Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. (Ps. 77:19)
Expanded Passage: Psalm 77:13-20
The prayers of elderly saints are sometimes predictable. They have expressed the same ideas so many times that one can almost anticipate what is coming next. One such person was “Pop” Youngs, a ninety-two-year-old member of my childhood congregation. He had one sentence that surfaced in almost every prayer he offered. “Lord, we thank you for delivering us from dangers—seen and unseen.”
Most of us can recount situations where our great God has delivered us in what seems like a miraculous way from a danger that has threatened us. We love to recount these incidents to acknowledge the mighty arm of the Almighty. But how many unseen dangers have we escaped and will never know about until we step into glory? Only then may we learn of the accidents we almost had, the last-minute postponements that would have changed the course of our lives, the times his angels were there to protect us from Satan’s attacks. Yes, there are those dramatic moments when we are aware of God’s thunderous presence in quakes and storms. But there are so many places where he has led us in the paths of righteousness, even though we never noticed his footprints. In those situations, his promise, “Surely, I am with you always” (Matt. 28:20), has kept us safe from dangers—seen and unseen.
Thank God for the miracles you will learn about only in heaven.
Clarence (Bud) Bence is a retired Wesleyan pastor and college professor, and lives with his wife, Carol, in Marion, Indiana.
© 2024 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
