Blessings in Hunts

In my five years of patrolling the woods and waters protecting Tennessee’s natural resources, I have never taken for granted the special job that God has tasked me with. On a weekly basis I am blessed by this job. However, the greatest blessings for me are hunting and fishing events. For the last several years I have been fortunate to be involved with the White County Limbstrutters Wheelin’ Sportsmen Turkey Hunt. The hunt is designed to take a variety of people who may have some sort of disability that would cause them to not have the same every-day opportunities to get out and hunt on their own to the woods. Our participants include many war veterans, wounded warriors, and those confined to a wheel chair.

On this year’s hunt we took 9 hunters on an eastern wild turkey hunt on several local landowners’ farms that were generous enough to accommodate these hunters and guides.  The night before the hunt, we all gathered for a wild game supper to fellowship with each other, swap hunting stories, introduce the hunters to their guides, and build up the excitement for the next morning’s hunt. On April 6, 2013 these hunters headed for the woods in hopes of harvesting a turkey. At the end of the day a total of 2 long beards had been killed. For some reason I always seem to judge the success of the event on the number of birds harvested, but I am always quickly reminded that the harvest is not what the hunt is all about. The hunters are always so appreciative of the opportunity to be in the woods, watching the sunrise and listening to the birds gobble. The success is found in the chase. The success is found in the opportunity. The success is found in realizing a day in the woods should never be taken for granted. Spend a morning in a ground blind with one of these guys or girls and you will become a believer. 

A game warden’s job runs much deeper than writing tickets or taking someone to jail. It is about promoting our natural resources and providing opportunities for people to make a connection with them. It is not only our responsibility to ensure that there is an abundance of wildlife for future generations, but also that there is an abundance of hunters for future generations. I hope outdoorsmen and women will take every opportunity to take a child or someone who has never been hunting 
or fishing to the woods and waters. You will be blessed!
(Top Picture:The hunters and guides. Middle: Kevin Honaker, a wounded warrior, and guide Kyler Moore. Bottom: Vietnam veteran Vern Long and guide Anthony Humes)

So God made a game warden

If you asked game wardens across the state what they like best about the job, you would probably get a variety of answers. One may say because they don’t have to sit at a desk. Another might respond that they love to hunt and fish, so what better way to earn a paycheck. Most will say because of the variety of things you get to do throughout the year. I’ve never heard one say what I believe is the best part of the job which is watching over God’s creation. With every sunrise I see sitting in the woods or sunset I watch out on the lake, I become more convinced of this.

The book of Genesis speaks about God’s perfect creation. In chapter 1:20 God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” ²¹ So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” That was the fifth day. In verse 24 God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. ²⁵ God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.”

I love that after each creation God looked at it and saw that “it was good.” Perhaps one of the most meaningful scriptures to me in the Bible comes next in verse 26. “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God made a game warden! Now I know God was referring to the creation of mankind in this verse, but it is my belief that at this moment in time there was a need for a game warden. God knew that he needed someone to watch over his creation. How cool is it that God tasked us with ruling over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all wild animals? Conservation takes on a spiritual context from this verse and in my views, so does being a game warden.

I am reminded of the Parable of the Bags of Gold in Matthew 25 where the wealthy man went on a journey and entrusted bags of gold to his servants. The servants who were given 5 and 2 bags of gold went out and put their money to work and received 5 more and 2 more bags respectively. The last servant was given one bag of gold, and since he was scared of losing the money, he went out and buried the bag. When the wealthy man returned he praised the two servants who invested the money but sent the servant away who buried the money. In the same way God has entrusted us with his beautiful creation to manage and watch over making sure that when he returns we have made it flourish and abound. We have been tasked with a big job, but I feel blessed knowing that each day I go to work I am working for God to protect his creation.

I want to encourage you to serve God in whatever job you do. Find a way each day to bring glory to God in your career. Show the people around you what God has entrusted you with. I know God will bless your career and life if you do this. I am thankful God has continued to bless me and I look in anticipation to the many years to come in serving Him!

