There is a saying that is flippantly used around this time of the year that I personally really don’t care for.  It goes like this:  “Jesus is the reason for the season.” Sounds nice and even a little catchy, but the “reason” why I do not personally care for it is that it puts the emphasis on the season rather than on the reason. That may have not been the intention of the founder of that phrase, and maybe I am all wet even mentioning my little quirk, but there is nothing that takes a back seat to Jesus. Nothing! If there was no Jesus there would be nothing.  He spoke it all into being. I need to get back on point; there is another saying that is sometimes used pretty flippantly as well.  It goes like this: “There is a reason for everything.”  It is used when something happens that we do not understand or when we do not have an explanation for what just happened. There are times when we should not use that phrase;  For instance, how would you like your doctor to give you the news that you have cancer and then say “there’s a reason for everything”? What about your pastor meeting with a family who just lost a loved one and the pastor saying “there’s a reason for everything”?  What about the fallout from this pandemic? People have lost loved ones, people are very sick, others have lost their businesses, and then the president gets on national television and says “oh well, there’s a reason for everything.”  How would that sit with you?  How would you respond to the doctor, the pastor, and the president who deliver those messages to you?  Not too well to say the least, and yet, there is a reason for everything!  

I was just yesterday talking to a dear friend who is dealing with a wife who is deteriorating from Ahlzeimers. We talked about the pandemic, and he said to me: “You can rest assured that God is up to something.”  Should I have asked him if he was talking about the pandemic, or his wife’s Ahlzeimers, or both?   Sounds pretty insensitive, doesn’t it? And yet, God’s hand is active and alive in both the pandemic and Ahlzeimers. Are you okay with that?

I was reading yesterday morning in Romans 5 where Paul is talking about peace and joy. There is a lot of talk about peace and joy this time of year. “Peace on earth” and” joy to the world”, but in the midst of this mess that we are currently in?  Really? Doesn’t it seem kind of silly to be talking about peace and joy when the world is obviously a mess, people are sick and dying, and our own country is in turmoil?  Peace and joy?  We need to remember that it is the apostle Paul who is writing this passage. Paul’s entire Christian life was filled with turmoil and all kinds of trouble and even suffering.  Look at what he says as we read the passage from the New Living Translation (NLT):  “Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.  And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.  And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.” (Romans 5:2-5 NLT)  My immediate response to that passage has always been “I did not know that I was lacking endurance and character.” There is obviously someone who thinks differently. God is the One who is working behind the scenes and He is always up to something.  His desire is to make us more like Jesus in every way and He is going to do whatever necessary to make the happen. The really cool and comforting thing about all of this is that our salvation is sure because of His work on the cross and the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work in our lives. 

Many of you are in the midst of trials where there is nothing that you can do about them.  You feel absolutely helpless.  You have totally lost control of the circumstances in some cases, however, the one thing that you can control is how you react to what is going on around you. You can choose to rejoice as Paul did or you can complain, or maybe even curl up into a corner and cry “why me?” Your action is usually to tell everyone else to leave you alone and you are going to brew and maybe even become bitter, because what you are having to endure is unfair.  You do not want what is fair! “Fair” for everyone of us is eternal damnation, but the grace of God changes everything. God is not telling us here to rejoice because of our sufferings, but in them. Big difference! How is possible to do that?  Because we know the hope of the glory of God because of His work of salvation inner lives.  If you are a Christian, you can choose to rejoice. If you are not a Christian, it is no surprise that you are miserable and scared to death every day that you get out of bed.

Tough day? Difficult circumstances all around you?  Bad news? Try this: “God, I do not know what is going on! I do not even like what is going on. I do not understand what is going on, BUT, You do! I know that You are doing something! I have no idea what it might be, but I am going to trust You first, and then I am, with Your grace, going to rejoice in the midst of this mess.”  Try that!  Pray that! You want to know how to pray? Try it!

Bad day at work?  God is up to something!
Bad news from the doctor? God is up to something!
Struggling with finances? God is up to something!
Wayward children? God is up to something!
Difficult marriage? God is up to something!

There is a reason for everything and you know the One who knows the reason. Talk to Him!  Cry to Him!  Ask Him what He is doing, and then look for the hand of God!

There is a reason; you can count on it!

Thanksgiving weekend is over and by now you are hopefully back into your typical routine at work. It is always amazing to me at how fast the holidays move bye. We are looking forward to Thanksgiving Day and before you know it, we are almost a week past it. We are now officially in December and Christmas is only 23 days away.  Unbelievable! Hopefully you were able to spend some great time with your family and friends like we did, but if not, it was still a day set aside to give thanks. I remember as we were together how many times I just paused to thank God for His goodness to me and to my family. I have this mental list that I work my way through where I am reminded of how to pray for people, but this past weekend was more focused on thanksgiving. For some of you, that list was put away Thursday afternoon and the Black Friday shopping list replaced it. In years past, we would get up pretty early to get out before anyone else to get the deals, but not this year. I was usually the chauffeur and I enjoyed watching people clammer for the hot gift for this year and then think about how in just a few short months, the “specialness” of that purchase was history. It was comical at times to see what people would do to get that special deal. People had their lists in hand and they would develop a plan of attack with the help of their 4 and 5 year-old kids standing in lines or carrying packages. 

