Robbi and I had the privilege to meet with Carol and Jimmy Sunday afternoon right after church. We had a great visit and as we left, Robbi said that her heart aches for Carol.  She went on to say “Jerry, you have no idea how much it hurts when you are told that your husband is dying.”  It was 7 years ago that Robbi was told the very same thing concerning me, however, for whatever reason, God spared me.  Was it because people prayed harder for me than they did for Jimmy?  NO!!!  Was it because I was a better Christian than Jimmy?  Absolutely not!!!  Why is it that God spares some and He takes others home to heaven? That is something that I wrestle with from time to time.  Almost 4-1/2 years ago a good friend of mine died very unexpectedly.  He was very healthy, much more so than me, and he was only 45 years old. I spent a lot of time at his bedside as he lay in a coma, and with his wife and two daughters, and I tried to figure out and reason in my own mind, “why him?”  As we were driving home after visiting with Jimmy and Carol, Robbi said to me “there sure is a lot going on in our little church.  What is God doing?”  

What is God doing?  That is a good question because God is doing something. He is the One who gives life and breath and He is the One who takes it away. So what is He doing?  Take a look at our prayer list.  There are a lot of people who are dealing with some serious stuff.  There are things going on that make some people want to give up. People are dealing with things that really make you wonder if God is even there or does He even care. There are things going on that leave us unable to pray and make us want to just cry. There are things going on in the lives of people that are driving them to their knees.  THAT’S IT! Their knees, your knees, my knees, our knees.  Could it be that God’s intention and purpose and plan is to drive us to our knees?  

Psalm 95:6-7 says: “Come let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD our God, our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.” When the psalmist was confronted by the LORD, his God and his Maker, he found himself on his knees. He was worshipping; he was talking to God; he was praying.  The Bible tells us that the will of God for us is to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1Thessalonians 5:16-18) God’s will will come to pass. There are times when God will give you more than you can handle. He will get you to the point where you can do nothing but cry out to Him. He will drive you to your knees.  It is on your knees that you will find yourself praying and praying and praying some more, because you know who He is and who you are.He will give you the grace that you need to make it. You can do nothing without Him. It is on your knees that He will make His presence known to you in a special way. It is on your knees that your tears will turn into rejoicing. It is on your knees that you will be able to give thanks as you realize all that He has already done for you.

There is a lot going on in our little church. There is a lot going on in many of your individual lives. There is stuff that you just cannot bear anymore, so why do you continue to try to do it all on your own. You are going to end up on your knees sooner or later. The Bible tells us that is going to happen!  Romans 14:11 says: It is written: As surely as I live, says the LORD, every knee will bow before Me; and every tongue will confess to God.  Could it be that this is God’s way of keeping us in the center of His will?

Are you where He wants you? Are you rejoicing always, praying continually, and giving thanks in all circumstances? That is the will of God!  Are you in the center of His will, or does He need to drive you to your knees where you will end up finding yourself where He wants you? 

You would think that someone who takes the time to pray three times a day would be immune to the troubles that most all of the rest of us experience, let alone a den of lions. I was reading in the book of Daniel and it struck me how good and faithful Daniel was. King Nebuchadezzar, the king of Babylon, was blessed because of the faithfulness of Daniel. He observed his commitment to God first hand. Three times King Nebuchadnezzar was told that the time would come when he would“…acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone He wishes.” (Daniel 4) Twelve months later he found himself eating grass like cattle.“His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagles and his nails like the claws of a bird.” (Daniel 4:33) 

Along comes King Belshazzar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel is serving under his rule. This king has a party and uses the vessels of the temple of God to drink from them, and in the middle of the party, he sees a finger writing on the wall of his palace. The Bible tells us that “His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way” (Daniel 5:6) and he “became even more terrified and his face grew more pale.” (v.9)   The queen tells the king that remembers hearing about Daniel, so he is summoned to interpret the writing for the king. As he stands before the king Daniel tells him about his father and how God humbled him “until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone He wishes.” (5:21) Daniel goes on to confront the king with his sin and tells him that he has set himself up against the Lord of heaven. Daniel is saying this to the king! He goes on to tell him that “…you did not honor the God who holds in His hand your life and all your ways.”  That very same night the king was slain and Darius took over the kingdom.

