WHAT DO I DO?

In the Bible,in I Samuel 30:6, we find David encouraging himself in the LORD. Like this young man, David may have sat in a place similar to this and contemplated a mountain rising up before him. An insurmountable mountain at that.

David and his men had been gone from their home for a time caught up in one battle or another.  Now he was coming home. He was looking forward to seeing his home in Ziklag. He was tired, his men were tired, and they couldn’t get there fast enough. They were weary in the battle. Have you been weary in the battle lately? I sure have. I feel like if I hear those two words Covid-19 I’m going to just go back to bed and forget the year 2020. Wake me when it’s over! I heard a man on the news call this “The Age of Coronovirus.” and well it may be from now on. Everything in our world has changed so fast we haven’t had time to catch our breath before some new problem created by the virus emerges on the horizon. Not to mention getting ill or having someone we love get ill.

In our Scripture today,  though we find the weariness, we find the hope and anticipation. David and his men were looking forward to seeing their families once again. Some of us feel like that today. We can’t wait until we can be together with family again. That will come. Perhaps the waiting will make that moment even better. Maybe we have taken too much for granted.

Back to David–Immediately  a problem arose. When they approached their home they noticed something didn’t seem right. In fact the village of Ziklag was not alright. There were no welcoming homes becaise they had all been burned. There were no laughing children or  loving wives running out to meet them. The moment of rejoicing died on their lips. In fact there was a deadly silence of emptiness. All of their families,  possessions, and homes were gone. There was nothing left. There was utter and total devastation.

Extreme discouragement overwhelmed the soldiers and they fell to the ground weeping. The worst thing that they may have dreaded while they were gone had occurred. Everyone they loved was gone.

It didn’t take long for them to turn on David. Since the beginning of time people always look for someone else besides themselves to blame. If David had not led them out to battle– Even though they willingly went. Then all would be well.

David was not only in fear of his men turning on him; he couldn’t imagine why God allowed this to happen. Couldn’t God have protected his family and friends while he went forth to do battle? I’m sure David was trusting God to do so.

Now what was David to do, he not only suffered the same heartache as his soldiers, but they were threatening to stone him.

It didn’t take long for David to realize that his only hope, even in this dark and desperate time, was to turn to his God. The end of verse six reads– “but David encouraged  himself in the Lord.”

He didn’t run around trying to figure out how to hide from his men that wanted to stone him. He didn’t try to come up with an instant plan to go after the enemy that had destroyed the town. He didn’t give up even though all seemed lost. Instead he resolved to focus on God. I have a sign on my fridge that read “Track Your Thinking.” It is from a study I did some years ago. Sometimes we have to stop trying to “fix” a problem ourselves either mentally or physically and just stop. We need to clear our mind and settle our thoughts and track our thinking. If I am worried about getting sick what can I do? Realize I don’t have all the answers and resolve to cross that bridge when I get there. I am not there today so wasting today worrying is a huge mistake. Not only that, I think our brain controls so much of our health that giving into that fear is counterproductive to actually staying well.  Yes, I may get there only God knows the future. He full well knew what David and his men would encounter that day. But God had a plan and actually it was a good one.

In our passage of Scripture we find David calling  for a priest. Some of you may never attend a regular church but there is a multitude of teaching and preaching on line. On a discouraging day find one and be uplifted by the preaching of God’s Word. Even more than that let’s examine our own hearts for any secret sins hidden there and spend this time getting our lives and hearts right with Him. Maybe now is the time to have a small devotional Bible time with your family and revisit some of those old stories about Jonah and Jesus. You might even finding them way more interesting today then you did long ago. Perhaps make a plan to attend a church when this is over.

Your children need you to teach them about God and His Word. Who else will? The television will teach them all the wrong things if you let it.  Its dangerous humanistic philophsy fills the airwaves minute by minute. None of it points to the real problem but sugar coats it and tells we are fine. Which as human beings, as a whole, we are not fine. We are not and can not be perfect. We were born sinners and we will stay sinners. The only hope is recognizing our sin, confessing, and turning to God and putting Him first in our lives.

When we have lost hope and things seem hopeless the only one who has an answer is God. We can try to devise a plan. We can worry over what to do next. We can wear out our carpet walking back and forth and giving into fear or we can sit down take out the Bible and go to the book of Psalms and encourage ourselves in the LORD. It is the only thing that will work.