This year was quite different for us.  We did not do the Black Friday thing this year. Without a doubt, Covid had a lot to do with that, but there just was not the excitement and anticipation that there once was. I cannot really explain the reasoning for that, and I am not complaining at all.  We were busy and we had a different list this year; a list of things to do. For some of you, the list changed from a list of thanksgiving to a list of “things” and “stuff” that you needed to get. I keep lists on my phone and one of the most gratifying things is to put a “check mark” next to my most recent accomplishment on my “To Do” list but then I always seem to add something else to it. There is one list that I don’t think I have ever been able to put a check mark next to, and that is my list of thanksgiving. Have you completed your list? Is it possible to ever complete that list? How many of us have moved on from our list of things and people that we were thankful for on Thanksgiving Day and moved on to our shopping list or “To Do” list or needs list? You do know that your actions do speak louder than your words, right? How many things on your thanksgiving list is it ok to put a check mark next to and move on? I read a devotional yesterday that I receive every morning written by Charles Spurgeon. Here is a portion of it:
If we complained less and were more thankful, we would be happier, and God would be more glorified. Every day thank God for ordinary mercies—we refer to them as ordinary, and yet they are so priceless that without them we are ready to perish. Let us thank God for our eyes with which we see the sun, for the health and strength to walk around, for the bread we eat, for the clothes we wear. Let us thank Him that we are not among the hopeless or confined among the guilty; let us thank Him for liberty, for friends, for family associations and comforts. Let us praise Him, in fact, for everything that we receive from His generous hand, for although we deserve little, He provides an abundance. 

The ordinary stuff, like your eyes?  Do you think that a blind man would call sight ordinary? Do you think someone battling a terminal sickness would call health and strength ordinary? Do you think that a starving child in Haiti would call food and clothing ordinary? Do you think that that friend of yours who has been unemployed for an extended period of time would call a job like yours ordinary? Do you think that the warm house and warm bed that you will come home to tonight would be ordinary to someone at the Peoria Rescue Mission? Are you getting the picture? Are you ready to check the ordinary off of your list of thanksgiving? Spurgeon goes on to say: “The sweetest and loudest note in or thankful songs should be of redeeming love…If we know what redemption means, let us not withhold our hymns of thanksgiving.” WOW! Have we forgotten about that?

I challenge each of you, as you pray today, to spend your entire time in thanksgiving.  Make a list.  Make a mental list. Make a list of all of the things that you are thankful for and then pray it back to God. Tell Him thank you. He knows what you will need today before you will, so just thank Him for what He has done and for what He will do. Psalm 107:8 “Let them thank the LORD for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of man!” (ESV)

Make that list, check it twice, and then pray and give thanks at the top of your lungs!

I am sure that like many of you, Robbi and I are recovering from a busy Thanksgiving weekend.  We just returned home from Ohio last night after spending three days with ALL of our kids and grandkids at Grandma’s house. We worked hard to help out gram with some fall cleaning and preparation for the winter ahead.  Everyone was involved, grandchildren included, and we actually had a great time working together.  Jason and Meghann and our 4 grandchildren Madison, James, Sienna and Evelyn drove in from Virginia; Lauren and Wes and Greyson, Kirsten, Megan and her boyfriend Jarrod drove in from Michigan; Ashton, Steven and Olivia drove in from NYC; Grandma and aunt Edith were waiting on all of us.  I mention all of them because I am obviously proud of all of them and I love them all, but in the same way that all of them drove in, we had to say good-bye to them as they all left yesterday morning.  The excitement and anticipation of seeing all of them was followed by the heartache of saying goodbye again.  Why can’t it always be this way?  Why can we not always be together?  Natural questions filled with the matching emotions that accompany them.  We were so thankful for this time, but why did it have to end?

As I made the 6-1/2 hour drive home yesterday Robbi worked on school papers preparing for the next three weeks and I just spent time thinking and praying for each of our kids as they made the drive home in all directions.  I do not ever take those trips and their safety for granted, because as I make my way down the highway I see crosses and flowers along the rode that tell me that someone did not make it home safely.  For a brief period of time, Robbi dosed off and the car was very, very quiet.  Just the day before there was all kinds of activity with everyone working and babies crying and now our lives were once again quiet. Quiet can be nice, especially when those babies are keeping mom and dad up at night, but this kind of quiet is different.  I found myself thinking about the silence of inactivity.  I could not help but think of my mother-in-law and aunt who just experienced the Kamphuis invasion and now they sit silent in each of their homes.  Imagine the change!  Massive amounts of activity and noise suddenly revert to silence.

What can we learn from the silence?  What can we glean as we sit in silence?  I think there are obvious things that everyone of us can agree to.  It is good to rest.  We need to rest.  God knows that we need to rest so He set aside one day a week for us to do that.  If He did that, then it only follows that there must be some benefit to doing it, besides, He commands us to take that day to rest.  The absence of activity will also have a tendency to cause us to contemplate all that we have to be thankful for.  In the quietness of my drive home I was moved with thanksgiving for my children and grandchildren.  I was thankful for a healthy family that was able to do what we did.  I was thankful for the atmosphere of love that was obvious between all of our kids.  They genuinely like being with each other.  I was thankful for the opportunity for all of us to be together.  We may live hundreds of miles apart but due to FaceTime and telephones, these visits allow us to pick up with where we left off with our phone visits.  I thought about the goodness of God in giving me Robbi more than 40 years ago and how we now find ourselves back where we started, just the two of us.  Our lives have always revolved around our kids and now the honeymoon starts all over again with the adjustments of it being just the two of us. I also thought about how our kids are where we were 10, 20, 30 years ago and all that they will face in the days ahead.  I thought about my mother-in-law and aunt who are recovering from the invasion and find themselves alone, again.  And yet, they are not alone. We are never alone.  The same God who has been faithful in their younger years and in our younger years remains faithful today. He has a purpose for each of them even as they are alone.  As we grow older we have this tendency to think that we are more of a burden than a help and yet there is no greater thing that grandma and aunt Edith can do than to pray for all of us. Remembering what they had to go through as they grew up and at the same time realizing the challenges that all of us will face gives them a lot of prayer material.  Is grandma’s home silent?  Yep. What about aunt Edith’s? Yep.  Ours is pretty quiet too, but God has promised to be with us, always, even in the silence.  I came across this verse this morning:
“The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty One who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)  He is with you, He saves, He rejoices, He quiets, He loves, He exults, and He sings loudly.  Does that sound like silence to you?  God is busy!  He loves us and we are NEVER alone! Psalm 145:18 says “The LORD is near to all who call on Him…”  In Matthew 28:20 Jesus tells us “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  You are never alone and you are never out of His line of sight and care. Even though it might seem silent, know that God has a purpose for that silence.  In Psalm 46:10 God tells us to “Be still, and know that I am God…” God gives us the silence of inactivity to be able to sit in silence and know that He is God and that He is with you.  Seek God in the silence and then rejoice in His faithfulness and goodness. Don’t ever forget that there will come a day when we will all be together with each other in the presence of God and it will be the ULTIMATE day of thanksgiving.  Embrace the silence of inactivity and look for the hand of God in it.
 