Darius begins his rule by setting up governors throughout his kingdom and Daniel was chosen by the king to be 1 of 3 administrators over the governors. The king was so impressed by Daniel that his plan was to set him up over all of the kingdom. This plan upset the others and they began to plot out how they might get rid of Daniel. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” (Daniel 6:4-5) That is a pretty good testimony! Daniel’s life pointed people and kings to the God of the Bible. Don’t you think that would mean something? Don’t you think that would bring benefits? Don’t you think that God would appreciate what Daniel had done all of his life and make things a little easier on him? I do! These men come up with a plan to have the king issue a decree that for the next 30 days if anyone prays to any god or man other than the king, that that person should be thrown into the lions’ den, so the king puts out the decree.  Daniel hears about it and he goes home and does what he always did.  He sat in his window, faced Jerusalem, and “three times a day he got down on his knees, and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” (Daniel 6:10) They got him! They go to the king and their accusation is “He still prays three times a day.” (v.13)

Do you remember what that got him? An all expense paid trip to the lions’ den. Daniel prayed three times a day!  He always prayed three times a day.  He didn’t miss! That’s what he gets for being faithful? That’s what he gets for never fearing to declare the Word of God to kings? That does not seem fair! Isn’t it amazing how we continually operate on the merit system? If you do this, then you will get that. If you are good, you can go to the park. If you are bad, you will be grounded. If you work hard, you will be compensated well. If you study, you will be rewarded. If you live a good life, pray really hard, and do all that the Bible says, things will be “all good.” If you pray three times a day, every day, and if you faithfully proclaim the Word of God to pagan kings, you will go to the lions’ den. WHAT? Three times a day did not keep the lions away! Does that make sense to you? Does that make sense to anyone, other than God?

God was up to something.  He is always up to something. He will be glorified and that is exactly what happened here.  Just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who were thrown into the fiery furnace and did not burn because God protected them, God is up to something here. You know the rest of the story, or do you? “And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he trusted in his God.” (Daniel 6:23) Can you imagine that? Daniel is raised from the den and lifted for all to see as a trophy of God’s amazing grace. God was up to something.

When people see you, what do they see? Some of you are going through some pretty tough stuff right now, and quite honestly, it doesn’t seem fair or right. God is up to something. Look for His hand in whatever you are going through. It might seem as though He has abandoned you, but I can assure you that He has not. He may very well be raising you up, like he did with Daniel, as a trophy of His work of grace. He trusted in His God. Trust Him. You may not understand, but trust Him. Daniels faithful prayers put him in the lions’ den, but as he was thrown into the den, God made His presence known. If he were like any of us, he had to have been terrified. Can you imagine looking into the den and seeing the hungry lions? Whatever it is that you are facing; sickness, loneliness, financial struggles, maybe even death like Daniel, it is real! You are looking into the den and you are scared, terrified even. Know this, that the God of the Bible is the same God who promised to always be with you, whatever lions’ den you are facing. Trust Him. When we pray for one another, there is nothing better that we can do than to ask God to make His presence known to that person on their journey. It makes all the difference!

As most of you know, I try to make the focus of these devotionals to be on prayer. I came across a quote this week that prompted me to think about how I pray. “All I know is that when I pray, coincidences happen; and when I don’t pray, they don’t happen.” (Dan Hayes)  Sort of makes me wonder if I am praying about and for the right things. Coincidences? That’s what they are? When God does something that I was totally not expecting, is that a coincidence? I was prompted to think that perhaps I might not be praying correctly. There are all kinds of preachers, teachers, and authors out there who tell us to “name it and claim it.” You tell God what you want and then work up enough faith to literally be able to claim it as it is going to be answered the way that you desire. I believe that you can “name it and claim it” if what you are claiming is “not my will, but Your will be done.” If that is what you are claiming, then you are spot on. Unfortunately, that is not what is taught. 

I was thinking about that earlier quote and the only thing that makes them coincidences is the fact that my will and desires were not in line with the will and desires of God. And it just so happens that it worked out for the good and thereby it is declared a “coincidence.” I was then reminded of Psalm 5:1-3 where we once again find David praying:
“Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to You do I pray. O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for You and watch.” (ESV)
The last part of verse 3 in the NIV reads this way: “…in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation.” 

David sounds like he is in trouble, in fact, there are a lot of psalms where David sounds like he is in trouble. He speaks of groaning, and I have often taught that God understands groaning perfectly.  C.H. Spurgeon said “groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused.”  It is interesting to know that God does understand groaning perfectly well. David goes on to speak of the sound of his cry. in prayer to God.  He needs help!  He needs comfort!  He needs to be rescued! It is almost as though there is a  shift in verse 3 when David says in the morning You, God, hear my voice and in the morning I lay my requests before You. Sounds like a pretty good plan.  God, You listen, and I will give You my list. Is that what David is saying here? It could be understood that way, but I tend to think that this was a pattern is David’s life. He was not giving orders to God; he was rehearsing their routine together. It is almost as if David is saying God, it’s me again. I know that you are listening because You always listen. And because I know that You are listening, I am going to do what I always do because I am so needy and weak and worn out; I am going to give You my list. Don’t miss the really cool part of this passage. David finishes with “…and wait in expectation.” Does that sound a little presumptuous, or does that sound like it is coming from someone who knows his God?  Does it sound like someone who is new at this, or does it sound like someone who has been here before? David does not know what the answers to his prayers will be, but he does know the God who he is talking to, and he knows that that same God loves him and always does what is right at just the right time. Therefore David could pray with expectancy. David trusts God! He has observed His faithfulness first hand in the past and he has no reason to think that He will not remain faithful today or tomorrow for that matter. Every day David prayed and every day he expected God to do what was right and best, regardless of what David himself thought.