As David encouraged himself by  inquiring of God. He asked the question and God immediately answered with a plan to recover their loss. As we read and listen to the Holy Spirit’s gentle voice within we will also find an answer to what we should do.

The Bible is the living Word just as relevant today as yesterday and will be tomorrow no matter what happens in our life.  Time in the Word will calm your fearful heart and give you some peace and a plan going forward.

David found that and went and recovered all of his people taken captive plus all of his possessions and more.

The miracle here is that none was missing, killed, or destroyed. God had been protecting David’s people and possessions all along. David didn’t have to be there at Ziglag to fight the battle because God was there.

Things may look grim from our vantage point today but God is in the future. He has a plan. He has not forgotten us. He is not unaware of the threat and our old enemy Satan. We can trust Him.

God will fight our battles if we let Him. If we demand to fight ourselves He will let that too. But isn’t it good to rest in Him knowing that He’s got this. He knew all about this virus and our economy. None of this is a surprise to Him. What a great God we serve! Always present, always prepared, always showing us the pathway. That formidable mountain that looks impossible to scale? Well God is there just waiting for us to stretch our little muscles of faith so we can grow them and strengthen them. No mountain is unconquerable with Him by our side.

In our story David and his men lost nothing and even gained. From this difficult experience of coronovirus may we lose nothing and gain all.

MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN

These are difficult days for all of us. Time marches on and we have  no answers to how long this isolation will control our lives. How long are we going to hear daily updates on Covid-19? Will life ever get back to normal? Why is this happening? In the blink of an eye we hear of a deadly disease that is out to get us all. In the blink of an eye many of the stores and most restaurants we enjoyed are closed. In the blink of an eye some of us have lost our jobs. Suddenly a future that seemed bright with promise has turned into a long dark tunnel that seems to never end.

Of course we all fear getting sick or for someone we love to get this virus. Even as believers God does not promise us that we are exempt from sickness and death. These are realities we actually face every day just not as in focus as today. Why? We live in a fallen and imperfect world. Ever since sin entered in to the human race none of us has been totally safe from the dangers that life presents.

Sometimes, most times, we forget that this life is not all that there is for us. We really do have a bright future we just aren’t there yet. When Jesus left his disciples behind He said ” I go to prepare a place for you that where I am there will you be also.”

In spite of sickness and death that surrounds and sometimes becomes part of us, there is still a brighter future in heaven with Him where no sickness and no death will ever occur to us and our loved ones again.

As bad as this plague is for us as believers be aware of the unbelievers. They are fearful for good reason. They have no hope of heaven. In fact death is the doorway to eternal punishment. We need to fervently pray that many hearts will turn to God and repent at this time. Perhaps this is God’s final wake up call to a nation that has in recent years grown cold about spiritual things.

I could go on in that vein a long time but my purpose today is to write about mountains in our lives. We talked about about how reaching up for that handhold –a verse from God’s Word–and placing our faith in trust in Him will help us conquer this mountain of fear and doubt and disease but I thought of something else lately.

Thinking of the 12 disciples—did they go searching for Jesus and ask Him to be a disciple?

No He chose them. Just like He chose us. “We love Him because He first loved us.” Not the other way around.

No Jesus selected His disciples out of hundreds of others.  He walked by and said, “Come and follow me,” and they willingly left all they had and their lives to follow Him.

Remember that day when He called you? Come and repent and link your life to mine. “There is a verse that says bound up in the bundle of life—with the LORD God.” We became bound up in that bundle. I Samuel 25:29

The disciples’ life on the day He called them became bound up in the bundle of life with His.

Did they truly understand what they had given up their former lives for? Did they really understand first of all that He was the Messiah that they had looked for? The Gospels seem to teach that some of them did and some of them did not. It took some convincing for some of them to realize fully who Jesus was.

With this realization came indescribable hope. But it would not be what they hoped it to be. You see they thought that when Messiah came He would set up His kingdom and rule and reign. We find the verses in the Gospels that describe how the mother of James and John approached Jesus one day to ask that her sons sit on each side of Jesus when He came into His kingdom. She wasn’t talking about in the after life she meant now in that day and time. The disciples truly believed that they had surrendered their lives to Jesus ultimate  victory and importance as they would reign along side of Him and defeat the Roman oppression.