Why do we say “Happy Thanksgiving”?  Have you ever thought about that?  Is it really “happy”?  For some reading this, “happy” is not a word that sits at the forefront of your current situation.  How do you go up to someone who just lost a loved one and say “Happy Thanksgiving”?  Maybe someone has just lost their job due to all that is going on and you say “Happy Thanksgiving”?  Maybe there is a mom or dad with children who has a spouse that just walked out on the family and is celebrating their own “Happy Thanksgiving” with their new family.  Maybe you are discouraged or even battling depression and you are wondering how you can put one foot in front of the other let alone go on in life.  Maybe your child has gone missing. “Happy Thanksgiving”? Maybe you just received word that the pain that you have been feeling in your abdomen is cancer and that this is the last “Happy Thanksgiving” that you will be celebrating here on earth.  It seems sort of cruel to say those words to someone who finds themselves in a similar situation.

There are those who will not celebrate this day because as they have researched the history of Thanksgiving Day, they have discovered that this day was celebrated after the slaughter of tens of thousand of native Americans.  There are those who gather near Plymouth Rock every year on this day to declare a “National Day of Mourning” because of what happened in the early days between the settlers and the natives.  Why is this a “Happy Thanksgiving”?

I did a little research and discovered a little bit more about the history of Thanksgiving Day in American history.  In 1789, George Washington proclaimed “a national day of public thanksgiving and thanks” to thank God for His protection.  Check out Washington’s proclamation:
“Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, Who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be
-That we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks
-for His kind care and protection of the People of the Country previous to their becoming a Nation…” 

Thanksgiving became a national holiday in 1863 when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving:
“As a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.”

Two of our greatest American Presidents making declarations of thanksgiving in two of the darkest times of our country’s history.  Two very powerful men who realized and knew the power and goodness of Almighty God.  They are declaring that we ought to give thanks, so why would we not do that?

But does that make it a “Happy Thanksgiving”?  What does “happy” have to do with thanksgiving?  Is “happiness” a prerequisite for thanksgiving?  While it is good to hear the reason for our presidents declaring a national holiday, I want to look at what the Bible has to say about it.  A verse that I often reference concerning thanksgiving is found in 1Thessalonians 5:16-18. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  This is the will of God for you and for me.  Pretty straight forward, isn’t it?  And yet it can be so difficult.  The passage does not say if you are happy rejoice…pray…and give thanks. Paul seems to be writing this to the Thessalonians who find themselves in what seems to be internal strife.  If you look at the previous verses (vv.12-15) you will learn that there was probably a lack of peace between the brethren; there were people who were lazy; there were people who were discouraged; there were people who were impatient; and there were people who were getting even because of an offense. Do you suppose that the Thessalonians were happy about all of this?  NO!  But Paul tells them to rejoice, pray, and give thanks in the midst of this mess.  

My next thought was “so what am I to be thankful for?” What is the driving force behind this thankfulness?  Psalm 100 is a Psalm for giving thanks.  Check it out:
“Make a joyful noise to the LORD all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! Know that the LORD, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name! For the LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.” 
Why give thanks?  
-He is God
-He made us
-We are His
-He has given us pasture to provide and give us rest
-He is good
-His steadfast love endures forever
-He is faithful
Take a few minutes and allow that to soak in.  Think about the truth of that in your own life.  As you do, were they always times of happiness?  No, in fact some of the times when those truths were very real to me were in very dark times.  We do not give thanks based on my feelings or circumstances.  The character of God is not altered by my circumstances.  He remains God in the midst of my circumstances and He remains worthy of my praise.

Allow me to share some other verses with you:
Psalm 28:7 “The LORD is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.”  The shield might indicate that protection was needed.  Trust indicates that things were happening that David did not understand.
Hebrews 12:28 “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,” Heaven is ours!  Did you get that?  Heaven is yours!
2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift.” Jesus is that gift.

Happy Thanksgiving??? Yes, I think so. There is a verse that is tucked away in Isaiah 52:7 that brings me tremendous encouragement.  The verse reads:  How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” This verse is telling me that my feet are blessed, and your feet can be blessed too, as we bring the good news, the Gospel to people.  It will bring peace and it will bring salvation. It is news of  happiness, because the sum of all things is that your God reigns.  When that becomes reality in your own life you will be able to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances.  My hope and prayer is that this good news that I have shared with you this morning will make your day of thanksgiving a happy day. 

Happy Thanksgiving !!!