Don’t be surprised when God does something.  Amazed? Sure! But always expect God to do something and He will never disappoint you. You very well might not understand what He does, but you can rest assured that He always does what is right. This challenge is not new to us today. You should remember that in Acts 12 Peter is in jail and the disciples are “earnestly praying to God for him.” (v.5)  When the angel answered their prayer and freed him from prison, he came to where they were praying.  They were praying, earnestly, and when the girl who answered the knocking on the door told them that it was Peter, the one who they were praying for, they told the girl that she was crazy.  When I read that, it makes me laugh, and yet I often times am guilty of the exact same thing. God is so good and kind and patient.

I look forward to us praying together and rejoicing at how we see the hand of God at work. Let’s pray with expectancy knowing that God does hear us. I close with a quote from Charles Finney: 
“Nothing tends more to cement the hearts of Christians than praying together. Never do they love one another so well as when they witness the outpouring of each other’s hearts in prayer.” 

Why not join us tonight at 6:30?
 

As you may or may not know, Robbi and I were able to spend this past weekend with all four of our daughters in Michigan.  Our daughter from Brooklyn was able to take a week and come to Michigan, so whenever that happens, we will do our best to be able to see as many of our kids as we can.  It would have been a perfect weekend if our son and his family could have been there but we will look forward to being with them again soon.  When we are all together, I find myself usually pretty quiet.  I know that sounds unusual to some of you but if you knew my girls, you would know that they have a great time together being goofy and crazy and I like to just observe.  I love them dearly and I love to hear what they are talking about.  One of them has a 17 month old little boy who pretty much works hard to run the show.  He has aunts who love him dearly and are always playing with him and chasing him around the house.  Another daughter has a 4-1/2 month old who keeps them busy.  Another daughter just returned from a week in Mexico on vacation, and another daughter is working hard to complete her schooling for nursing.  Three of them are looking at new houses, and two of them are looking at purchasing a newer vehicle.  They were all busy and they were all helping each other and giving their opinions.  

It was really interesting to see how focused each of them were on their challenge at hand.  Those who were looking at houses were doing all kinds of research together to make sure that they found just the right one.  It needed to be in the right neighborhood and none of them could be too far from each other. They were mapping out the distances between their potential new houses as well as how far they would be from their sister who lives in downtown Grand Rapids. They would take a break to research a possible new vehicle and they worked to find just the right one for the right price.  It was a very busy time with lots of thought and fun.  They were serious about what they were doing.  This was not a game to them, they meant it, and it was obvious.

At that very same time, I knew that there were people who were dealing with some other very serious matters.  I have been in communication with the Beckers and the Pilchers and the Johnsons and my friend Wendell and I know that there are things that are weighing very heavily on their hearts and minds.  I had asked our leaders, in my absence, to consider taking time in the morning worship service to specifically pray for some of these people.  These people need to know that they have a church family who is calling out to God on their behalf, and I was happy to hear that that was done.  Several times over the weekend and into this week, I find myself calling out to God on their behalf and I am sure that many of you are doing the same.  While doing so, I began to think about and wonder if I am praying the way that God would have me to pray.  I am asking God to give peace.  I am asking God to remove cancer and to give successful surgery.  I am asking God to heal people. I am asking God to give my kids wisdom and to lead them to the right moves and right decisions. I am finding myself asking God for all kinds of things.  Is that okay?  Is that the right way to pray?  I seem to find myself skipping past the adoration, confession, and thanksgiving and moving directly to the supplication because these things are urgent.  Something needs to be done now!  Is this okay?

If you were to read the Psalms you would see that it is full of prayers.  Most of the Psalms were written by David and they are raw with emotion.  We are told in Acts 13:22 that David was a man after God’s own heart, so it would make sense to look into the Psalms if you want to know better the heart of God. It is in the Psalms that you will read the Psalmist praising God over and over again.  You don’t have to read too far until you come to the Psalmist proclaiming the glory of God and rejoicing in His mercy and grace.  It is all over the place.  The Psalmist lived and breathed praising and glorifying God, BUT you will also come across passages where he is literally crying out to God.  You will read questions like “how long” and “why do You stand far off…” and “why do you hide Yourself…? He says things like “come quickly” and “hasten” and “deliver me”. Is that okay? Of course it is!  David knew who he was and more importantly He knew who God is.  God is the only One who could deliver him.  God is the only One who had all the answers.  God is the only only One who could move as quickly as was needed.  David gave Him praise all day long and when the time came that he was in trouble and needed deliverance he could immediately call out to God and ask Him to move now and not offend God.  We need to live in a continual awareness of our total dependance on God.  Job 12:10 tells us that “In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”  Do you understand what that means? Without breath, you are dead.  Pretty sobering. We need to live each day of our lives knowing and understanding that. It is then that you will pray like you mean it. 

