Canoeing The Meanders

 One of our favorite places to canoe is the Meanders.  The North Fork of the Payette River, known as the Meanders, is a calm stretch of water that connects the upper Payette Lake with Payette Lake.  God's glory shines from the sky and the crystal clear water while his nature comes to the water's edge to be refresh.  For some reason the animals don't expect humans to be on the water and don't seem to be afraid of us.  The Meanders gives me a view of what David might have seen and felt when he wrote the 23rd Psalm. 

     

                             Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,
       he leads me beside quiet waters,

        he restores my soul.
       He guides me in paths of righteousness
       for his name's sake.

  Even though I walk
       through the valley of the shadow of death, 
       I will fear no evil,
       for you are with me;
       your rod and your staff,
       they comfort me.

  You prepare a table before me
       in the presence of my enemies.
       You anoint my head with oil;
       my cup overflows.

  Surely goodness and love will follow me
       all the days of my life,
       and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
       forever.

A Prayer For Our Christian Brothers In India

We learned of some sad news this morning.   Our Indian Christian brothers and sisters are being persecuted and  being used as a scapegoat by other religious groups for the civil unrest in many regions.   One of the Christian villages, which our church helps through sponsorship.  Their village was burned to the ground and some of the inhabitants were beaten.  Those villagers who escaped are living in the jungle, fearful of their attackers.  In other reports Christian churches were ransacked and burned.

Persecution is not new to Christian believers.  Paul, a devoted follower of Christ gave up a good position as a religious leader to be  ostracized from his family and his friends.   Paul writes of his persecution in this way. He has:

... been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.  Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.  Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,  I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.   I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.  Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.  2 Corinthians 11:23-28

And in Romans 15:30-31 Paul writes these words to other believers:

I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.  Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there...

Fellow believers, let's follow Paul's urging and pray for our Christian bothers and sisters in India asking God to help them in  their struggles and persecutions.