It is said that “seeing is believing”, but is that really the case?  If that is true, then why are we not changed?  Why do we not live differently?  Maybe it has something to do with what we are seeing, what we are looking at, or where our focus might be?  I’m not sure why we are not changed, radically changed especially by some of the things that we see, but that is not unique to you or to me.

I was awake in the early hours of Tuesday morning, and God put this thought in my mind.  Often times we pray, but do we pray believing that God will do what is best for us?  Sometimes He says “yes”, sometimes He says “no”, sometimes He says “wait”, and sometimes He says nothing at all.  Why is that?  Is God silent?  He might seem silent at times, but is He really silent?  Does not the presence of God make a difference?  Do not the promises of God make a difference?  Does not the faithfulness of God say something?  When you take a look around at your life; when you look back over the previous days, months, and years, has God not been faithful?  Ever?  Does that not say something to you?

When I was awake I pulled up the Bible on my phone and in the dark of the night I started to read at the end of Exodus 13 and I began to see a constant.  I continued to read chapter after chapter, and sure enough, there it was again.  Exodus 13:21-22 “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.  Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.”  Can you imagine that?  God was with them all along their journey; all the way to the land of promise. It made no difference where they found themselves, God was right there!  Immediately after that we read that after releasing the Israelites, Pharaoh had a change of heart and he assembles the best of his army and pursues them with the intent of bringing them back into captivity.  The Bible tells us that as God led the people out of Egypt, He did not take the short route, but rather the route that led them right up to the shores of the Red Sea.  Why would God do something like that?  That does not seem to be strategically smart, does it?  There is always a reason.  Three times in Exodus 14 it is written “I will gain glory.”  That is the reason!  When you don’t understand why God is doing things the way that He is doing them, know this;  He will gain glory!  God will be glorified!  

The Israelites find themselves up against the shore of the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army is bearing down on them and the Bible tells us “As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them.  They were terrified and cried out to the LORD.” (Exodus 14:10) When they looked up, what did they see?  The Egyptians!  The enemy!  The problem; a BIG PROBLEM!  Where did the pillar go?  Did the pillar leave them? The Israelites were looking back at the approaching Egyptians instead of keeping their eyes on the pillar, so the angel of God and the pillar of cloud move from in front of them to behind them in order to stand between them and the Egyptians.  Moses tells the people to “…Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today…” (Exodus14:13) and God did exactly that.  The people saw the breath of God part the waters of the Red Sea and dry the ground so that the people could walk right through the waters to the other side.  The people then, after all arriving safely to the opposite shore, saw the waters come back on the army of Egypt and destroy their enemies.  “That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore.  And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in Him and in Moses His servant.” (Exodus 14:30-31)  Seeing is believing, right?  Don’t you think that would make a believer out of anybody?

Three days later, three days later, THREE DAYS LATER, they traveled in the desert and could not find water, so they grumbled.  The pillars of cloud and fire are still leading them; the presence of God has not left them, but here comes the next problem, and they grumble.  God provides them with plenty of water as well as an oasis in the desert. (Exodus 15:22-27)  All is good right? Because after all, seeing is believing.  Not so fast! 45 days into their journey, about 6 weeks later, they are low on food and they begin to grumble and complain a little more. God tells Moses that He will give them meat and bread to eat and then tells them to gather all of the people together to hear the instructions.  As Aaron is speaking, the people “…looked toward the desert and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud.” (Exodus 16:10) There it is again; the pillar of cloud.  Seeing is believing, right?

Exodus 17 tells us that God continues to lead them out of the Desert of Sin and they travel from place to place and once again, they are out of water, so what do they do?  They looked to the pillar of cloud, right?  Wrong! They complain again. They sure have that practice down!  It worked the last time.  That pillar of cloud has led them to another place without water and the people are so upset that they are ready to stone Moses. God tells Moses to go to a rock in the middle of the desert, something that has nothing to do with water at all, and He tells him to strike the rock and water gushes out of the rock as the pillar of cloud stands on the side.  God then gives the Israelites victory over the Amalekites and a memorial is set up for the people to observe for generations and serve as a reminder of God’s faithfulness.  

We come to Exodus 18 and Moses is visited by his father-in-law Jethro and they greet each other.  The first thing that Moses does is tell Jethro “…about everything the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the LORD had saved them.” (Exodus 18:8)  Moses recounted to his father-in-law the ups and the downs, but he did not forget the goodness, the greatness, and the faithfulness of God. As Moses looked at all that had happened, what did he see?  The pillar of God was everywhere.  God had told him that He would be with him and Moses saw it.  Seeing was believing for Moses.  Look at what happened when Moses told Jethro all about it:  “Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the LORD had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians.  ‘He said Praise be to the LORD…'” (Exodus 18:9-10)  God was glorified!!!  God said that He would gain glory, and that is exactly what happened.

Those are all pretty cool stories, but what does that have to do with the problems that I am dealing with?  Allow me to “put some skin on it.”  The Israelites did not have the written Word of God to read all about the things that He had done.  Sure they heard the stories of their fathers and forefathers, but they did not have the written Word of God.  They had the pillars of cloud and fire and that had to be awesome, but what makes any of us think that we would have acted any differently than they did?  Could it be that they got accustomed to having the pillars with them? We do have the written Word of God that tells us all about the faithfulness and greatness of God.  We also have the experience of our own walk with Jesus.  In addition to that, we also have the gift of salvation given to us by that same God that we read about in the book of Exodus through His Son Jesus.  God has saved you and promised that He would continue to be with you as you take your journey.  We do not have the pillars of cloud and fire, but what we do have is so much more if that is possible.  We have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit; the presence of God just as He promised.  