When I ask you to pray for the people on our prayer list, I am assuming that you already know that you are totally dependent on God for everything.  You have already rehearsed His goodness and mercy and grace and faithfulness in your own prayer life over and over and over again.  That is evidenced in your gratitude as you pray.  Are you thankful?  Do you realize what God has already done for you? Do you know how much He loves you? once you begin to grasp the truth of all of that, it is then that you will be able to pray like you mean it with urgency and confidence.  Not because of anything that you have done or worked up inside of you, but because you know who God is and you trust Him. Let’s take seriously the opportunity and privilege to pray for one another and cry out to God on their behalf.  My hope and joy is that you will be able to rejoice in the goodness of God and regardless of where you are or what you are facing you will be able to pray like you mean it.

“I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from Me there is no God.  I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged Me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides Me.  I am the LORD, and there is no other.  I form the light and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.”
(Isaiah 45:5-7)

If you were with us this past Sunday, you will remember that I preceded my sermon with a few words concerning what has been taking place in our nation over the last week. “Chaos in the Capitol” was the headline of so many papers.  It has been the lead story on most all of the news stations and the interesting thing is that there is not one thing that anybody can do to bring an end to all that has been taking place over the past year. This has been going on for a year already and it has hopefully culminated with what happened last week, but who knows?  As I was driving home from church this past Sunday, I made a few phone calls to some of our shut-ins and one in particular was really shaken by what has been going on.  After telling me that she was scared she said “pastor, I don’t know what to do” and she began to get very emotional.  If any one of us were to spend the majority of our time on Facebook and watching the news, it will shake anyone to their core if they do it long enough.  Her question was “pastor, what do I do?”

How would you answer her?  What advice would you give to someone who asks that question?  We often times like to come up with something that I like to call a “little diddly” that is nice, catchy, and it usually rhymes.  Do nice little Hallmark poems or cute little sayings cut it for you?  I am grateful to God that He provided for me His Word, that same passage from Isaiah 45 that I shared with our church family Sunday morning before my sermon.  “I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from Me there is no God.”  When I read something like that, I have to think that He has more to say, and sure enough He does.  He tells me that He will strengthen me even though I cut Him out of the picture over and over again.  Why would God strengthen me?  Because His desire is that people who are watching me and His hand at work in my life, might take notice that there is no God besides Him.  Again He says “I am the LORD, and there is no other.” Do you get it?  This next thing might be a little shocking to some of you but it does answer the question “Who Knows?”  “I form the light and create disaster;” I want to remind you that the Bible does not center on the United States of America, but God is all about His glory and His children.  We are His children!  If you are a Christian, you are one of His children!  That is awesome!!!  The “Chaos in the Capitol” is not a surprise to God.  In fact, if you are having trouble wrapping your arms around all of this read on “I, the LORD, do all these things.”   Did you catch that?  It’s pretty clear, don’t you think?  God is busy; His hand is at work.

Are you looking to the news channels for answers?  Are you looking for one political party or the other to come up with the right answers or a nice formula to get this all worked out?  Why not go to the author of all of this?  Why is it that the last thing that we do, once we have exhausted all of our other means of getting answers, why is it that it is then that we go to God?  I just do not get it, and yet we are prone to do that!  God has promised that He will strengthen you, even though you have yet to acknowledge Him, because His plan is that the people of this earth will know that there is no God besides Him.  Why not go to Him first and ask Him what He is doing?  He can handle any question that you can throw at Him.  Don’t ever forget that there is coming a day, and I am beginning to think that it is going to be pretty soon, when every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess and proclaim that Jesus is LORD!!!!  (Philippians 2:9-11) Can you see it happening?  Do you think that God might have a plan?  Do you think that He just might be setting things in motion?

In Luke 21, Jesus tells His disciples that there are going to be some drastic changes coming and they ask Him “…when will these things happen?” Jesus tells them about all kinds of things that are going to be happening, things that are similar to what is happening today.  Jesus tells them that these things will precede His second coming and He says “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”  As a Christian, the only reason you should hang your head is if you are bowing it in prayer. I do want to strongly encourage you to pray like you never have before.  Pray for the salvation of your loved ones and for friends, and then when you are done praying, lift your heads, look up and you just might want to say “Perhaps today?”

What did I tell that lady to do?  I encouraged her to spend more time in her Bible reading about the One who does know what to do.  I told her to read that passage in Isaiah and really spend some time meditating on it.  I encouraged her to talk to God about it and to ask Him any question that she wanted.  I encouraged her to pray like she never has before for her unsaved children.  And finally I encouraged her to overwhelm herself with gratitude to God because she is a child of the One who does know.  Perhaps you might want to do the same?
 

