I did not take this picture
There is something quite warm, relaxing, satisfying and comforting to be in a house, under a firm roof, with dry, warm clothing on, sipping hot water while outside a storm is raging, the clouds have you socked-in, and rivers of non-stop rain jet down in torrents. However, we have been, or (have been trying to be), on a motorbike ascending and descending breathtaking mud tangled slopes in just that type of weather, wondering if we will ever reach our destination. The oozing sucking mud, knee-deep ruts, cliff cambered roads, sprinkled with protruding roots, rocks, and gaping chasms, afford no room for slips and driver error. We spend a lot of our time leaping off the motorbike and pushing desperately trying to defy gravity and go up while sliding backwards! Then when emerging onto the highest altitude, we experience cold winds and driving rain! We are soaking wet because no raincoat can keep us dry in all our struggles. There is nothing warm, relaxing, satisfying and comforting about this experience.
On one such a trip we are climbing up a mountain. I am ready to eject off the back any minute so BletJhaw can get the bike up, when suddenly he turns the bike sharply to the left into a large rock and we are pretty much dumped off. I wonder why in the world he did that, when I saw it – a large cobra at our right feet, head raised and hood out, posing for a strike! I have stumbled over snakes before, not really seeing if it is a cobra with the hood until after the danger is passed, but this one is so close, so threatening, reminding me of the devil himself laughing up at us. We are between a rock and a hard place (bank) and really cannot get away. We watched as that serpent slowly slithered defiantly behind us just like he knew that he was the ‘king’ of the jungle!
I never tire of Jesus red-letter words to me personally in Luke 10:19. Read it yourself, slowly, and meditate long and deep over each phrase.
“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
Now this is warm, relaxing, satisfying and comforting! What a God we serve! How I love Him. I thank Him for His protection and pray that He will help me to always faithfully serve Him with my whole heart.