A Fowl Hunt

If you were to ask a waterfowl hunter what he thinks is the most popular duck species to hunt in the Southeast, most hunters would say a mallard. Coming in close second would be the wood duck. The wood duck is a medium size duck that is very popular because of the plumage of the males during breeding season. Wood duck numbers severely declined in the late 19^th century due mainly to market hunters, but have made a huge comeback due to conservation efforts across the country.  Tennessee has a short early wood duck season in September with a daily bag limit of 2 ducks.

The excitement level of a game warden is immeasurable during the days leading up to opening day of any hunting season. The 2009 early wood duck season was no exception for me as I made preparations for a morning full of catching poachers. Humphreys County Wildlife Officer Ken Smith had done his homework in the days prior and had found a slough baited with crack corn on the Duck River. We decided the time and place to meet. Ken’s partner would drop us and our jon boat off in his personal vehicle at a boat ramp only one river mile from the baited site. I packed my field bag with my usual essentials including binoculars, a note pad to keep up with the number of ducks killed, citation book, and evidence tags for any weapons we might confiscate. Lying down in bed my mind played out the next day’s events keeping me awake all night which was normal for the night before opening day.

That morning we were running late and in a hurry to get to the boat ramp. We knew most of the hunters would come by four-wheeler but wanted to leave the ramp before any hunters who might come by boat would launch. Arriving at the ramp we launched our boat just as headlights from the hunters came across the bridge heading our direction. We fired up the engine and sped into the dark of night just in time before they spotted us. Ken and I tied our boat up several sloughs down and walked towards the one baited. Settling in to a spot near the four-wheeler road we could see several ATVs headed in our direction. They passed by us a mere 10 yards away and could hear them talking about the morning massacre about to happen. The hunters made several trips back to get decoys and gear. We could hear a boat coming up the Duck as well and slow down at the entrance to the slough. After all the decoys were set up and the hunters stepped into their make shift blind we had counted eight hunters giving them a total bag limit of 16 ducks. Ken and I moved closer to the edge of the water so we could have a better view of the hunters once it broke light. As it approached shooting light we hear a wad of wood ducks fly into the slough and land in the water between us and the hunters. Several more flew in as well and we could make out several dozen wood ducks swimming around starting to feed on the crack corn. I looked at Ken and whispered that we were about to be in the line of fire! I heard one of the hunters count down from 3 to 1 and the quiet morning turned into the sound of a war zone as eight individual shotguns unloaded its shells. Ken and I were taking pellets as well and shielded ourselves. Wads of wood ducks continued to pile into the slough as the hunters couldn’t reload fast enough. We couldn’t tell how many ducks had been killed since it was still somewhat dark and we didn’t want to get an eye put out by some stray shot. The shooting continued for twenty minutes before one of the hunters yelled out, “Stop shooting! Stop shooting! We need to count our ducks!” Not heeding the advice, the hunters continued to shoot more wood ducks. Again we heard the same voice tell them to quit shooting and count ducks. Several more volleys rang out before the same hunter yelled out, “We are already way over the limit stop shooting!” At this point Ken and I decided enough was enough and ran out of the brush pile towards the duck blind. “State Game Wardens! Put down your guns!” All at once the hunters set their guns down and hung their heads. They knew their hunt was over and they had been caught. We helped them locate all the ducks they had killed or crippled and when all was said and done they had killed 27 wood ducks. We explained what the bag limit was and that they were 11 over the limit. We checked their hunting licenses as well as plugs for the shotguns which are required while hunting waterfowl. Several hunters did not have the proper licenses or plugs in their guns. To add insult to injury we told them we were also aware of the bait that had been placed in the slough. All the hunters admitted they knew it was there. We wrote all the hunters for Hunting Waterfowl over a Baited Area as well as for the plugs or licenses they were missing. Seven of the hunters received citations for Violation of the Daily Bag Limit. Identifying the one hunter who tried to get the rest to stop shooting we gave a break on that charge. We seized the guns and the illegal wood ducks and headed back to our boat. Ken brought the boat up on plane as the cool morning air blew in my face. I felt a sense of accomplishment having stopped the illegal hunters from killing a gross amount of wood ducks and getting away with it. Game Wardens are the front line of defense for wildlife. We are their voice. Without us, there would not be any wildlife for future generations to hunt.

An unconventional spotlighter

The two men began walking in our direction with their head lamps shining right at the fence post as if they knew someone was there. I became increasingly apprehensive as I could not decipher what weapon he was carrying. The lights swooped side to side several times and suddenly came to rest in our direction as the two men stopped walking. This was it! Was I in the poacher’s crosshairs? I braced for the sound of the gun.

It was the end of the 2010-2011 deer season. I had just been offered a position in District 31 that was assigned mainly to the lakes in that district. I hated to leave Hamilton County but I was looking forward to my new adventures. During the first week in my new location I received a call from Jon Ryan who is the White County game warden asking if I was interested in working spotlighting later that night. As usual I said yes because I would never miss out on the opportunity to catch a spotlighter. He had information from a gentleman stating someone was shining deer on foot behind a house and if we sat for three nights in a row we would catch him. Since deer season was closed we were skeptical of the information but planned on humoring the informant and sitting there the three nights.

Jon picked me up at dark and we headed to northeast White County. He informed me the man shining behind his house was a convicted felon and just released from the federal penitentiary. We had also received word that he might be a member of a gang. The mixture of those ingredients was sure to make for an interesting evening if it panned out. We parked our truck on a four-wheeler road on the mountain behind the suspect’s residence. Grabbing our binoculars and NVG’s (night vision goggles) we walked the four-wheeler road until we came to a pasture behind the house. Easing across the fence we set up at a large wooden fence post where we could watch the house. Fifteen minutes later a porch light came on and a gentleman with a head lamp emerged from the back door. He had something in his hands and began walking in our direction. I squatted down behind the fence post as Jon did the same behind me. The suspect bent over and dumped some scraps out on the ground and walked over to his vehicle in the driveway. Watching through my binoculars he reached for the door. Suddenly he looked up and shined his head lamp towards us. I lowered my binoculars wondering if he could see the reflection of my lenses. He took off at a sprint to the back door of the house and went inside. My adrenaline began to pump as I remembered what Jon said about the suspect’s previous involvement in felonious activities. I told Jon he saw us and is going to get a gun. “No, no let’s just hang tight and see what he does,” was his reply. Now I like hairy situations more so than most game wardens but this made me uneasy. Under my breath I told Jon him was trying to get the new guy shot and he had nothing to worry about since I was in the front! The back door opened again. Two men emerged, both with head lamps and one with what looked like a weapon. The two men began walking in our direction with their head lamps shining right at the fence post as if they knew someone was there. I became increasingly apprehensive as I could still not decipher what weapon he was carrying. The lights swooped side to side several times and suddenly came to rest in our direction as the two men stopped walking. This was it! Was I in the poacher’s crosshairs? I braced for the sound of the gun. “Thud.” Being an archery hunter, I recognized the sound of the cable vibration from the arrow the suspect just released. I had already unholstered my gun and was ready to move in on the suspects, still not knowing what they were shooting at. Jon told me to cover him and  jumped the fence. Drawing my gun we announced ourselves with loud commands, “Tennessee Game Wardens! Put your weapons down! Show me your hands!” We moved tactically towards them as we watched the second suspect whose hands and beer were in the air drop his can to the ground which exploded on impact. The first suspect dropped his bow and we could tell they had no idea we were watching them. “Man that was some straight up military s@*t, officers,” replied the bow hunter. It is a known fact that a game warden takes pride in surprising a poacher. I grinned knowing we put a catchin’ on them they would never forget.

Our poacher told us while he was dumping his scraps he saw the glow of a rabbit’s eyes and ran back to get his bow and his drinking buddy to assist him in the hunt. During the interview he stated he spotlighted rabbits behind his house a few nights a week and he has even killed several using the illegal tactics. “Why don’t you just use a gun,” Jon asked. The poacher replied that he is a convicted felon and cannot own a firearm, also that there are houses close by which would be dangerous. At least he did one thing right!

We seized the bow and issued the felon a citation for hunting rabbits in a closed season as well as his drinking buddy as an accessory to the crime. The two were very cooperative and even offered us a ride back to our truck. Declining the offer we left the residence and had some laughs as we thought about the events from the night. I knew more nights like these were in the forecast and I have yet to be disappointed!