This past Sunday Robbi and I returned home from church to a house without electricity.  With all of the ice and snow that we got, that did not really surprise us.  We estimated that it went out at around 9:00 that morning right after we left for church and we figured that it would be restored in a couple of hours.  We had heard reports of people being without electricity for 72 hours so I thought that I would call to see if they had any idea of when ours would return.  The recording mentioned that they had asked five other electrical co-ops to assist them in making the necessary repairs.  It went on to say that we might want to make plans to relocate to other living accommodations as they had no idea of when it would be restored.  Robbi and I figured we could handle it for a while but as the hours went by we began to think that this was perhaps a little bigger problem than we anticipated.  No electricity in the country means more than no light bulbs.  We had no water because we are on a well.  No water means no washing and no toilets.  No heat because the furnace blower and ignitor require electricity. We could not cook because our cooktop is electric.  Our water heater is electric so there was no hot water.  We had things that were thawing in the freezer and at the same time the house was getting pretty cold.  No TV to watch the Bears game but I guess we did not miss much. Without electricity, everything was thrown out of wack.  No lights in the country with a cloudy sky makes for a really, really dark night.  Robbi and I both mentioned that we could not believe how dark it was, and it was all because we did not have electricity.

I was not able to get much sleep at all because I use a CPAP machine to help me rest so I was awake most of the night.  As I lay in bed, I could not believe how eerily quiet it was.  I could see nothing, and I could hear nothing.  All of a sudden I began to think of what it might be like to be separated from EVERYTHING.  The absence of electricity seemingly separated us from everything.  As I began to think about that I could not help but remember something that I had read early Sunday morning in one of the daily devotionals that I read.  Charles Spurgeon wrote this:

“He who grows not in the knowledge of Jesus, refuses to be blessed.”

How do we grow in the knowledge of Jesus?  How does that happen?  This is not an earth-shattering revelation, but it is something that I believe we need to be reminded of on a regular basis.  The only way that you are going to grow in the knowledge of anyone is to spend time with them.  You need to talk to them and they need to talk to you.  You need to listen.  You need to communicate!  How do we communicate with Jesus?  If you want to hear from Jesus you need to read His Word.  You need to be under the teaching of the Word of God.  You need to hear what He is saying to you and He does that through the preaching, teaching, and reading of His Word.  The second part of communication is talking to Him.  Do you talk to God?  Do you spend time in prayer?

Psalm 23 is a psalm that many of us have memorized.  It is often recited at funerals I believe to give hope to those who remain of where their loved one is.  The psalm is not a funeral psalm; it is a life psalm.  This is a reminder of what life is like when the LORD is your shepherd.  Look at all of the benefits!  Look at all of the blessings!  Not being in need, rest, restoration guidance, lack of fear even in the midst of the mess, the presence of God, peace and provision in the midst of enemies, the goodness and love and mercy of God is guaranteed all the days of your life!  Get that?  Your life!  After this life on earth is over, you are then assured of dwelling in His house forever.  The problem with so many people who call themselves Christians is that they have not grown in their knowledge of Jesus so they do not fully enjoy the blessings of the first 5-1/2 verses of Psalm 23.  They refuse to be blessed!  Why???

Should it be a surprise to anyone that Christians struggle when they are not growing in their knowledge of Jesus?  Their lack of reading the Word and being under the teaching of the Word of God is in fact, their own refusal to be blessed.  Their unwillingness to talk to God about everything, to pray, is in fact their own refusal to be blessed.  Getting back to my story about our electricity outage; should I have been surprised at all about all of the consequences of us not having electricity?  The lack of power messed up everything.  It totally disrupted our lives and I knew what the problem was.  We did not have electricity!  Electricity does not even come close to the level of power that a healthy relationship with Jesus will provide, so, I think you get the picture.  My desire is that each of you might be able to say like the psalmist “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life…”  Get hooked up to the only true source of power.  Read His Word and pray, pray, pray.

Happy New Year!  Happy New Year??  What guarantees do we have of that?  Is that not the same way that we brought in 2020?  How did that work out?  Is it a declaration or a wish?  We have no guarantees that 2021 will be any better than 2020 so how do we move into this next year with any sense of hope at all?  

For some of you here in group #1, you cannot wait to put 2020 behind you.  The pandemic has ruined your business, disrupted your family, and negatively impacted your entire life.  Perhaps you battled the Covid virus and won the battle.  Maybe you have a loved one who was taken from you by that same virus.  Maybe you have lost your job and what looked like a promising career has disintegrated before your eyes.  Maybe your plans for a vacation or wedding were swept away by the closures and shutdowns.  Your church life has been radically changed and things are just not the same.  Maybe you now live in fear of catching the virus and passing it on to a loved one and ultimately losing them. 2020 cannot move on fast enough so that you can get back to a normal life, whatever that now is. 

For some of you here in group #2, 2020 was not too bad.  In fact in many ways, it was pretty good.  Maybe you saw a tremendous increase in your business, or perhaps that promotion that you were hoping for came through.  Maybe in the midst of this pandemic you welcomed a new little baby into your family.  Maybe you were able to get that house or job that you have been wanting, and maybe God spared your life, or the life of a loved one in a miraculous way.  For you, 2020 was a pretty good year and you would not mind at all more of the same in 2021.