This is why they would not hear of Jesus’ death when He described it. They just did not get it. For the Jews, Messiah was coming to rule and reign on earth, which we know He will, but their timing was off. God often works in mysterious and unexpected ways.

Soon, however, they would get the whole picture and understand that the time was not right for Jesus to set up His kingdom. This was to be a future event. Then the victorious life of ruling and reigning with Messiah at that time were vanquished. Their true calling was revealed to them. It was to suffer persecution and to die for their faith in Him. Amazingly they did not turn back. After realizing their purpose would be one of hardship and trial the message of hope that they carried burned bright in their inner being. They were willing to accept their fate of suffering and ultimate death to tell others of Jesus. To bring others to faith in Christ. To give others hope and spiritual healing.

I heard of a pastor in Africa say,  “A convert is one, that when troubles come  give up on their faith. A disciple is one who, even though they know that this life of following Messiah will not be a bed of roses, still sticks to the stuff. Are you a convert? Or a disciple? Yes we must have converts. That is the beginning but then we need disciples.

Disciples willing to weather the storm, climb the mountain paths of life, and  trust in God no matter the discomfort and hardship. No matter the uncertain and fearful surroundings. No matter Satan’s taunting persecutions.

So while there will be good times, precious times, victorious times, in our walk with God, there will also be mountains placed in our way for us to climb. That mountain rises up and we have no choice but to go over it. Impossible it seems but it is a mountain that God has already conquered and He is just waiting for us to join Him at the top.. He sits there cheering us on with every handhold every step with His Word. No mountain is too hard to conquer when it is one that God has allowed in our life but we must do our part in time spent in the Word and prayer. Confessing our sins and growing closer to Him. Learning to accept His will for our life when it doesn’t look like what we imagined.  How does God ultimately view this world–“the harvest ripe. Souls need to be saved, some quite ready to be saved, now before worse days come upon the earth. He gently asks–” Where are the laborers?” Yes, in the midst of this distress He needs laborers that reach out with the message of God. Repent, turn from your wicked ways and be saved from your sins and join your heart to Mine.

Especially, when this plague passes over we need to be prayed up and ready to witness like never before. Hearts will be more tender and ready. Hand out those Bible tracts and speak of Word of salvation to those you meet.

What am I saying exactly? The Christian life will not always be easy. We will have many questions.  Why has God allowed sorrows and  heartaches in our lives. We may be called to give up everything to follow Him. It won’t be an easy comfortable life. It was never meant to be. But we are called and we are sustained and we are hopeful. He abides in us and works through us and will never leave  us or forsake us and there are better days ahead. Perhaps not here on this planet but in His heavenly kingdom will be peace, love, and satisfaction forever and ever. His reward for our temporary sufferings will be great. We just have to believe, hang on, and pull ourselves up towards that summit of the mountain. Just keep your focus on the glories that will be revealed when you reach the top. Just think of His gentle smile just for you  and His Words,”Well done, enter now into the joy of  your Lord.”

UP THE MOUNTAIN

So today we find ourselves on the mountain endeavoring to reach the top. Some handholds have been easy but others are a real stretch.

I know that Proverbs 3:5  is a much used verse in times of trouble and rightly so. It begins with the words “Trust in the LORD.” When it comes to scaling this mountain of Covid-19 with it’s doubt and fear these words are good ones to repeat often to ourselves silently and sometimes out loud. Our enemy Satan wants us to doubt, fear, worry, and stress. Most of all he wants us to just plain lose it. He loves to create frightening shadows in our lives with closet monsters just waiting to say “boo!” giving us a heart pounding scare. But the monster is not real and the shadow is just a figment of our overactive imagination. Satan for the most part is only a paper tiger.

The victory over sin and death and hopelessness has been won. That is what this past Easter was about. Victory over death.

The Bible tells us that God has not given us spirit of fear. So where does it come from? The clear answer is Satan and our own anxieties. ( II Timothy 1:7)

Moving forward with Proverbs 3:5 the next word”with all thine heart”  “Trust in the lord with all thine heart.  I know it is hard at times. I have been there. I have been in positions where trusting in the Lord with all my heart felt like stepping out on thin air wondering if He really would catch me. We all have those moments. What is important is to not dwell on them. Just do what God’s Word says. He will do the rest. I promise. I know.

