So fortunate

"I feel so fortunate." For an hour those words kept running through my mind followed by, "I am safe and protected." I tried to think of something deeper but God kept replaying those words as if they were lyrics to a song He intended for me to commit to memory and know by heart. In those words I could feel the embrace of my Heavenly Father and hear Him whisper to me truths of provision and assurance.
It all started with deer. It always starts with deer, at last for me. Noah had a rainbow, I have deer. They are my reminder that God is watching over me and that He is in complete and total control. Deer are my covenant in the woods, or on this particular day, the middle of the road.
My deer sightings usually occur in singles. One deer will suddenly appear in an unlikely place like the middle of a suburban neighborhood or right in front of me while taking the dogs for a walk. God has used the perfect placement of deer to calm me in the midst of life's fiercest storms. The deer always brings with her a promise that I need not worry, fret or fear because God will not abandon me. He is and will always take care of me.
Today's sighting came in a trio. Three stately, magnificent deer leapt out from the thick woods along the road's berm. They bounded across the street effortlessly one right after the other, each step another display of their majestic beauty.
The encounter with the deer was so brief that by the time I blinked the deer had disappeared down a hill and into the protection of the forest. But they left behind a peace and tranquility that lasted much longer. Hours after the deer sighting I still couldn't stop thinking about my good fortunate to be a cherished, protected and cared for child of God.
I believe God places deer along my path at just the right moment when my heart is yearning for reassurance that He has my whole world in His hands. My Abba Father cares for the deer, protecting them as they cross the road and providing for them as they forage for food. He ensures their safety as they grow from little Bambis into beautiful and mature stag able to leap and jump with vigor and vitality. His eyes are on the deer just like His eyes are on me.
If ever I am to doubt that God is in ultimate control all I need to do is look at the deer. If God is willing and able to care for them, why should I ever wonder if He will care for me? With every deer encounter God is taking me up into His arms, sweetly and serenely calming me with His promises. "You are safe...You are protected..." And in reply I tell Him, "I know... And I feel so truly fortunate."