Depending on which group you find yourself, it might be “HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!” for group #2 or “happy new year???” for group #1.   How do we as Christians look at the previous year, and then ahead to the new year at the same time regardless of what group we find ourselves in?  There was a song that I sang as a child in Sunday School that makes me wonder what I must have been thinking.  It goes like this:

I’m inright, outright, upright, downright
Happy all the time
I’m inright, outright, upright, downright
Happy all the time
Since Jesus Christ came in
And cleansed my heart from sin
I’m inright, outright, upright, downright
Happy all the time  

Is that true?  Was that true?  What was I thinking?  After all, I was a kid and I really didn’t know any better.  Wouldn’t it be cool to be “happy all the time” like I was when I was a kid? You know that people might think that you were weird or something was not right upstairs if you were “happy all the time”?  If you are a Christian, there is something common to all of us whether you are in group #1 or group #2 and it is found in that song as well as throughout Scripture.  “Since Jesus Christ came in and cleansed my heart from sin.”  Did you catch that? You sang it as a child never really knowing the truth that you were singing. Regardless of what group you are in, if you are a Christian, Jesus lives in you and you have been cleansed from the penalty of sin, even though penalties from sin still remain.  If there was no sin, there would not be sickness.  If there were no sin, there would be no loss.  If there were no sin, there would be no death. All of those things bring sadness and pain and hurt and unhappiness.  Yet, because of what Jesus did in cleansing my heart from sin, I can be happy all the time, even in the midst of the mess of 2020 or 2021.  Do you realize what you have?

As you look back over 2020, what is it that you are looking at?  How are you looking at it? I have a friend who is an eye doctor and when you go in to his office he puts my eyes through all kinds of tests.  My eyes are dilated, little puffs of air are shot at my eyeball and there are charts to look at.  It is when he puts this contraption up to my eyes and asks me which is clearer, “1 or 2” that he is fine-tuning my vision.  He is working to be sure that I see things properly. Through what lens are you looking at 2020, “1 or 2”?  God has given us His Word to help us see as He sees, through the proper lens if you will.  Check out these verses:

“…happy is he who keeps the law.” Proverbs 29:18
“Happy is the man who finds wisdom…” Proverbs 3:13
“…he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.” Proverbs 14:21
“Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!” Psalm 144:15
“…whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.” Proverbs 16:20

This would make me tend to think that the lens through which these happy people are looking is the lens that is colored by the sovereign hand of God. People who look back over their lives and see the hand of God in everything, and it is there, are able to trust Him moving forward.  There is a quote that I have shared many times that reminds me of how true and constant and faithful the God of the Bible is.  “My circumstances do not alter the character of God.” No matter what I might be facing; no matter where I find myself; no matter how far down the wrong path I have gone; the character of God remains the same. The God who saved you from the penalty of sin continues to walk with you through the end of 2020 and straight into 2021 and beyond. Do you trust Him?

My hope and prayer is that each of you will look back on 2020 with gratitude and amazement, regardless of whether you found yourself in group #1 or group #2, and recognize the hand of God everywhere.  The danger in all of our lives is to fail to see the hand of God in either of our lives.  The result is either a life filled with fear or a life filled with pride and both will destroy you.  Once you do this and recognize the hand of God, pray and give Him thanks!  Praise Him! Count your many blessings! May your prayer life be filled with gratitude! 

Trust God, be thankful always and have a “HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!”  

Why would Solomon ask a question like that?  He has just finished building a temple for God and as he prays the prayer of dedication it is almost as if he is overcome with the greatness of God.  As grand and glorious as this temple was, and it sure was, could it possibly even come close to containing the presence of God?  Move ahead 1000 years and we find Mary giving birth to the very Son of God.  God in a baby’s body.  The great temple of Solomon  could not contain Him and yet this little baby was fully God.  Imagine that.  God’s ways are so much beyond our ways.  Is that the way that you would have done it?  Doubtful.

God doesn’t stop there.  We are told in Psalm 139 that “…You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (vv.13-14)  There is a reason why God made us the way that He did.  It was to prepare us for that day when He would take residence in us.  The apostle Paul asks the people of the church of Corinth a question that implies something amazing.  In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Paul asks this question:  Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body.”  Your body, my body is a temple of God.  If you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit, God, dwells in you.  Solomon’s Temple could not contain Him and yet He dwells in you and in me.  The creator of the universe, the creator of you and me, has taken residence in us.  Paul tells us in Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”  Is that obvious to the people around you?  Is it obvious that Jesus has taken up residence in your life?  When people look at the way you act, hear how you talk, see how you treat others, is it obvious that Jesus lives in you?  