When you look around, what do you see?  What is it that you are looking at?  I have to wonder if the Israelites had to look around the pillar of cloud to see the things that they saw.  What are you looking at? Are you ignoring the presence of God in your life? God has given us His Word to strengthen us and grow us so that we might see Him and His hand as we take this journey. Do you read it? If you’re willing to take inventory of your own life, I would encourage you to do that and then I challenge you to try to think of just one time when God failed you.  Just once.  Many of you have had to deal with some pretty tough stuff, things that just don’t seem fair and right.  God will be glorified; even in that, God will be glorified.  I want to encourage you to take the time to look around and recount the goodness of God in your own life, and then give Him thanks.  Just give Him thanks!  Acknowledge His presence and give Him thanks!  After you have given thanks to God, share it with someone else and then watch to see how God might use that to glorify Himself.  As you do that, my hope is that it will force you to rise up in a prayer of thanksgiving with your needs list set aside.  God knows what you need.  He knew what the Israelites needed and He took pretty good care of them.  May what you see bring belief and praise and glory to God!

Praying for you!
Jerry 

In the middle of the night, early Monday morning, I was awake, and after a period of time I was not able to go back to sleep.  As I often do when I cannot sleep, I begin to go through my prayer list in my mind and pray for those listed.  If I am totally honest, somewhere in that list, I dose off and fall back to sleep.  Yes, I do fall asleep when I pray.  I work my way through my wife, my kids, their spouses, and then my grandchildren, and then God will bring various people to mind.  On this particular occasion, God reminded me of people who I have been praying for for a while and I was struck by something.  Was God listening?  Does He care about the things that I care about?  Are the people who I am praying for really a priority on His list?  Here I am praying for these people and it seems as though we are making little to no progress.  Allow me to give you some examples:

I have a friend who shares my love of boating and just being around the water.  He is the one responsible for me purchasing a boat almost 20 years ago.  (It was his fault Robbi)  His wife really does not care at all to be in a boat.  She borders on hating it and he has not only one boat, but two!  My wife would much rather be on the shore line watching me enjoy my time on the water rather than experiencing the adventure of being my navigator in the boat.  This friend thoroughly enjoys being on the water and yet a couple of years ago, he had back surgery as well as several other medical complications that prohibit him from being able to do the things that he once was able to do.  We were told by the surgeon that he would probably never walk again and yet, today he walks.  He has sold one of his boats and is coming to the realization that his boating days might be coming to an end.  He is a man of God, and I know that he and his wife have prayed for the restoration of his balance and strength in his legs.  I hurt for him and I pray for him regularly, and yet as he often says:  “I am about as good as I am ever going to be here on this earth.”  Why would God prevent him from being able to enjoy something that he has enjoyed for many, many years.  

I have a friend who has been battling depression for several years.  He was a vibrant follower of Jesus.  He taught Sunday School for years and served in the leadership of his local church faithfully.  He has been an extremely successful businessman who God has used to help out people less fortunate than he at home and even more so on mission fields around the world.  He has not only given significant amounts of money, but he has also devoted hours and hours of time and his own physical labor to the works in Indonesia, Africa, and Haiti.  For years he prayed and asked God to remove his battle with depression that seems to run in his family.  He has begged God to relieve him of this struggle and God has not seen fit to do so. He believes that he is a burden to those around him, he struggles from a lack of sleep and he has grown weary to the point that he has tried to escape all of his pain by attempting to take his own life twice.  He has given up on God and is now trying to deal with everything in his own way, and it is not working too well.  I pray for him and his wonderful wife regularly as well as his six children and yet God seems to be silent.  His wife is continually begging God to restore his faith.  What do you suppose God might be doing?  Is He listening to any of our prayers?

I have a friend who is a faithful follower of Jesus.  He is a successful eye doctor who has on several occasions taken trips to third world countries to spend a week ministering to people who have vision problems and God has used him.  He and his wife have four daughters who all love the Lord.  Recently they have been experiencing several medical challenges in their family that have included a stay at Mayo Clinic for his wife including surgery.  He also has a young daughter who has been experiencing GI problems for several years now.  They have seen several doctors including several hospital stays and it just seems as though none of them are able to determine exactly what she is battling.  She has been given experimental drugs and is currently on her 5th biological medication.  She has every reason to be discouraged, and I am sure that there are times when she is, however, God used her recently to lead a boy to the saving knowledge of Jesus.  She is a good girl who loves the Lord, so why doesn’t God heal her body?  Why doesn’t God answer the heart-wrenching prayers of her daddy?  Wouldn’t you think that they could work out some kind of deal with God?  

I have a friend who has been a faithful servant of God for many many years.  He has pastored a church; he has pastored pastors; and he has served as VP for a large Christian publisher.  He has encouraged many young authors and God has used him to encourage me for more than 30 years now.  He will be 90 years old this December and he is a man of prayer.  If you want someone to pray for you, ask him, because he does it.  He meets regularly with men to pray with them and encourage them and to teach them to pray.  He is a man of prayer!  He has a beautiful wife of more than 60 years who has recently been diagnosed with Ahlzeimers.  Recently, because of the pandemic, he was not able to be with her.  She is living in the same complex however she is in a specialized care section where he was only able to meet with her twice a week for a couple of hours and they were required to maintain distancing of at least 8 feet.  He sat in one chair on one side of the room and she sat in another on the other side of the room.  He loves his wife.  He has been willing to care for her as best as he could but it got to a point where he could no longer do so.  He could not touch her let alone hold her and she would ask him “what’s wrong?  Why will you not hold me?”  It ripped his heart out and yet he prayed.  He begged God to provide a way for them to be together, but he had to wait.  In the meantime, he still met with the men to pray and to teach them to pray, and he continued to encourage me.  This man prays for everyone!  When I called him to talk, he would tell me about the heartache of not being able to be with his wife, but then he would immediately proclaim the goodness and faithfulness of God.  Amazing!  God has provided for a way for them to be together again and he praises God continually for that, but his wife is still battling Ahlzeimers.  Wouldn’t you think that God would cut this faithful man and his wife a little slack?  He keeps praying!

