The Eyes of the Lord-A Meditation

The Eyes of the Lord

He does not take His eyes off the righteous.
Job 36:7

Last night I had trouble falling asleep. I had a lot on my mind. I had just finished prayer and fellowship time with my online prayer group and there were a lot of concerns and needs expressed during this time. Other personal issues also “cluttered” my mind and made falling asleep difficult. As I laid in bed, I began to thank God for all His blessings in my life. One thought lead to another. I began to feel more peaceful and God’s presence surrounding me.

As I counted my blessings (instead of sheep!) my thoughts turned to this summer and the disappearance and reappearance of my Eastern Box turtle Lucky. I learned a lot of lessons from the situation….and my faith in the Lord increased as a result.

I still to this day do not know how Lucky managed to get out of our fenced in backyard…and I probably never will…at least not this side of heaven! I have some theories but they don’t entirely add up. But whether I can figure it out or not….the fact remains that she did escape! I do not know where she was for almost two months….it was one day shy of being two months when a neighbor around the corner from where I live called and left a message on our answering machine that she had found my turtle!

As I recounted that experience last night, my anxieties began to subside and peace filled my heart and mind. There are so many ways that the Lord was in that situation that I couldn’t help but have tranquility replace my anxiety.

Lucky came into our lives also as a mystery….she was found by my mother in law in her backyard….also fenced in…one summer day AFTER she had finished mowing! How Lucky got there is a mystery and how my mother in law did not run over her with the lawn mower can only be attributed to the Lord’s protection! I was surprised to see this beautiful turtle in my mother in law’s backyard and how she was perfectly fine and was kept from harm and danger….this also in spite of my mother in law living on a very busy street! Little did I know that was just the beginning of a lot of miracles and blessings with that little gal!

Then, just as mysteriously as she came into our lives….she disappeared…again, as I said from a fenced in yard. After searching for her for about nine hours straight the day/night she disappeared, I placed her in the Lord’s care. My caring and loving online prayer group prayed continually for her safety….wherever she was….and for my peace. I found peace in the situation…but never gave up hope of her returning to us. I never got rid of her food or got rid of her food dish in the aquarium she shares with our Russian Tortoise Noah. Even my dog, Angel Joy, did not give up hope of finding her…as she continued to search for her each time she went outside. I knew that God was in control of the situation and that His will would prevail no matter what it may be.

As I continued to think about Lucky’s disappearance and being found, I saw so many ways that God had protected her and watched over her and returned her to our loving hands! I was totally in awe. Lucky disappeared in the summer during the height of the lawn mowing season. Shortly after her return to us, I heard a lawn mower at the house where she was found. My stomach did flip flops thinking that I had heard that same sound several times while she was missing….and the sound of other lawn mowers in the neighboring yards. She easily could have been run over by a lawn mower and killed when any of the neighbors were mowing their yards and not realizing she was there!

I thought about how everything had to be in perfect harmony for her to be found when and where she was…a plan that only God could have possibly orchestrated! Lucky had to have been in an open area, easily visible, when my neighbor took her dog out before going to work. Had Lucky not be guided by God to be where she was when she was, she would have remained lost. Ironically, we walked right past the place she was found, but on the other side of the street, just prior to when she WAS found and we did not see her! When Lucky first disappeared, I had a very strong urge to make sure that this family knew she was missing and to please keep an eye open for her! My leading from the Lord was correct and this was the family that found her! The neighbor who found her had to have taken her dog out at just the right time, prior to leaving for work….and she had to have taken her dog to just the right spot to find her! All in day’s work for the Lord but so hard for humans to comprehend how all of this could have been perfectly timed!

As I further thought about Lucky’s disappearance and being found, I thought about how God had cared for her for two months outdoors. He provided her with things to eat and kept her safe and sound. Aside from a little mud on her when we got her back, she was none the worse for wear!! She was kept from predatory animals. She was kept safe from lawn mowers and other harm and danger. I continue to be in awe of all of this.

Then I began to think about the area where she was found. She was found in the yard of a house that was for sale. Not more than a couple of weeks after she was found, the new owners began doing major exterior renovation on the house…new roofing and removing several big pine trees. Of course all of this required big heavy trucks and equipment…and I still shudder to think if Lucky was still in that yard what would have happened!! But God kept her safe and the renovations did not begin until after she was found and off the property.

I also thought about how God had brought her back to us before winter and before she would have to try and survive a harsh northeast Ohio winter out in the cold and snow.

All of these thoughts really made me feel blessed…not only for the safe return of my turtle, but how, if God cares so much for a little Eastern Box turtle, how much more He cares for me…and for each one of us….and how He will never leave us nor forsake us. Suddenly, my anxiety subsided. I felt so warm and blessed and free from worries.

I realized that God has cared for me all of my life. He has seen me through some very difficult and trying times…..and I know He will continue to see me through whatever the future holds. It may not be easy….I am sure that there were some tough days for Lucky when she was outside…but He cared for her and brought her safely home to us….and He will see me through whatever the future holds. This was just one example of the many times that God has seen me through challenges in my life!

He does not take His eyes off the righteous. [Job 36:7]. His eye is on the sparrow….and the turtle…and His eye is on me. I need not fear what the future holds. I know God’s ever loving and ever caring eye will always be on me.

PRAYER: Lord and caring Father thank You for Your protection of all creatures great and small…of protecting my beloved Lucky…..and for Your protection of all of us. I know that You do not ever take Your eyes off of us. Thank You. Amen