#1. The Dance of the Dragonflies

Every so often, we have an unusual phenomenon here in my area, and it seems that I am the only one who has witnessed it.

My sister and I own land next to each other, surrounded by woods and mountains; 4 acres, collectively, are cleared, and her side yard borders my driveway.

About 7 years ago, no one was at either dwelling.  I was returning home from grocery shopping, when the strangest sight greeted me as I turned into my driveway. There was a black cloud hovering over my sister’s yard about 2 feet off the ground, at least 50 feet wide,  20 feet high into the air, and moving my direction. By the time I parked my car I was surrounded by a countless swarm of Dragonflies!

I had to get the groceries unloaded, and certainly couldn’t stay in the car with the windows rolled up, so I decided to go for it! I eased open the door and started for the house through the cloud. Of course, they were everywhere, and I was engulfed in whirring wings, and black, stick-like bodies. I proceeded slowly and watched them part before me. They flew up to me, then darted away when only inches from my face.

I was most amazed as I made trip after trip from car to house and back again, and not once did any so much as brush against my hair.

Our hometown radio station runs a daily segment called, "Report from Jack the Mountain Man." Jack is an elder, who lives above the city and reports on the mountain weather, and is our expert on local wildlife, and habitat. I called Jack and told him all about the dragonflies, and that I had never seen such a sight before; I wondered aloud if it was a mating ritual or what? He said he really didn’t know, because in all his experience, he had never seen such a sight either!

This summer, I looked out my kitchen window and there they were again, swarming over my back yard! By the time I got outside, they had flown over the trees and away. I don’t know if I had only seen the tail-end of the swarm or if it had thinned out considerably through the years. Once again, none of the family was home, and I was the only one to see the "dance."  I have been blessed twice with that privilege!

Of course, when I observe nature, it always serves as a reminder of the Creator of nature. Then God starts talking to me, since He has my attention, and gives me object lessons from the Bible. If you study and know the Word, then God has something to work with, when He wants to correlate real life with a spiritual truth.

The "dance" reminded me of how the Bible speaks of the "powers, principalities and rulers of darkness" (Eph. 6:12) in this world. Of course, that verse refers to the unseen forces of evil that surround us in the spiritual atmosphere. We know we are encompassed by God’s angels and demons which are both unseen but can certainly be felt. No one has to make a case for good and evil…we know both exist. As Christians, we have protection through the Holy Spirit of God living within us. He enters us when we (sincerely) ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins and come into our hearts and lives. This is called the Salvation experience. When we walk through this life, the unseen world recognizes the presence of Christ within and upon us. The evil powers have to part as we walk where the Lord sends us. In Daniel 3, we read that the devil, through King Nebuchadnezzar, had the 3 young Hebrew men thrown into the fiery furnace for not bowing down to worship his image. Suddenly, the king saw 4 men walking around in the fire and said the 4th man looked like the Son of God. When the 3 men came out alive, not only were they unhurt and unbound, but there was no smell of smoke upon them. As they walked through the fire, the flames parted, just as the dragonflies had done for me!

#2. Pressing into the Vine

There is an apple tree at the corner of my house a few feet from my kitchen window. The deer come to feast various times day and night. One afternoon this summer, 4 were happily munching under the tree, when a car passed by. Of course, they all bolted and headed for the woods. Three ran to the back of the field, just short of the woods, and feeling safe, stopped to graze. All of them had to pass my grape arbor enroot, but one stopped to eat some grapes! I watched as he pressed himself into the vine so deep, that all I could see was his white tail. He was hungry! Once again I could hear that still, small voice whisper into my heart-ear. "His hunger outweighs his fear." Praise God! Another sermon in a sentence!

My mind then went to the Gospel of John, the 15th chapter, where Jesus is talking about a vineyard. He said He is the Vine. To watch that little deer press into the vine, was such an object lesson to me.

There are times when God’s people are called upon to do things they are afraid to do, such as Gideon in Judges 6. He was a fearful guy and even after the Angel of the Lord (Jesus in the O.T.) appeared to him and told him the plan God had for him, Gideon required a few signs that went against nature, as proof. He turned out to be the "mighty man of valor" that God said he was, because Gideon’s hunger outweighed his fear. He fought and won against the Midianites and became the 5th Judge of Israel, ruling for 40 years! It is an amazing story of what God can do through anyone who is hungry for HIM!

God Bless You All,

Pastor Moser
September, 2008

W. O. W.

Our hunger to serve God will outweigh our fear of failure.