I could go on and on and tell you about people from our church who are dealing with lots of stuff.  Just check out our prayer list.  There are some who have been on that list since the first day I started providing the church with a prayer list.  Is it every going to end?

The question that comes to my mind every time I pray for these people is “How much longer Lord?”  “God, why does this have to continue?”  One of my friends has asked that question over and over again and has now given up on God.  Please pray for him!  Why does God seemingly not answer?  Oh yes, He does answer all of our prayers, but why does He say “no” or “wait” sometimes?  The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. (1Thessalonians 5:16-18) Maybe this is God’s way of keeping us on our knees?  How would you pray differently if God answered all of your prayers the way that you wanted Him to?  Would you even pray?  Would your earnestness and urgency fade if all you had to do was praise Him?  Wouldn’t that get old?  We are told in Scripture that the grace of God is sufficient for all of our needs, (2 Cor 12:9) so maybe God’s plan is for us to keep asking Him to give us the grace that only He can give to press on?  I think God enjoys those kinds of prayer.  I think God desires for us to know how utterly dependent we are on Him and how faithful He really is.  My suggestion is that you keep talking to Him.  Keep asking Him for His grace that is sufficient for whatever it is that you are facing.  Don’t stop!  Keep praying!
 
One more thing.  I have a friend who I need to tell all of you about.  These four men above that I have told you about are all great friends who have impacted my life in one way or another. They are very special to me.  But, I have a friend with whom they do not compare.  Proverbs 18:24 speaks of “…a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”  Jesus is that friend with whom there is no comparison.  He knows all about our prayer list.  He knows all about your prayer list.  He knows all about your aching heart.  He is faithful to answer your prayer AND provide the grace that you need to make it to tomorrow.  Then, tomorrow, He will do the same.  Talk to Him!  Let Him hear your heart!  Then, trust Him!  He will teach you how to pray, and you will then be able to give Him the praise and glory that He deserves.

Pray, pray, pray without ceasing!

Jerry 

How will you finish that sentence?  Just yesterday, our country held its national election.  Because I am writing this on Tuesday morning, I do not know what the election results are or if we will even have the results any time soon.  Maybe you stayed up all night hoping to get the results that you have been praying for.  Maybe you got them, and maybe you did not.  You might not have them for several days.  If you are part of that group, then you may or may not be thinking that this morning is “good”.  Maybe you just want to stay in bed and pull the covers over your head and cry?  Maybe you want to pull your bottom lip over your head and swallow so that you do not have to deal with all that is about to happen?  Maybe you have all kinds of questions because the “wrong person” won?  Maybe there are riots breaking out all over the country because people are not happy with the results?  Maybe you could not care any less about this election because you or a loved one are battling a sickness and just want to stay alive?  Maybe you have just lost a loved one and you have no idea of what you are going to do?  The election means little or nothing to you because you are overwhelmed?  

Do you get the picture?  It is morning and what am I going to do with this day?  What do I truly desire out of this day?  

About a week ago I made a suggestion to all Christians on Facebook.  I do not put much on Facebook other than to share something that I thought was funny or thoughtful that I saw on someone elses page from time to time.  I was watching the news and listening to all of the junk that is going on with the social media companies and how they seem to have an agenda.  Everyone is offering their opinions and thoughts about how to deal with all of this and God impressed upon me to just share His Word and then allow Him to use it however He chooses to do so.  My mission is to share His Word and make little to no commentary.  I wanted to simply proclaim the Word of God as it is written and then pray that He would use it. I have received several comments and “likes” each day but that was not my goal.  My desire was that people would read the passage, allow it to penetrate their minds and hearts , and then share it or share a verse of their own choosing.  

On Monday I shared Psalm 143:8 “Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You.  Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.”  I can almost picture David laying his head on his pillow after a long and difficult day and he prays like most of us do, and yet it is probably very different from our prayers.  It is not uncommon at all for Robbi and I to go to bed at night and pray for our kids and our grandchildren.  It is not uncommon for us to pray for our church family and friends as we rehearse in our minds all that is going on in each of your lives.  It is not uncommon for us to think through the struggles of the day and then cast those anxieties at the feet of Jesus as we are told to do and then to also thank God for the blessings of the day.  That is all good stuff, and it is what we should be doing.  We are always hopeful for a good night of sleep.  But I have to admit that it is not too often that I ask God that if He is going to be busy while I am sleeping, that He would bring me news of His unfailing love in the morning.  Is that what I truly desire?  Is that the first thing on my mind in the morning?  Not usually.

You will be waking up this morning to news alerts on your phones or morning news commentators and political pundits bringing you news of what happened yesterday and last night as you slept.  It will be all over the TV stations and the newspapers.  There might even be riots and protests that have broken out around our country that will cause you to shake your head in wonder and amazement.  “Why do those people think that this is right and proper?”  What do you suppose your day might be like if instead you woke up to news and a reminder of God’s unfailing love?  How would that impact your day?  How would that change your perspective on the day?  You do realize that God loves you, don’t you?  Have you forgotten His promises to you as His child?  Are you “…convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, (INCLUDING ELECTION RESULTS) will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our LORD.” (Romans 8:38-39)  Do you realize what that means?  Isaiah 41:10 tells us “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you: I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” God is not telling us that we will not be faced with trials and difficulties, but He is telling us that He WILL strengthen us and help us and that He WILL hold us with His right hand.  That sounds to me a little like “unfailing love” and it is all yours if you are a follower of Jesus.  

