by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Settled in the Palm of God’s Hand

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

This has been one of the windiest springs I can remember since I moved to Colorado Springs in 1999. It’s normally windy this time of year, but not like this.

As I took a stroll in my neighborhood, I came upon this empty box of Oreo Cones resting in a bush. This is a common sight around town right now, not necessarily because people are careless with their trash, but because the wind empties our recycling bins.

So, what’s the story behind this box? How did it get here? This box might have once been laid safely in place for the recycling truck only to have the lid blown off and then sent sailing in a gust of wind. I can see it rolling down the street, lifted now and then into the air, bouncing off of trees until this bush finally put a lock on it.

Then again, it might have been tossed out a car window.

How have you and I gotten to the place where we are today? I’m asking myself that question as I settle into retirement. For nearly forty years, I invested myself in four different Christian communities as a pastor. Now the wind has stopped and I’m settling into my new routine, my new adventure, my new place in life.

“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.'”
Isaiah 43:1 English Standard Version

There is anxiety that comes with the winds of change. However, God hasn’t changed his mind about us. We are his. Our faith in Jesus, the One who died and rose for us, guarantees us that we will remain settled in the palm of God’s hand.

And by the way, as I write this devotion on May 20, it’s snowing. As we like to say around here, springtime in the Rockies! It’s always an adventure.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado