"Storm"

The weather turned off cold again,

Blue norther blowin’ in,

Got the cattle all stirred up,

Knew we must gather then.

Not cold enough to snow just yet,

But very heavy frost,

Wind was blowin’ somethin’ fierce,

We feared some cattle lost.

Go after them we knew we must,

Else they might get away,

And if it got much colder,

And we let ‘em stray,

Things could get real deadly,

With a forecast heavy snow,

They needed those old wind breaks,

When it begins to blow.

Got the horses on the trailer,

And glad I layered up,

Looked a lot like Eskimos,

When we cranked up the truck.

And yonder cross the sections,

We parked and led ‘em off,

And then it’s time to cowboy,

And not for someone soft.

And I will tell you something,

That I hate to admit,

In spit of all my layers,

That cold said I should quit.

I couldn’t feel my fingers,

I couldn’t feel my feet,

Ice stuck in my mustache,

As it began to sleet.

But in spite of wind we got ‘em,

And gathered all we could,

Brought ‘em where the feed was,

Did all that we should.

And when we got unsaddled,

And the sun began to set,

After we had our beef and beans,

And I got warm, you bet,

I thought of a long time ago,

Of a winter I survived,

Cold and lost and almost gone,

Not sure I’d stay alive.

The wolves were nippin’ at my heels,

And soon I would go down,

But God rode through to help me,

And lead to safer ground.

Because the Good Lord promised,

That He would come for me,

Even when the wind’s so strong,

And snow blinds what you see.

There to offer shelter,

And comfort, care and feed,

Neve think of giving up,

And meeting every need.

I sat there in my rocking chair,

In front of that old fire,

My heart grew full of thankfulness,

And praise my one desire.

O Lord, You are the cowboy,

Who rides through every storm,

Relentless love pursues us,

Your fire will keep us warm.

“…We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found. So the party began.” (Luke 15:23-24, NLT)

The greatest and most memorable story Jesus told was about a boy who went astray. But when he came to his senses and returned home, his father welcomed him with open arms and threw a party to celebrate. The story illustrates God’s joy when we come home to Him. There were two other stories as well, about a shepherd searching for one lost sheep and a woman searching and finding one lost coin. All three have the same theme. It is God’s character to go after and welcome those who need His help. It’s the story of grace, and it never gets old. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind, but now I see…”

Lord, help receive and share the Good News of Your grace, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Kirstie Lambert, used by permission. Thanks, Kirstie, and God bless you.