Will God really dwell on earth with men?  Solomon asked that question 1000 years before the birth of Jesus and 3000 years before you and me?  How does your life answer that question?  Don’t ever forget that God will be glorified; you can be sure of that.  Is He being glorified in your life?  Is He being glorified in my life?  Is it obvious to the people around you that Jesus lives in you?  When people look at you, do you reflect Jesus to them?  Take inventory at the end of this year and prepare for the year ahead.  Ask God to do a work in His Church and ask Him to begin that work in you.
Merry Christmas!

Jerry

This has been a year like no other in recent history.  The national pandemic shutdown began on March 13th, and I will not forget that because it was my wife’s birthday and we were planning to go out to eat to celebrate and our plans changed.  What we figured was only going to be a change of plans and lifestyle for a couple of weeks, turned into months and is now approaching a year already.  Vacations were forced to be changed or canceled.  Weddings were now private celebrations.  Friends and family could not be visited in the hospital and people were alone at very difficult times.  Funerals were sadly small and at the graveside if anything at all.  No more dining out, no more movie theaters, no more parties, no more high school football and basketball, professional and college sports teams are playing shortened schedules, stadiums are empty with the exception of cardboard cutouts, and now everyone is wearing a mask (not the cardboard cutouts).  Many kids are not in school but rather sitting in front of a computer screen trying to be educated; try that with 20 kindergarten students.  We knew this was a serious matter when Easter Services were canceled and churches were closed and yet, it continues.  Thanksgiving gatherings were minimal and not the same, and now many are looking at Christmas apart from family and alone.  What is happening?  How are businesses going to survive?  Sadly, many are not.  How do people keep their sanity?  Sadly, many are not.  How do we as Christians respond?  Does God have a plan for this?  Does He give us directions in His Word for dealing with this kind of thing?

God has designed us as human beings to not be alone.  When He created Adam in the perfect Garden of Eden without sin, He said that there was something missing.  He said that it was not good for man to be alone so He gave him Eve. (Genesis 2:18)  God’s design is for us human beings, to do life together.  After all, we were created in the image of God because God desired to be with us, and that has never changed. (Genesis 1:26)  In the New Testament, God gave us the local church to do life together and to prevent us from being alone.  He has designed it to be a living body of believers to care for and love one another.  There is a reason for that; it is not good for us to be alone.  Yet, this pandemic is prohibiting us from being together, so what do we do?  Some genuinely cannot be around other people for fear of getting sick and I completely understand that.  On the other hand there are some who do not go to their church because of the pandemic, and yet they will go to the grocery store or Walmart to get “what they need.”  That one I do not understand.  Do we fully understand and grasp how important the church is to our well-being? This local body of believers that you have joined yourself to and made a commitment to, was established by God for your own good, the good of other believers, and most importantly, the glory of God Himself.  This pandemic has hit the local church pretty hard in that gatherings have a limit on the number of people who can attend if they are allowed to meet at all.  Why is this happening?  Why is God allowing this to happen?  Is God up to something?  You bet He is!  I believe that this pandemic may very well be a test for the Church; that God just might be doing a purge of sorts.  

There are all kinds of questions that come to mind.  Questions like “how will the local church survive?” and “What are we to do as a local church?”  The local church was established for the benefit of the saints; for their growth and care and to provide a place where they might use their gifts, but if we cannot meet, how do we do that?  I was thinking about the early church as described in the book of Acts.  It was vibrant and growing extremely fast.  God was adding to the Church daily and there was a need for care and teaching.  They did not have nice buildings and sound systems or video and media like we do today.  That did not keep them from meeting together, they met in homes.  They had the threat of losing their lives if they met together, just like some churches today.  They continued to care for each other in a very intimate way.  In some ways we have lost that in the church today.  There are churches that have become so big that the people do not even know each other let alone the pastor does not know the people under his care.  God is using those churches in special ways, but it is not uncommon for people to slip through the cracks, and that is not how God designed His church.  NWBC does not have that problem.  We know most everyone who attends and there are many relationships that have developed and continue to develop, but we have not arrived.  How are we, as a congregation, to “do church” during this pandemic?  What can we do when we are not able to meet together? What happens when we are not together?  Check out this story that I came across.  

    A member of the church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his pastor’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited. The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The             host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember’s flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead. Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting.The pastor                 glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with his voice cracking, “Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I’ll see you Sunday.”

Does that bring anyone to mind?  Is there someone among us who just might be flickering as they seem to slowly fall away from their church family?  You have a church directory or you have a picture in your mind of where people sit and their seat has been empty.  You probably do have at least one person in mind, so what do you do? We are reminded over and over again of our responsibility to care for one another, bear with one another, pray for one another, and love one another. We have telephones, email, texts, and even the good old post office, where if we want to do so, we can drop someone a note and let them know that you care.  There are seniors, even in our church, whose phone does not even ring once in a day and whose mailboxes are empty.  Everyone is busy and yet God gave them to our church to love them and care for them. Maybe you are an ember who has chosen to not be involved in the church that God has given to you and you are in danger of flaming out.  Don’t let that happen.  You need to be proactive for your own good, for the good of your family, for the good of your church family, and most importantly for the glory of God. 