Routine patrol is anything but routine

We have all said the phrase, “We were on routine patrol.” Law enforcement work is becoming anything but routine these days especially for the Tennessee Wildlife Officer. Whether it be walking up marijuana grows while looking for bait, finding meth being manufactured on state waters, encountering  access area “users” with illegal drugs, paraphernalia, or weapons, our job is becoming increasingly dangerous every time we get in our trucks and go “10-8.”

On the afternoon of June 2, 2012 Boating Officer Eddie Carter and I headed up to Dale Hollow Lake for “routine patrol” on Dale Hollow Lake. Boating under the influence of alcohol and drugs had been becoming a frequent problem on the water and so like any boating officer we thought Saturday evening would be “prime pickins.” After slipping our patrol boat into the water at Mitchell Creek Marina we eased out of the “No Wake Zone” and inspected a pontoon boat that had several children onboard who were not wearing lifejackets. I will never understand a parent who does not make their young children and babies wear their lifejacket. Dale Hollow is well over 100 feet deep in many places and it only takes one quick accident and………I cringe at the thought of it. After explaining to the adults the importance of the personal flotation device we continued on out towards the lower end of the lake. The lake was unusually slow that evening. A 2006 yellow Supra caught our eye as it sped down the lake towards the dam. We began to ride our vessel at about the same speed as the Supra to inspect the vessel at a distance for possible violations. Another child was spotted in the vessel and we could not see a PFD on him. Turning our blue lights and siren on we tried to initiate a stop. The man who was driving and the female occupant continued to look forward as if they had no clue we were even around. I operated our patrol vessel closer to the Supra. The female occupant finally looked over at us and with a huge “we are not doing anything wrong please do not stop us” smile and wave she turned back towards the front and the boat continued on its course. I forgot to mention my partner Eddie Carter and I seem to automatically know what the other is thinking and we both looked at each other and knew we had something. Officer Carter leaned out and yelled at the man to stop the vessel who never looked up. The woman passenger finally leaned over to the man driving and the boat came to a stop.

Beginning the safety inspection Officer Carter asked the boat “captain” whom we will call Bill (to protect the guilty) to produce several items. The woman occupant began to look for those things while Phil remained seated looking like a statue. The woman seemed very nervous as did Bill. Smelling the odor of alcohol on Bill asked him if he had been drinking to which he replied he had 4 beers. “Please put a lifejacket on Bill and get into our boat,” stated Officer Carter. After 5 minutes of trying to get his lifejacket on the woman finally helped him and hesitantly he got into our patrol vessel. We pushed off from the Supra to have Bill perform a series of field sobriety tests to determine his level of intoxication. Bill became immediately uncomfortable and began squirming in the seat and tried to stand up several times. We both told him to stay in his seat and do not get up. After he tried to perform the tests we could tell that Bill was highly impaired by alcohol and/or drugs. We told him that we had to take him to shore to perform a couple more tasks for us. Bill told us that he had a job that he could not have any alcohol charges against him and was there any way we could just let him go. Explaining that we could not, he tried to stand up several times and we could tell things were getting just a little “squirrely.” I radioed to Sergeant Bill Moulton and told him we needed him 5 minutes ago and to hurry towards our location to sit with the Supra so we could get to the bank. I brought our patrol boat up on plane and headed towards Cedar Hill Marina. Sometimes as an officer people give you a funny feeling and at this point this guy was giving me one. I told Eddie as we approached the “No Wake Zone” to watch our detained passenger because he might try to run once we get to the shore. No sooner did I say that did Bill jump up, unzip his lifejacket, and take off running towards the front of our patrol boat and try to “walk the plank” while the vessel was still on plane. I always kid Eddie that he has cat-like reflexes to be such a stout guy. Like a cheetah, Eddie pounced on Bill just before he “man over boarded.” Phil had one leg and one arm over the side of the boat and Officer Carter was hanging onto him trying not to go overboard himself. I knew I had to get the boat out of gear in a hurry, but as most boats do until the boat comes to a rest it will not slip out of gear. With the vessel off-plane but still in gear I ran to Officer Carter and grabbed Bill. We all came crashing into the center console. Bill became irate and began trying to throw us both out of our patrol boat. Grabbing one arm I managed to get one “cuff” on his arm. Reaching around I cut the motor off and Officer Carter and I both took him to the bottom of the boat and handcuffed him. Whew! Now it is one thing to have an altercation with someone on dry land. But Eddie and I are here to tell you it is a different monster when you are on a boat and it is in gear! What in the world was this guy’s problem? I radioed to Clay County and told them we needed backup and EMS at the boat ramp. Sergeant Moulton radioed us and said he had tried to call us on our cell phone and let us know that the woman passenger said our passenger was suicidal. He had been drinking for 5 days straight and tried to kill himself the night before with a handgun but she talked him out of pulling the trigger! That piece of information would have been good to know before things went “South.”

