No deer... this time

If today's walk was the only one I ever did in Richmond Park, I would not believe anyone who told me that there are free-roaming, wild deer within its boundaries. I spent more than three and a half hours lugging a camera around the park to get a nice photo, and I didn't see one single deer. Not one. Not even in the distance.

But luckily today was not my only time in Richmond Park. In fact, I have been there many, many times (I want to say hundreds of times...) and there has only been about three occasions on which I saw no deer. I know the deer are there, I just didn't see them today. {I took the above photo there myself on 11/02/2022.}

If it wasn't for my previous experiences of the fullness and riches of Richmond Park, I would have (wrongfully) written the place off as a dud for photography hobbyists; one disappointing experience preventing me from ever going back and seeing more than I could ever have imagined...

Isn't that our attitude towards God sometimes: One disappointing experience among so many blessings dictating our relationship with Him? We so easily forget all his goodness and acts of love when things don't happen as we expect or want. When we pray about something, but God's answer is not to our liking. When we can't see God working in a way that makes sense to us. When we have simply lost our hearts of gratitude.

David writes these words in Psalm 103:

"Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits -"

and then he goes on and lists a whole bunch of things that God has done for him. {I suggest you go and read the rest of that Psalm...}

You see, even David, the great psalm writer who experienced many a good thing out of God's hand (like being saved from his enemies, knowing God's protection, becoming a king, forgiveness for terrible sins, etc.) had to remind himself of God's goodness. He had to be intentional about it, because he (like us) forgot.

But more than that, he didn't experience only good things from God. He often cried out to God in anger, frustration, pain and anguish. Here's one example from Psalm 13:

"How long, LORD? Will you forget me for ever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts

and day after day have sorrow in my heart?

How long will my enemy triumph over me?"

Again I'd suggest reading the rest of that psalm...

The key here is that David continued to believe and trust in God in spite of what seemed like multiple disappointing experiences. He kept coming back to God regardless of his despondency. Possibly because he remembered who the unchanging, everlasting, all-loving God he served was (and still is).

Maybe you have had a disappointing experience in the past. Maybe you've visited a church and it was awkward and very uncomfortable. Maybe you've tried to pray to a God you don't believe in because he was your last hope, and nothing happened. Maybe you feel overwhelmed by the thought that an unchanging, everlasting, all-loving God could allow wars and pandemics.

Here's my encouragement to you: Try again. Try putting your trust in the unchanging, everlasting, all-loving God you've heard others talk about again. Try praying that prayer in the hope that Someone will hear this time. Don't let one (or multiple) disappointing experiences keep you from experiencing the fullness of God himself. All the forgiveness. All the power. All the mercy. All the justice. All the majesty. All the love...

Just try again. Like I will try and get another good photo of deer in Richmond Park again... and possibly say a prayer or twelve I've prayed before while I'm there.