Friday Foto Friends: "I Will Send Hornets Before You..."

Hello Friends! Today is Friday Foto Friends day, and I'm a little late in getting on here. 

Hornet's Nest...story to follow

 Fridays are busy for me.  We leave early in the morning to go meet my brother-in-law about an hour + drive away to pick up my mother-in-law for the weekend.  She stays with us Friday-Monday, and then we do the same trip again.  My mother-in-law is 93 years old, and has dementia. Some days are good, but most days are not so good nowadays.  Our weekends are very challenging...but we are glad that we are able to help and are thankful that so far we are able to keep her with us at home.  Not sure how much longer that will last with the way the dementia is progressing here lately...so we take it one day at a time and thank the Lord for the strength He gives us to keep going.

Last night "Hurricane Hermine" passed through our state, and we heard it come roaring through around 3:00 a.m., with lots of rain and wind.  We weren't too sure what to expect when we woke up this morning, but thankfully there was NO significant damage around us.  A few trees down here and there, and lots of puddles, but we are far enough inland that we were pretty well protected from this particular storm.  Thank you, Lord!

So, this afternoon, in between the little "feeder-bands" of fast moving rain-showers that kept popping up when you'd least expect it, even when the sun was shining...I grabbed my camera and attempted to take a quick walk around our neighborhood....and just as I got far enough away to be too far to run back, it started raining again...so my walk-about was short lived and wet.

However, as the rain started to fall I was startled to notice this huge Hornet nest hanging from a tree nearby that I've never noticed before, even though I walk past that spot almost every day!

Yikes! I'm sure glad I didn't run right into this thing!!!!!! Here's a close up showing one of its inhabitants:

Amazing!!! Isn't God's creation always awesome? Even though this would be a rude awakening if I accidentally bumped into it...it is still an outstanding work of art, designed by our Master Designer Himself! This got me to wondering if hornets are ever mentioned in the Bible.  In checking the references for hornets I was surprised to discover that there are three scripture references that talk about the hornet!  For your information they are: Exodus 23:28, Deuteronomy 7:20, and Joshua 24:12.  They all are speaking of the same event from different perspectives, and this time the hornet is actually being used as a tool of God to help the children of Israel to go in and possess the Promised Land.  I recommend that you read these chapters to get the whole story, but listen to this narrative from Deuteronomy 7 regarding God's great love for His chosen people: Deuteronomy 7:8   "But because the Lord loves you,  and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers,  the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand,  and redeemed you from the house of bondage,  from the land of Pharaoh king of Egypt... And then read on down to verses 17-20, where they are told the following: "If you should say in your heart,  'These nations are greater than I;  how can I dispossess them?'   You shall not be afraid of them,  but you shall remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt:  the great trials which your eyes saw, the signs and the wonders,  the mighty hand and the outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out.   So shall the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom who are afraid.  Moreover the Lord your God will send the HORNET among them until those  who are left, who hide themselves from you, are destroyed." Wow!!! God actually used the hornet to drive out the Hivite, Canaanites, and the Hittites  as well as several other enemy groups of people from before the children of Israel (see Exodus 23:28, Joshua 23:11-12) so that they could enter in and possess the promised land! Are there times in your life that you wonder if God is aware of your need or your fears?  Do you ever doubt that He could have any possible way to knock down your enemies and open the path before you so that you can move ahead in your life to victory?  I know I've often questioned how God could ever solve my problems and make a way out of what appeared to be no way.  And yet, here today, we see that God can use even a little hornet...a feisty and fierce insect, to drive away whole nations of enemies and "deliver their kings into your hand..." (Deuteronomy 7:24).   Imagine that!!!  If God can do that, and He DID do that, then why should we doubt that He will take care of our needs??? Praise God for His marvelous ways He takes care of His children every day!! Now, fly on over to see what my other friends are sharing today on Friday Foto Friends #43.