Clay County deputies finally arrived as well as EMS who cleaned up everyone’s wounds and the boat where there was a good amount of blood from the altercation. Bill was taken to Clay County Jail and we later found out that our arrestee had offered the deputy a good amount of money just to open the door and let him leave. Eddie and I eased back out of the “No Wake Zone” towards Mitchell Creek to meet the officers at the jail. Emotions went from high to low as the adrenaline dump kicked in. It was as if we both realized at the same time that things could have turned out much worse!

Like any experiences on the job you learn from them. I know I learned several things that day. First, I learned it is important to work with a partner that you trust and that you know if “crap hits the fan” that he is going to be “ALL IN!” I learned Eddie was that kind of partner. Second, I learned that each and every day we go “10-7 station R” is a day you should be thankful that the Lord brought you home to your family safely. And third, I learned that every day that you go “10-8,” you better really be “10-8” because routine patrol is anything but routine!

(Bill ended up checking himself into rehab not too long after the incident and successfully completed the program. He later plead guilty to Boating Under the Influence and Assault. Because he completed his alcohol program the charges will be expunged at the end of his diversionary period. Sometimes I have to remind myself that people have real problems and they are not always in the right state of mind when you come into contact with them. Without a doubt, even though he put our lives in danger, I know that incident was a wakeup call for him and probably saved his life. Who knows what would have happened to him or his family that night if we had not contacted him, and that gives me satisfaction knowing we may have made a difference!

Christianity Through the Eyes of a Deer Hunter

I still remember the first deer I ever harvested as a kid. I was with my grandfather Leonard Crouch (or Pa as everyone knows him) on his property in Cheatham County. I was ten years old and excited to be in the woods with him as I still am today. We crawled up into the “condo” stand overlooking the greenest food plot you have ever seen full of winter wheat. We hadn’t been up there long when a 4 pointer stepped out into the food plot. My heart beating out of my chest, Pa reached for my Remington .30.30 and handed it to me. Since I was too short to see over the front, Pa had built a stool for me to climb up on so that I could shoot my rifle. Climbing up onto the stool I was trying to not make a sound but I knew that buck was going to hear the thumping of my heart if I didn’t calm down. I remember Pa telling me to aim just behind the front shoulder and squeeze the trigger. I did just as he said and the deer dropped right in its tracks! I don’t remember who was happier Pa or me but we slapped hands and hugged each other several times before we climbed out of the stand and walked up to my first deer harvest of my life. It was only a 4pointer but it was a wall hanger to me!

I also remember the day that I was baptized. I was twelve years old and had grown up in church my entire life and knew that on Sundays and Wednesdays you go to church. My dad began preaching at a small country church in Eagleville, TN and on the first Sunday my brother and I were the only kids there. In class I remember Dad telling us that we were going to be the beginning of something great at that church and that kids from all over the community were going to come. I felt a conviction that morning that God had plans for my life and was asking me to follow Him. Not too long after that morning on Easter Sunday 1997 I was sitting a few rows back from where my dad was preaching and I remember my heart nearly pounding out of my chest as he talked about Christ giving up his life for me. I had this rush of what I know was the Holy Spirit trying to come into my heart. When my dad offered the invitation I walked up to my dad and told him I was ready to let Jesus into my heart and follow Him. After confessing that Jesus Christ was the Son of God dad took me up to be baptized. Man what an awesome feeling it was to be immersed into that water leaving my sins behind and coming back up a brand new person!

