Tag Archives: Dinosaur Valley State Park

God Knows Our Need

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icy road

Our Trip Begins

The end of January, Pilot, our dog Daisy, and I took our RV to Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose, Texas to celebrate Pilot’s birthday. Although we knew it would be cold, we didn’t know how cold, nor how dangerous the weather would turn. However, the God who knows our need, did.

Before leaving on our trip, I searched my bookshelves for a devotional book to take with me. The book I chose was The Words and Mind of Jesus, by the Rev. J.R. Macduff, D.D. (23 May 1818 – 30 April 1895), published in 1858.

Although the language is formal and archaic, I found the truths inside this book no less relevant as a winter storm of ice and sleet descended upon us as we camped. In this post, I include Rev. Macduff’s thoughts from his Second Evening devotion that I read during our trip.

Your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. This may be taken as a motto for the child of God. It should lull all misgivings, silence all murmurings, lead to unquestioning submissiveness. The Words and Mind of Jesus–J.R. Macduff      

The Weather Starts to Change

At 6:00 P.M. on Saturday the outside temperature was 62 degrees. By noon Sunday it was 40 degrees. At 6:00 A.M. Monday the temperature was 30 degrees.

Although the campground was full of campers when we arrived Saturday, at this point, only two other RVs remained besides us and the campground hosts. Undeterred, we stuffed blankets and towels around any space we believed cold air could enter, and continued our hikes of the area tracking down dinosaur tracks. 

We are poor judges of what is best. If we are tempted in a moment of rash presumption to say, “all these things are against me”, let this word rebuke the hasty and unworthy premise. Unerring wisdom and Fatherly love have pronounced ALL to be needful. The Words and Mind of Jesus– J.R. Macduff      

Decision Made

Our original plans were to leave on Wednesday. However, when we woke to 28 degrees and sleet Tuesday morning, our plans changed.

Since Sunday we kept an eye on the weather, noting the winter storm warnings. We read the updates and weighed our options as areas around us became impacted.

When we knew it was either get out now, or be iced in until Friday morning at the earliest, we packed up and headed out. Since our route home was southeasterly, we reasoned things would only get better.

He crossed your worldly schemes and marred your cherished hopes. There was a lurking thorn in the coveted path. There was some higher spiritual blessing in reversion. He prevented you with the blessings of his goodness. The Words and Mind of Jesus–J.R. Macduff   

 Your Turn

The beginning of our drive home was icy and threatening, but the God who knows our need went ahead of us. He cleared a pocket along our route home that escaped the worst of the storm that hit all around us.

The drive home took 2-3 hours longer than usual, but the closer we got to home, the clearer the roads, and better the weather.

God knew what Pilot and I had need of, and God knows your need as well. Although it may appear on the surface as if our plans are a shambles, God knows our need. He knows we have need of THIS.

Is something disturbing your peace? Providences dark, crosses heavy? Write on each one, “Your Father knows you have need of it.” God knows we have need of THIS as well as ALL these things. The Words and Mind of Jesus– J.R.Macduff    

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So don’t worry at all about having enough food and clothing. Why be like the heathen? For they take pride in all these things and are deeply concerned about them. But your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well that you need them, and he will give them to you if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to. Matthew 6:31-33 (TLB)

 

I wish you well.

Sandy

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You can find a previous article I wrote about Dinosaur Valley State Park here.

What the Drought Revealed

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dinosaur track Did you hear the recent news about what the drought revealed here in Texas? More dinosaur footprints at the Dinosaur Valley State Park. These new tracks are from around 113 million years ago.

When Pilot and I visited the Dinosaur Valley State Park years ago, we were able to see the prints on the dry areas of the Paluxy River as well as beneath the water. Very cool.

Those things, as you can image, are huge. You can see how small my feet are in comparison in the photo above.

Due to the excessive drought conditions we’ve had this summer, the river dried up completely in most locations.  This allowed more tracks to be uncovered.

Under normal river conditions, these newer tracks would still be underwater, filled in with sediment, and buried.

Some of the tracks at the park are from adult dinosaurs that stood about 15 feet tall and weighed close to seven tons. Others are from adults which stood about 60 feet tall and weighed about 44 tons.

Since this recent discovery, Texas has fortunately received much needed rain.

Unfortunately, that rain is expected to cover the tracks and fill them with sediment again. Which really is a good thing, because it helps protect the tracks from weathering and erosion.

So is there a spiritual aspect to all this? I think there is.

In our lives, we often have tracks hidden beneath the surface, don’t we?

Things which over the years have filled with sediment. Things which aren’t visible, but are there nonetheless.

Sometimes we don’t think about the deep footprints of past pain until there is a personal drought in our lives.

Our drought can remove everything that kept the tracks covered. Our drought can manifest itself in any number of ways. Physical. Mental. Spiritual. Financial. Emotional. Relational.

A lot of times, the tracks are painful to remember. Maybe they are reminders of things we wish never happened in the first place. Things we wished we’d done differently. Or things we wish had a different outcome.

Perhaps these tracks feel as if they were made my a 44 ton dinosaur that smashed our dreams, our hopes, our future. Leaving behind nothing but huge holes as evidence of where it passed by.

Those dinosaur tracks along the Paluxy River in north Texas will once again fill with sediment. They will be removed from sight, but not from existence.

For those of us who put our hope and trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we can have confidence that when we hand our hidden dinosaur tracks over to the one who can heal all our buried hurts and brokenness, he won’t just cover them up with sediment, he’ll remove them through the power of his love.

And that’s a good thing, isn’t it?

Do you have any dinosaur tracks a drought has revealed which you need to bring to Jesus?

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I look to the mountains; where will my help come from? My help will come from the Lord,who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2 GNT

You can find my August Inspire a Fire post here. Please stop by and read it.

I wish you well.

Sandy

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