In the wee hours of Friday morning, somewhere around
2 a.m., I was out putting wood in the fire. It was
cold and it was snowing, and it was mostly silent, but
one brave little peeper was peepering. The calendar
(my Missouri Conservation calendar) says that mid-March
is the time that peeper calling is at its peak. That
means there must be some building up to the peak time,
and the peepers have just not had much build up time
this year. But, I guess, that little fella is going
by what is real and not by his miniscule feelings. It
is time to peep and he is going to peep no matter what
circumstances are surrounding him.

Often, and often again, we need to respond to God in the
same way the little peeper is responding to the onset of
spring. We may not feel so blessed...yet God is faithful
to His own.

Jonathan Edward's daughter, Ester, lost her husband Aaron
Burr and in just a short time her infant son, Aaron Jr.
was deathly ill. She wrote to her father to tell him that
even in the midst of her grief God was sustaining her, and
his response showed her the way to deeper trust.

"Indeed, he is a faithful God; he will remember his covenant
forever; and never will fail them that trust in him. But
don't be surprised, or think some strange thing has happened
to you, if after this light, clouds of darkness should return.
Perpetual sunshine is not usual in this world, even to God's
true saints. But I hope, if God should hide his face in some
respect, even this will be a faithfulness to you, to purify
you, and fit you for further and better light." (Letter
written November 20, 1757)

My friend keeps peeping because he knows it is time to
peep. Even so we trust because we know it is time to trust.