Will you Trust God with your Future? Part II

I would love to say that once I surrendered my fears about my future to God I was at peace, but I would be lying. I intended to return to work during the pandemic. Still, I wanted more reassurance. Judge it as a lack of faith if you must, but I asked God to give me a promise from His Word to stand on. He gave me something better! He actually illustrated His promise with an incredible experience that I will never forget.

Shortly after my quiet time, I stepped outside into a beautiful sunny day. I turned on the hose and water gushed into my flower pots, but I heard a strange noise. It sounded like fluttering wings. There in the midst of a bush was a brown sparrow hanging upside down with what appeared to be only one leg grasping the branch! The fluttering was the bird’s attempt to escape from its life threatening dilemma. I started to walk away, but something called mercy tugged at my heart and made me do a u-turn. I knew I had to save this bird!

The urgency of the situation compelled me to call my daughter Beth, a veterinary technician. She told me to immediately turn the bird to an upright position or it may not survive. I knew that was way out of my comfort zone, even with gloves on! I also knew it HAD to be done, so I went searching for help. The neighborhood was silent except for the noises from another street where our town public works team was cleaning up after a recent storm. Would they help? After pleading my case to the hardworking men, I was met with smiles and an apology that they were just too busy to save a little bird on a nearby street. Disappointed, I reluctantly returned home unsure if the sparrow would still be alive.

Pulling into the driveway, I looked into my rear view mirror and noticed a public works truck parking behind me. Yes! My desperate plea had tugged at the heartstrings of Corey, a father of two small children with one on the way. We hurried to the backyard; I heard the bird flutter and my heart rejoiced! Corey looked closely and determined that the sparrow’s legs were tied together with string and straddling a branch; he was unsure if anything was broken. He cut the branch, and we placed the bird gently in a cardboard box. I quickly thanked Corey, set the box securely on my passenger seat, and rushed to the veterinary hospital.  

When I arrived with the box, Beth was waiting outside because during the pandemic only the patients at the animal hospital are allowed entry. Driving home, my heart pounded. Would the bird live? After all our efforts, I wondered and waited. I didn’t have to wait long! Beth called me to tell me the bird was freed from the string, seemed healthy, and was ready to be released! She drove home and handed me the box. “Mom, it might not be able to fly,” she warned. I slowly pulled back the cardboard, and the fragile sparrow fluttered its wings and flew into a tree! We cheered! The bird was alive!

Tears rolled down my cheeks. If I didn’t water my flowers that morning, I may have never seen the bird!  I recalled a Bible scripture I heard about “the snare of a fowler.” Where was that verse in the Bible? I did a quick Google search. I was astounded! Psalm 91:3 read “Surely He shall deliver you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.” Blinking in amazement, I reread the Scripture in another translation of the Bible.  In the New Living Translation it read, “For He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.” It suddenly dawned on me that God was reassuring me. He gave me a promise to stand on when I returned to work.

God heard my prayer! Gratitude and faith filled my heart immediately. God is so faithful, even when we are not. He went out of His way to rescue me from the snare of fear and assure me that He is still in control during a pandemic. Even when our world seems upside down, God sees us struggling and hears our cries. He came to set us free and watch us soar.  His promises abound in Psalm 91!  Will you read it now, stand on His Word, and trust God with your future?