Where Did You Find God Today?

Palindromes are words or phrases that read the same way forward or backward. Examples are pop, mom, radar, and murdrum ( which is a devious, secretive murder).

Speaking of devious, secretive murders…in my newest mystery, which releases this Friday, palindromes are clues to a new crime wave in my fictitious small town of Scrub Oak, Tx. Here is a snippet…

“Do you know what’s the world’s longest palindrome?” Her friend’s eyes twinkled with mischief.

“No. Tell me.” Wanda’s interest perked. She loved words and word puzzles. Perhaps she should have been a teacher as well. Or a detective. After all, in the past year, she had helped solve several murders and burglaries in Scrub Oak, Texas, their small town forty-five minutes south of Fort Worth. 

“It’s saippuakivikauppias.” Betty Sue peered over her reading glasses with a smug professor expression.

“What?” Wanda scrunched her nose. “Spell it.”

Betty Sue took her pen and wrote the word out on her score pad. It was so long she had to wrap it around the corner and down the side.

“Is that real word?” Wanda tried to mouth it out.

“Yes. It is for a person who deals in lye.”

“As in falsehoods?”

“No, Wanda. L-y-e. Like tanning hides. It is Finnish, as in from Finland, not as in completing something.”

Wanda swatted at her hand. “Betty Sue Simpson, I’ll tan your hide. It’s not even English.”

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Enough of the blatant commercial… but having lived with palindromes over the past year while writing and reviewing my publisher’s edits on this book, I have realized how many times I can misread things. Or see things backward.

When I see my predicament from my perspective, limited by the “now”, I can become introspective and depressed. But viewing it from God’s perspective, which encompasses both the now and tomorrow, would be totally different. Romans 8:28 tells us And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (ESV).

Hindsight views of my life prove this out. Hindsight doesn’t require faith, though. Foresight does. So I have a choice in how I view whatever is happening. I can choose to see it for what I think it is, colored by my emotions, or I can draw on my faith and envision it according to God’s promise in His Word as proven out through past actions. Jesus gave us two choices in Matthew 6:25-33 – be anxious or seek Him. Worry due to our limited understanding or trust based on the evidence of God’s caring love for His own.

My main character in the Wordplay Mysteries, Wanda, relies on retrospective clues to solve crimes. I rely on retrospective proof that God is there and He cares to live my life. He has acted in the past and will act again. Even if I cannot see it spelled out right now, I can trust it to be so. Such is the mystery of His Word.

Contemporary Christian artists CAIN agree with me as stated in their song, “YES HE CAN.” The fact that my local station began playing this a lot while I’ve been going through a rough patch has not escaped my attention. Another small way God gives me a hug of encouragement.

Hearing it brings me boosts my faith. I pray it does for you as well.