A Messenger of Peace

 

   One morning last month I woke up with a black cloud hanging over my head, in spite of the fact that the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day.  Nothing in particular was causing me to feel depressed. The feeling was just there and it was disturbing. After spending some time reading the Bible and praying, I decided to play some praise songs on the keyboard. A single copy of music was sticking up out of the file box, so I randomly picked that one.

   When I used to play the Old Maid card game as a child, a good strategy was to put the card with the old maid higher than the other ones in my hand so that the person who was either on my right or left would pick it. That strategy usually worked especially with younger kids who were always disappointed upon seeing the picture of the ‘old maid.’ And it worked this time with me; however I wasn’t disappointed!

   The song turned out to be a familiar one, “As the Deer,” taken from Psalm 42.  It was beautiful and comforting. I played it several times just letting the words sink in…“As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after thee. You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship thee.”

   In the middle of playing, Al called me to come into the living room quickly. He pointed out the big picture window with one hand, motioning me to be quiet with the other. A young buck was nonchalantly munching on the leaves of a shrub not twenty feet from the house.

   A deer eating in our front yard, close to the house during broad daylight? It was very unusual. Most of our deer sightings happen at dusk or in the middle of the night when their eyes gleam in the beam of the flashlight as we go outside to see why the dogs are barking.

   As Al and I watched spellbound, he moved from shrub to shrub and then lay down on the edge of the sidewalk to take a nap! Even though it was mid-morning, the buck was relaxed and unafraid.

    I went back to the bedroom to continue my ‘quiet’ time, amazed at the unusual visitor and convinced that he was a messenger from the Lord to let me know that I was loved, to dispel the black cloud and to enable me to have peace once again.

    Remarkably, the same thing happened the next morning; however on the second day the deer was even more bold, stepping up on the retaining wall separating the sidewalk and shrubs from the small patch of front lawn in front of the house. He came over to the house, ‘pruned’ the roses and then laid down on the lawn for his nap! We were amazed, having never seen anything like it during the 26 years we have lived in Springville.

     The buck hasn’t returned since those two mornings. But the timing of his appearance was perfect! My depression quickly left and peace and joy returned. God is so good!

      If you are experiencing depression during this holiday season, please know that God loves you and that He is with you. Regardless of the feeling of being alone or that He is far off, believe Jesus’ promise in Revelation 3:20:  “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and sup with him and he with me.”  When you open the door of your heart to Jesus, He promises to come in!      

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Ps. 42:11 NIV