wondrous colored butterflies flitting around on vivid colored zinnias.

The sunset this evening was muted in vanilla, white, and blueberry shades and as dusk got closer Mother Nature brushed the top of the palest clouds in a beautiful raspberry. I was thinking, as I watched the colors on the horizon come alive, of a beautiful dessert in a crystal compote just waiting for cherries on top. Guess Mother Nature read my mind.

Was listening to music last night and Carole King’s song, You’ve Got a Friend, came on and I immediately started listening as if God was the friend she was singing about. This song could be a modern hymn. “When you’re down and troubled and you need some lovin’ care and nothin’, nothin’ is goin’ right, close your eyes and think of me and soon I will be there to brighten up even your darkest night.”

God is always there with us even when times are dark. We call out for him and he answers our prayers, as he thinks best, not on our timetable and not always with the answer we want to hear. But no need to fear the darkness. His grace and faithfulness will be a beacon of hope no matter what storm we’re trying to weather. He will set us straight on course and hold our hands on the journey.

“If the sky above you grows dark and full of clouds and that old north wind begins to blow keep your head together and call my name out loud and soon you’ll hear me knocking at your door.” We prepare for storms, buying extra groceries, being sure we have candles and batteries for our flashlights and radios, securing outdoor property. We prepare for life’s storms by reading scripture and praying, being faithful to God’s teaching. We also need to be secure in our faith so when God knocks on our door we welcome him. “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms,” 1 Peter 4:10-11.

“Now, ain’t it good to know that you’ve got a friend when people can be so cold? They’ll hurt you, yes, and desert you and take your soul if you let them.” We need turbulence in life to teach us to have enough faith to lean on God, to lean on prayer, to lean on the Bible. It’s okay to be angry and confused and have questions about faith during trying times. God doesn’t turn away from us, he listens and comforts us with his grace and faithfulness. He doesn’t want us to walk alone. We need to be believe deeply in our faith, to take the burden and worries off our shoulders, and lay them in God’s hands. He will give us confidence and peace to face the storms and ride them out.

“Winter, spring, summer or fall all you have to do is call and I’ll be there, yes, I will. Now, ain’t it good to know that you’ve got a friend.” God calls us, too, and we need to listen. It’s not always easy to follow God’s call but he needs help spreading the gospel, bringing others into his kingdom. Romans 8:28 reads, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

God calls us to live in a way that our actions and our words help others see God’s love. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” Joshua 24:15. God calls us to love our neighbors and help the misfortunate. God calls us to use the gifts he’s given us to carry out his work. “Ain’t it good to know” God is our friend. We don’t even have to call him, he’s always by our sides. Close your eyes, think of him, he will be there.

“Our high and privileged calling is to do the will of God in the power of God for the glory of God.” — J.I. Packer