We have always tried to make the focus of this devotional prayer, and this is the prayer of a man who is being pursued; he is tired and about ready to give up, and yet as he lays his head on his pillow at night he asks God to have the morning brings him news of the unfailing love of God. Why not give it a try? 

The following hymn is one of my favorites.  As you read the words, maybe the melody will come to memory, but I want to encourage you to allow those words to paint a picture in your mind and heart of what the love of God might look like.  Check it out:

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Refrain:
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky. 

Have a great day basking in the reality of the love of God!

“O LORD, how long will You forget me?  Forever?  How long will You look the other way?  How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day?  How long will my enemy have the upper hand?  Turn and answer me, O LORD my God!  Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.” (Psalm13:1-3 NLT)

Man, does that not sound familiar?  Can you relate to that?  David wrote this psalm when he was exhausted and depressed.  Depressed?  Yes, David was depressed.  King Saul’s pursuit of him had gone on for years and David had done him no wrong; in fact, he was a faithful servant who respected the king. He had opportunities to take king Saul out and he did not do it.  In fact, when king Saul was killed David genuinely mourned for him.  But right now, David is tired and depressed.  I have to believe that if David were living today, he would look at everything that is going on around us and feel pretty much the same way. “When is this pandemic going to end?  When can we get back to normal?  Why is there so much hatred and anger between people?  Why have people resorted to this kind of action?  What are people thinking?  Why all of the violence?  Why the rioting and destruction?  What is that going to accomplish?  What is wrong with our government and our leaders?  They act like children!”

Have you asked any of those questions?  Maybe you are dealing with health issues and it seems as though when one thing is treated and it seems as though you are making progress, the next shoe drops.  Doctor visit after doctor visit, hospital stay after hospital stay, and it seems like you are getting no where. “How much longer LORD?”  It might be that you have a boss or co-worker who you just cannot please.  You have tried to be kind; you have gone out of your way to do extra; and still, they just seem to not like you and it seems as though they never will.  “How much longer LORD?”

David is at his wit’s end.  As you read Psalm 13 you can sense his frustration and inclination to just give up.  Someone wrote this:  “…man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.  When we are at our wit’s end, without resources, at a loss for a way, perplexed and desperate–that is usually when we see God begin to work. But before He does anything about our situation He wants to do something about ourselves, and that is where we begin to hedge.  We want God to deal with our complication; He wants to develop our character.  We want Him to change our circumstances; He wants to change us first.  That is why He allowed the circumstances.”  Are we okay with that?  Are you willing to wait on God’s process and plan?  David was frustrated.  Is that wrong?  

I believe that God has given us Psalm 13 to teach us how to pray; how to talk to Him.  He can handle your questions.  He can handle your frustrations.  You are not going to upset Him if you genuinely want an answer.  Are you willing to hear what He might have to say, or as in this case here, are you willing for Him to say nothing?  Keep reading Psalm 13.  I have no idea how much time passed between verse 4 and verse 5.  I like to call your attention to that white space between those two verses.  What happened there?  How much time passed? What was David thinking there?  We are not told.  We know nothing about that white space other than what we have experienced ourselves.  David moves from asking question after question, obviously showing some frustration, to declaring in verse 5 that he trusts in God’s unfailing love.  But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation.   (v.5)  What happened?  I am not sure, but I have to think that it might have something to do with his request in verse 3 where he says Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death.  It is almost as if David is saying “God, please give me something.”  

Somewhere and sometime between verse 4 and verse 5 God put a “rainbow” in the mind of David.  David began to think and remember the faithfulness of God all throughout his own life.  God delivered him from the bear and the lion.  God delivered him from Goliath and the Philistines.  God delivered him from the corruption of success and the jealousy of Saul. “He has come through tears to truth and through truth to triumph.”  When David rehearses all of this in His mind, it grabs a hold of his heart and he begins to sing.  “Have David’s actual immediate circumstances changed?  No.  Has Saul called off his bloodhounds and his bullies?  No.  Is Saul dead?  No.  Has David received a new shipment of arms?  No.  Nothing has changed.  But David can sing because God hasn’t changed.”

Has the pandemic ended?  No.  Are things anywhere close to normal?  No.  Has the hatred and anger ceased?  No, in fact it seems to be getting worse.  Have the riots and violence and destruction ended?  No, in fact authorities are preparing for more.  Do you have the answers to your health questions?  No, I have more questions.  Have things improved with the co-worker or boss?  No. Nothing has changed!  God hasn’t either!!!  Throw yourself into the white space between verses 4 & 5 and trust in His unfailing love.  Rejoice in your salvation!  He has been so, so good to me and to you!  It’s okay to ask!

That is an answer to a phone call that none of us ever want to hear.  It is a tool that has been given to us in the case where we find ourselves in a situation where we are in trouble and need help.  We are either not able to solve the problem or we do not know how to do it.  We are in many ways, helpless.  That is not a good feeling, because we like to think that we can handle just about anything that comes our way.  What do you do and where do you go when you are forced to look what seems impossible right in the eye?  Who do you call when you have an emergency?

I want to encourage you to use the “911” that the Bible gives to us.  Psalm 91:1 is available to every child of God to serve as a reminder of what we already have because of Jesus.  “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest (or abide) in the shadow of the Almighty.”   Did you catch that?  Do you know what that is saying?  The thing that everyone of us wants when we call “911” is the assurance that help is on the way as well as comfort to know that things are going to be ok.  As Christians, we get more than that!  Help is not on the way, it is already there.  This verse is telling us that those who draw near to God can have peace in Him no matter how difficult their circumstances.  Peace!  Wouldn’t that be nice.  My mom while raising seven of us kids would say that all that she wanted “was a little peace and quiet.”