So what do we do?  Not everyone is able to meet with us because of this pandemic and their fear and genuine concern of getting sick, and I fully understand that.  I really do.  If that is you, what you can do is first of all pray for one another.  Ask God to put someone on your heart and reach out to them.  Pray for them.  People often say to me “the least I can do is pray” and it makes me cringe.  That is the very BEST THING that you can do!  Pray for one another!  Write notes of encouragement and make some phone calls.  Talk about what God is teaching you during this time of being apart, but genuinely pray for one another.

There are also some of you who have decided that meeting with your local church is optional and only necessary when convenient.  You are wrong!  How is that benefiting you?  How is that benefiting your family? How is that benefiting your church family? How is that glorifying God? Please do not allow yourself to flame out.

Then there are those of you who miss the way things used to be.  I do too, but I have to believe that God is up to something, so we need to look for His hand in all that is going on around us.  We need to ask Him how we can be His hands and His feet to the people that He has put into our lives and then we need to “one another.”  You are going to be limited in some ways as to what you are able to do, but the one thing that will never be inhibited is the opportunity for you to pray for one another.  Let’s commit to doing that and I believe that God will provide for us opportunities to do more for the good of others and the glory of God.  Let’s do our best to make sure that no on is doing Christmas apart.  I look forward to seeing what God might do with a people who are committed to what He directs and desires.

Merry Christmas everyone.  May each of you reflect the glory of God to those who you are with this Christmas.

Jerry

Have you ever thought about why God does things the way that He does them? Have you ever asked God if He really heard what you asked for or if He saw what just happened?  Have you ever thought that God could have handled that particular situation a little differently, or dare I say, better?  This past week a brief article was sent to me that I found pretty interesting.  The author of it is unknown, nevertheless it was very thought provoking to me.  Check it out:

I would have pulled Joseph out. Out of that pit. Out of that prison. Out of that pain. And I would have cheated nations out of the one God would use to deliver them from famine.

So instead of trying to pull you out, I’m lifting you up. I’m kneeling before the Father and I’m asking Him to give you strength. To give you hope. I’m asking Him to protect you and to move you when the time is right. I’m asking Him to help you stay prayerful and discerning. I’m asking Him how I can best love you and be a help to you. And I’m believing He’s going to use your life in powerful and beautiful ways. Ways that will leave your heart grateful and humbly thankful for this road you’ve been on.

When we read about the stories of Joseph, David, Esther, and Jesus, I am not sure if those truths and tensions really hit home. We have already read those stories and we know how they come out in the end, so we can see the wrong in praying that way.  But what about when we don’t know how the end works out? What about when it concerns someone close to home.  We don’t want our kids to go through the difficult, heart-breaking stuff.  We want to protect them from pain and suffering.  There are people who read this who have had to watch their young healthy spouse die leaving them to care for their children and knowing that there was so much more for them to do as a family. We have people who read this who were once healthy and vibrant, and now, because of a particular circumstance, they cannot do what they once were able to do. We have people who read this who have a loved one who is battling a sickness and is tired of fighting and has lost the desire to live, and they ache for their loved one. We have people who read this who are all alone. Their spouse has died and their children are occupied with their own lives, and what was once a busy and lively life is quiet and lonely.  We have people who read this whose spouse walked out on them in favor of someone else, the ultimate rejection, and all that they ever wanted was to be loved.  

I know of a lady who was one of the most faithful and godly people I have ever met.  Her name was Rose and she prayed for everyone.  She lived her life with joy and love for her Savior.  She opened her home to a group of high school kids every Friday morning before school for breakfast and prayer and I was one of those kids who benefited from that.  She would pray for us before we left for school.  She exemplified Jesus in her attitude and everything that she did, but there was this one thing that was a constant ache in her heart. Her husband was a good man, but he was not a believer. He supported Rose and everything that she did, but he just did not share her faith.  I believe that they were married for 60+ years and there was not a day that went by that Rose did not pray for the salvation of her husband. There came a day when he was very sick and it was obvious that his time was short.  Rose begged God to save her husband and about a week before he stepped into eternity, God did exactly that.  Why did God wait so long to do that?  I would have done it much earlier if I were God, but He did not do that. Why? Rose was God’s vessel to teach all who knew her what it meant to pray, really pray and trust God to do what was right in His time.  She trusted God! Rose was overjoyed to know that she would spend eternity with her Savior and her husband, and it is in heaven that she will realize the impact that she had on so many lives because she was a lifter and not a puller.  I have no doubt that Rose would have loved to have spent those 60+ years of marriage with her husband as a believer, but now she sees as God sees.

Last week I shared with you that God always has a reason.  If we know that and embrace that, we will find ourselves doing less pulling and more lifting. As you work through the prayer list that follows, try to do more lifting and less pulling. I encourage you to pray knowing that our God loves you, He knows your needs, and He always does what is right at just the right time.

Stop pulling and start lifting!