None of us like negative circumstances. We want the smooth, easy path, the details that fall into place, the logical advancement of achievements that don’t skip a beat. So when we experience a problem, we often feel cheated, targeted, or betrayed. We don’t look to see what benefit we will experience. We don’t expect it.

Something different greeted us when we returned from vacation. It was an annoying noise. Our home has always had a “back 40” where things are a little wild. That treed part of our yard has hosted over 40 armadillos (that I could verify at their funerals), many sets of raccoons and opossums, and WAY too many snakes. But when we returned home, we heard the screech of a hawk. Then we heard another nearby. There are times when it feels like we have the “hawk chorale” in our backyard. They’re huge birds, colorfully plumed, and one glance through the binoculars at their talons will give you pause.

I love wildlife and stalking things for photos is a hobby of mine. But the noise punctuates every morning and evening, and most mid-days, as well. They sweep just beneath the canopy, screeching at each other and some distance voices that sound very familiar. This morning, I realized just how happy I was to live with them. I have seen as many as 4 in our trees at one time. Today, two of them were screeching so loudly, that I could hear it in my office. When I went to the back porch, they swooped down as if fighting, and then I saw why. One of the hawks carried a snake in its talons. The other was trying to steal the meal. That screech has become deliverance in disguise.

Neither I nor our neighbor has had a single snake adventure this summer. (And that’s a new and welcomed change!) What could have been annoying (either because of the sound or the white trail that they left behind on my new black roof) has now become deliverance. It made me think of Paul: “In ALL things, God is at work for good. . .”

You may be facing frustrating circumstances, and may not understand the why’s of your current situation. I get that. But will you look hopefully for the deliverance in your screeching circumstances? Will you look for God’s mercy, provision, or peace even when you don’t understand?