That next handhold may seem like it is just out of reach and we just can’t do it and even if we reached it will it be sufficient space to pull us up? That is the next part of this verse “lean not unto  thine on understanding.” Yes my understanding looks at the challenge and sees it as too great, too un-doable. My ever active mind is busy  ‘logically’ explaining how this is just not going to work. I am on a precarious mountain I am half way up. Going down is not an option and these handholds are not that great. I know this.  I see this.   I am sure of this. But now this verse is telling me to ignore what I see and feel and just Trust.

Aaaah and here’s  the rub, we can limit God by not trusting. By not trusting that I can reach that handhold  and pull myself up on this shaky arm I am in fact limiting God’s ability to help me.  How do I know?

Because there is an interesting story in Scripture that I have always wondered at that I will share later.

Yes, we have made it up this far on the mountain; but can we really make it? What if we get sick or our family gets sick? How are we going to pay the bills? What if someone we love and depend on in our life dies. All of these are a distinct possibilities. Even thought in the past we have known God to protect us from sickness and heal us. Never have we been so bombarded by doomsday talk from the media.  In the past we have known God to provide our financial needs but this is different right? Just listen to the news and the terrible statistics. And yes some people are dying from this illness and every one’s future is uncertain because we just simply can’t see that far ahead.

Back to afore mentioned incident recorded  in Jesus life on earth  recorded in Mark 6:1-6. Jesus goes into a certain town and heals only a few but can do no great work Wait! Jesus healed everyone right? Not this time. You know why? They did not have faith that He could heal them. This points out an important component to our Christian walk even more than the verse that says that without faith it is impossible to please him.  This is huge.

in Psalm 78 we read that God became angry with the children of Israel because they believed not in Him and trusted not in His power to save. (verses 21,22) All this even though He commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven.”(verse 23)  in verse 41 we read “yea, they turned back (to their worrying and fretting and unbelief) and tempted or tested God’s patience and LIMITED THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL.”

Yes, our unbelief will limit Him.  So what is the answer? I know it is hard to trust.Believe me I know but I have also learned that faith, just like a muscle in our body,  must be used in order to grow strong. What can we do? Cry out to Him “LORD help my unbelief just like a man centuries(Mark 9:29) and He is there to help us as we cry out to Him

Can you feel you hand slipping into that next hand hold? Do you feel you arm strengthening just a little bit?  Now let’s pull ourselves up to stand in a safe place on the mountain.

Look around you stop, and take a breath and enjoy the view! It’s magnificent! Even more because this is a work God is doing in and through you. He is truly closer than a brother. He is best friend and Savior. Nothing is too hard for Him.   He’s got this. He just wants you to relax for a moment and look at that sparkling green valley below and that waterfall on the other side that sparkles like diamonds in the sunlight. What an exhilarating feeling!  Aren’t you glad that God has given you this mountain to climb? And because he has given us this mountain we can conquer it through His strength,  grace, and mercy.

Do your feet feel just a little bit unfamiliar?  That’s because they are just like hinds feet made steady, secure, and mountain ready. Did we actually think God that if God shows us to a mountain to climb He would forget the foot gear we need?

Mountain Climbing

Over these past few weeks we have heard a lot about reaching a peak in this illness. Once we reach the top of this peak, or shall we say mountain, we will begin to descend into normal life again. But we have to reach the peak first.

It makes me think of mountain climbing. Up front I have to tell  you  I have never scaled a climbing wall let alone a mountain. Not for wanting but because of health. I, however, love to watch movies and etc. about mountain climbing. I am always fascinated by the courage and strength that it takes to reach the summit and the slowness of the process as in the patient persistence.

The reason for anyone to attempt to scale the heights of a mountain is to reach the top and that for two reasons–the view and personal accomplishment.

Some years back when going through some really tough trials I began to see the accumulation of problems as a very high mountain. I also began to equate each challenge to conquer that mountain as grabbing for one more hand hold to pull myself up.

For instance once on the phone with the Light Co. about our bill that we were unable pay, I waited in agony to find someone there that could help me. As I waited I  imagined myself reaching for that next handhold. Stretching with all the faith and prayer in me to grab a hold of it and pull myself up by God’s grace and strength. Amazingly I was actually able to talk to some one who had the ability to help me with my need.

