A touch of rain tonight. I could hear it lash against the window as a particular series of gusts passed by. Water swelling across the road as the gutters fill, drops crashing outside the back window, and not one person to be seen walking the dog. I bet there are several dogs wanting out nevertheless.
Just another winter storm, two have passed, this is the third, and yet the Daffodils will be blossoming in the morning. The moving jet stream has aimed these storms at us, it is to be regretted they are not aimed at the Eastern Ukraine, maybe that would dampen Putins desire.
The problem with sabre rattling is that things go wrong very quickly and usually not under anyones control. Putin has weakened the UK by paying for Boris and his Conservatives, and encouraging Brexit. With Boris in charge and Liz Truss as Foreign Secretary it is no wonder he dismisses the UK with contempt. The divided thinking within the EU has much to do with Russian interference also. No wonder he expects to walk into Ukraine and vanish one invented enemy. The problem is the Ukrainians do not give up easily. Afghanistan has shown how to fight a guerilla war and many Ukrainians I suspect will participate if needed. This could be bloody, this could escalate, we could end up with WW3 on hand.
There, that has made the storms appear insignificant.
Habakkuk the prophet, had problems with Jerusalem. The king was corrupt, the courts took bribes, murder, robbery, sin was abundant, and God was forgotten. Habakkuk was a prophet who took this to God rather than reproaching the people, maybe he had and they did not listen. He made clear the mess the land was in and the Lord replied. He indicated he would bring the Babylonians to Jerusalem and end all this. Indeed he did, but it took a while, Jeremiah began his years of prophesying at this time, God moves at his own speed, not ours. Habakkuk wondered about the Babylonians, a great powerful people who did not hold back when it came to destroying their enemies. He feared for the future, how did he respond?
Though the fig-tree does not blossom
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the sheepfold
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Saviour.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights.
Habakkuk 3:17-19.
4 Jesus answered: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, “I am the Messiah,” and will deceive many. 6 You
will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not
alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth-pains.
Matthew 24:4-8.
War has been with us since Cain and Abel, it will be with us to the end. The Good News is that Jesus is with us also, at all times. He never changes, he is the same, yesterday, today and for ever.
Sleep peacefully.
