Devotion in Motion: When Bad Things Happen – Part 2

The LORD is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works.  Psalm 145:17 (NKJV)

“The Foundation From Which We Work”

By Bro. John L. Cash, “Country Preacher Dad”

In every situation, it’s important to know who you’re dealing with. When I was about 5-years-old, I spent a week with my aunt and uncle while my mother was in the hospital.  As I was sitting in my uncle’s lap (an uncle that I adored), he suddenly noticed that my fingernails needed trimming and offered to cut them. I readily agreed—until he revealed that he did not have any fingernail clippers, and that he would be completing the task with his faithful pocketknife! When he saw my reluctance, he was clearly disappointed at my lack of trust.

My uncle told me that when his daughter was a little girl, she always let him cut her fingernails with his pocketknife. I asked him if the pocketknife made her nails rough and jagged. He said, “Oh, no. Perfectly smooth. I always keep my little knife very sharp.” Then I asked him if his daughter was ever afraid that he would cut her. I will never forget his answer: “Oh, no. She knew I would never cut her. I am her father.”

At that point, I told my uncle that he could pare my fingernails with his knife. He completed the task quickly, smoothly, comfortably, and perfectly. I was amazed at how perfectly smooth my fingernails looked and what a nice “manicure” he had given me.  My uncle’s knife was keenly sharp, and he was wonderfully skilled. I would never entrust myself to the skills of a stranger, but I realized that there’s no reason to fear when you are in the good hands of someone who loves you.

If such is the trust we can have in an earthly father, how much more can we rely on our Heavenly Father? He would never slip and cut us; He is our Father. And, His finished work in our lives will be glorious. Today’s Scripture lesson (at the top) says that God is righteous in “ALL His ways” and gracious in “ALL his works.” He is too loving to ever be cruel, and too wise to ever make a mistake. In spite of our circumstances, we must always believe this—based on what He has told us in the Word and also from what we know in our hearts.

Today is Valentine’s Day, the holiday when we remember love. It’s a fitting day to remember our Heavenly Father because St. John said that “God is love.” Dear mamas, start today to entrust your circumstances and the lives of your babies into the hands of the One who will never fail you; He is your Father.

Dr. John L. Cash is the “Country Preacher Dad” (Sing that to the title to the tune of “Secret Agent Man) He was raised in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and is in the middle of his 25th year of being a country preacher in the piney woods five miles south of the little town of Hickory, Mississippi.  He and his lovely wife, Susan, and his sons, Spencer (age 18) and Seth (age 15) live in the parsonage next door to the Antioch Christian Church (where the piano player, Miss Cheryl, once told the Preacher that she trusted HER father to cut her fingernails with his pocketknife when she was a little girl.) He would love to hear from you in an email sent to extramailbox@juno.com.