Floodgates of Heaven

We had such a storm in these parts last night! It was the longest most spectacular lightening storm I have ever seen. Put to shame the best display of fireworks! Then, as the saying goes, God opened the floodgates of heaven. It poured so hard, that it made me think of how powerful God is AND how awesome His creation of the water cycle.

Have you ever really contemplated how awesome water is? It can be used to soothe or destroy. It can exist in multiple states (solid, liquid, or gas) and it can be used to cool or to heat. How many other things do you know of that are so valuable and so diverse in attributes? Most importantly, water sustains our lives since we are made up of more than 60% water!

As I considered all of this, I prayed for my husband's safe travels as he made his 41/2 hour drive back to work in that storm! It made me fondly remember a recent trip we made and the wonderful time we had at the Tahquamenon Falls. Images like this one make me appreciate God's creation. If not for the wonderful cycle of water that He created, we would never behold such a beautiful site.

Stairway to Heaven

This image immediately brought to mind stairway to heaven. Though I am certain that most people have heard this idiom used (Googling yielded over 15 million results), I would guess many do not know where it truly originated.

In the book of Genesis, while on a journey to find a wife, Jacob had a dream about a stairway that reached to heaven. In his dream, the Lord told Jacob that the land on which he slept would belong to him and his descendants. How awesome a dream to have! 

But not everyone has such vivid dreams. And that doesn't matter because God's word is filled with promises that God makes to people.

Read the bible and you will find a wealth of promises like blessings for wisdom or protection.

What's the catch? God wants us to believe in Him and truly seek Him out. He is all powerful. He wants to spend eternity with us. As the apostle John wrote "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life".

God made the ultimate promise with the ultimate sacrifice, His only Son, Jesus. Personally, I can imagine how hard it is to lose a son. BUT God didn't just lose His Son, He gave His Son so that people could live. AND, His Son complied with His wishes because He wants people to be in heaven for eternity as well.

Wow, I don't know about you, but, just like the hike that brought me to this place, this image helps me to stay focused on the hope for salvation that I have through our Lord Jesus. I hope it does the same for you.