I don’t claim to be a great hunter, although I love to be in the outdoors and I love to hunt. My Pa gave me that love for the outdoors. I have killed several deer since that first 4pt buck including several does and several decent bucks. I wish I could say that all of those deer have given me that same “buck fever” that I had on that first hunt, but I can say the buck I harvested on 12/12/12 came very close. I was hunting with my good friend and game warden Kyle Walling on a lease in Van Buren County and his Uncle Barry. We were hunting that morning in particular for does and had not seen much that morning. It was a very cold morning and the creatures were late stirring.  Walking down a four-wheeler road we jumped a couple of does and sat down for nearly twenty minutes seeing if anymore would come through. We began walking that same four wheeler road and not taking 10 steps Kyle stopped and said, “Big buck! Big buck!” We sat down in the road and watched a huge buck walking through a thick section of woods towards the four wheeler road at about 70 yards. Instead of walking all the way out he bedded down in the woods. Kyle said he could see him good so I maneuvered myself in front of him. My heart was beating out of my chest and I was shaking from head to toe. I looked through my scope and all I could see was his front shoulder and back hams, and boy was he big! Several times I put the crosshairs behind his shoulder and began squeezing the trigger just like Pa taught me and each time I would began to shake so bad that I couldn’t hold the gun steady. I tried this three more times with the same result! I told Kyle I didn’t know if I could hold the gun steady enough to shoot. Man did I have the fever again! The buck then turned his head and was looking back behind him. I decided I would take the shot and squeezed off the trigger. Boom! Immediately that buck rolled right over in his bed. My eyes got big and I think Kyle’s were just as big as mine. I laid down on my back and tried to recover from the experience. We slapped hands and I won’t speak for Kyle but I was jumping up and down! It was the biggest deer of my life and the fever was back!

I wish all my hunts were just like that first one or just like that last one, but I know they all won’t be. That is why they call it “hunting.”  I say all that because that buck fever reminds me of my Christianity at times. I wish I was fired up everyday just like the first time on Easter Sunday 1997 when I came to the Lord. I wish every morning I step out of bed with that same desire to be an example to those around me. It seems that through the years that fire smolders some and you don’t feel that fever from the Holy Spirit like you wish you did, but that is why we continue the hunt. We continue searching for that feeling; that fire!  Thanks to God though, the Holy Spirit still lives in me and it still lives in you, and that fire is ready to burn just as hot as it did the day you committed yourself to Christ!

Psalm 71

¹ In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
    let me never be put to shame.
² In your righteousness rescue me and deliver me;
    turn your ear to me and save me.
³ Be my rock of refuge,
    to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
    for you are my rock and my fortress.
⁴ Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
    from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.

⁵ For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord,
    my confidence since my youth.
⁶ From birth I have relied on you;
    you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.
    I will ever praise you.
⁷ I have become a sign to many;
    you are my strong refuge.
⁸ My mouth is filled with your praise,
    declaring your splendor all day long.

⁹ Do not cast me away when I am old;
    do not forsake me when my strength is gone.
¹⁰ For my enemies speak against me;
    those who wait to kill me conspire together.
¹¹ They say, “God has forsaken him;
    pursue him and seize him,
    for no one will rescue him.”
¹² Do not be far from me, my God;
    come quickly, God, to help me.
¹³ May my accusers perish in shame;
    may those who want to harm me
    be covered with scorn and disgrace.

¹⁴ As for me, I will always have hope;
    I will praise you more and more.

¹⁵ My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds,
    of your saving acts all day long—
    though I know not how to relate them all.
¹⁶ I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord;
    I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
¹⁷ Since my youth, God, you have taught me,
    and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
¹⁸ Even when I am old and gray,
    do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
    your mighty acts to all who are to come.

¹⁹ Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,
    you who have done great things.
    Who is like you, God?
²⁰ Though you have made me see troubles,
    many and bitter,
    you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
    you will again bring me up.
²¹ You will increase my honor
    and comfort me once more.

²² I will praise you with the harp
    for your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,
    Holy One of Israel.
²³ My lips will shout for joy
    when I sing praise to you—
    I whom you have delivered.

  My prayer for you and me is that we will take refuge in Christ even on those days that we are tired from the hunt. He is our rock! I pray that he will not be far from us today. He has and continues to do great things in our lives! Even though we go through troubles, He will bring us up, He will deliver us, and He will restore our lives once again. You see God doesn’t promise that we will be successful in all of our hunts, but He does promise that He will always be there.