I am writing this on Tuesday morning and I just heard my wife talking to one of her dearest friends on the phone.  They were talking about Covid and she asked how I was doing.  They talked about their children and grandchildren and all that is going on.  Her friend said “I can’t stand to watch the news anymore because I have no idea what to believe.”  She said “I suppose God can bring something good out of all of this but I sure don’t know how.”  Does that not sound like most all of our conversations today?  I am sure that most everyone reading this has wondered how all of this is going to work out.  I am sure that many of us would love to give God a thought or an idea of how He might be able to handle this a little better so that people will understand.  We need to make sure that * * * * * is elected because if he/she is not, we are really going to be in a lot of trouble.  The thing that we need to understand is that it really does not matter who wins the election.  What???  I am not saying that there are not going to be consequences of the election but you ask “are you serious?”  Yes I am!  I base that comment not on being a wise guy or being reckless but on Proverbs 21:1 where the Bible tells me this:  “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases.”  Another version says it this way:  “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He will.”  Do we really understand what that means?  God raised up Pharaoh for His own purposes and His glory; why do we think that He cannot and will not do that again?  Does that concern you?  Does that bother you?  Are you able to do anything about it?  Call 91:1.  “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest (or abide) in the shadow of the Almighty.”

One of my favorite verses is found in Psalm 46.  The Psalm starts with some pretty startling realities.  If you were to look at the first three verses you will learn that there is trouble all around.  There is a cosmic collapse and the earth is giving way.  Mountains are falling into the sea, the seas are roaring and the mountains are quaking.  The psalmist then says “Selah” or think about that for a minute.  Someone once told me to define Selah as “put that in your pipe and smoke it.”  You get the picture.  He then goes on to talk about political collapse in that nations are raging and kingdoms are on the brink of ruin.  Does not all of that sound familiar?  How about the hurricanes, tsunami’s, fires burning out of control in California and previously in Australia, earthquakes all around the world, tornadoes, derecho winds, and a pandemic.  “Selah.”  Think about that for a little while.  Have you asked the question:  “What in the world is going on?”  Have you concluded that Jesus has got to be coming back soon?

Look at the what the Psalmist says in the middle of all of the unrest that we have just read about:  Ps.46:7 “The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”  “Selah” He goes on to encourage us to “Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations He has brought on the earth.” (v.8)  God did it!  God is at work!  “He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear, He burns the shields with fire.”  (v.9)  In the middle of all of this, at the climax of everything, God’s voice breaks through:  (v.10) “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”  It is in the middle of all of this turmoil and all that is happening that God tells us to be still.  How is it possible for us to be still?  How can we possibly rest securely and without fear when all of this “Junk” is going on?  Know that He is God!  You have seen Him work in your own life.  You have seen His hand all throughout the Bible.  The same God who parted the Red Sea for His people is the God who we serve.  He delivered Daniel from lions, He delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from an intense fiery furnace, He delivered you from eternity in hell.  Why stop trusting Him now?  The Psalmist continues in v.11 with a proclamation of “The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”  “Selah”   You think about that!

Let me suggest that if all of this chaos is taking place, and it is;  If everything seems to be out of control, and it does; that there is no better place to be than Psalm 91:1 dwelling in the shelter of the Most High and resting in the shadow of the Almighty.  Dwell there and you will find rest.  It will change the way you pray too.  Selah!!!
Thanks for praying for us.  We will be praying for you too.

Jerry & Robbi 

“I will be praying for you.”  We are known to say that when we are talking to someone who is going through a rough spot.  It is something that we, at least I know that I have, say pretty easily and flippantly to let someone know that we care about them.  “I will be thinking about you” or “you’re in our thoughts and prayers.”  What does that mean?  What is it that you are committing to do?  Is that supposed to make the recipient of those words feel better?  Why is it that it sometime takes a hard place in our own lives to realize how empty those words can be?  I know that people pray!  I was talking to Joe Dunbar one time about this very thing and Joe told me that if he tells someone that he is going to pray for them that immediately after saying the words , he prays for that person.  That’s good.  Joe did exactly what he said he would do.  I am asking do we get under the burden of that difficulty and truly pray for that person?  Do you ask God to bring them to remembrance from time to time so that you can pray for them?  Do you put their name on a list that you will see to prompt you to pray for them?  

I have a book that I have shared with several people titled The Red Sea Rules that God has used to help me through some pretty tough times.  The whole book is based around the truth of the same God who led you in will lead you out.  It’s focus is on the lessons that can be learned around the Israelite nation being led out of Egypt to the shores of the Red Sea with the raging Egyptians closing in on them.  In one spot the author says this:  “Our whole perspective changes when, finding ourselves in a hard place, we realize the Lord has either placed us there or allowed us to be there, perhaps for reasons presently known only to Himself.”  Read that again and let it sink in. Do you suppose that that truth might change the way you pray?  If you knew, if you believed, that the circumstances that you currently are in were ordered or allowed by the sovereign and providential hand of God, would it change the way you pray?  Would it change the way you react to what it is that you are facing?  There is not one thing that happens in your life or mine that is outside of ever-loving hand of God.  

We have all heard of the horrors of Covid-19, and God has as well.  I am not going to be stupid and reckless as I take this journey, but I sure am thankful that God walks with Robbi and I and He will give us the grace and mercy needed to endure.  Thanks for praying for us.  We will be praying for you too.

Jerry & Robbi