So I think that the days ahead will be like this. Climbing this mountain of Covid-19 little by little. There will be no quick resolution. No known in the midst of so much unknown and definitely fear which, I think, has to be a part of mountain climbing. The fear that you can’t reach the next hand hold. The fear that your feet will slip out from under  you plunging you into the depths of the valley below. The fear that your strength will give out. The fear that you aren’t up to this challenge. The fear of defeat.

Our lives have been upended, if not by the illness itself, by financial challenges. We have no idea what will come next. Most of us are just reaching up to grab that next hand hold pushing with all our might to do the right thing to keep ourselves and our families healthy. Reaching up to find a crevice that we can find and by our fingernails pull ourselves up for another day or week. And alone we cannot. We need God’s help.

So I plan to do some posts on mountain climbing because today we are all mountain climbers. We all desire to reach that summit and breath the rare air at the top with the relief that it will all be down hill from here.

I plan to uses verses as my handholds to pull me up just as I did in that time of my distress.  So in each post I will share a verse and a thought for the next hand hold and the next foot hold. We need foot holds as well. When the scripture records that His Word is a lamp unto my feet it speaks of the dark times when my feet fear to step forward because of the unknown and the unseen.  By the way, this verse refers to the practice in that long ago day of wearing lamps on their ankles to show the way.

Today we stand at the foot of the mountain looking up at a towering mountain filled with  dark and foreboding crevices.  I would say to you at this day and hour to set your heart on things above to seek the LORD.

Mountain climbing is rough and challenging work. So is walking with God at times.  The reason is because of a world filled with sin around us and our own sinful nature. Reaching up to God requires something of us. I am not talking about works to impress God of how good we are because none of us can ever be “good.” We were conceived and born into sin and we are sinners from the cradle to the grave. It is in our nature to want our own way and to rebel against God and His commandments. Hence the reason Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that we can have forgiveness of sins. He was the perfect sinless Son of God and He endured great suffering and pain to make the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

Once we have asked Him to forgive us for our sins and come into our heart and life we become one with Him as His Holy Spirit indwells in us. While our soul is redeemed and we have a new spirit in Him; our flesh is still fallen and sinful. That is why we still deal with temptations and lusts that we know are not acceptable to Him.

It is so easy in daily life to just go along with the crowd, the media,  and life itself without stopping to  reflect on our actions. We know it is important to spend time in the Word and in prayer but we find ourselves making excuses. We are too busy. We are not a morning person. Our children are a constant interruption. There are just not enough hours in a day. I experienced this many years ago when I was raising a family and working outside the home and within. You ladies know what I mean. I heard all the sermons about getting up early in the morning before daylight and spending time in the Word. Very Proverbs 31 woman. A  good goal but a lofty one for some of us. I would make a commitment to do that and fail. Again and again until I realized one day I had stopped reading my Bible altogether because I couldn’t wake up at 5 AM and make sense of anything let alone read Scripture. I felt like a failure. The truth was that God did not design me this way. I am a night person. So I went back to reading the Word and spending time in meditation at a time that worked for me. Since I worked half day I generally went to grab some lunch and eat in the park. There I would unwind, read my Bible, walk and meditate. Yes it is good to start  your day with the Word and I congratulate all of you that can; but I found what worked for me. We are all individuals and we need to take that into account when we make a commitment like this and find the way that works best for us. As far as mornings, later in life I found just reading a few passages that I could reflect upon on my way to work( by then I lived in the country and had more of a drive) was also very beneficial.

Back to my point– by not including God in our thoughts and prayers daily we begin to become callous to sin. If we don’t attend church on a regular basis or listen to preaching on line our  hearts quickly grow cold and distracted with earthly things. Things down here at the bottom of the mountain we wander.

I do find it interesting that this disease began to take hold in our nation during Lent a time of reflection on Jesus’s sacrifice don’t  you? Now as we come to the celebration of that event this year will be very different than any other we have known.  Those that thought church etc was a bore are probably wishing now just to be able to attend a church in the midst of others as they worship Him.

So I encourage you to look up and reach up for that first hand hold. Every journey begins with one step, one movement, one reaching out to the unknown ahead.

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” Acts 16:31

THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH

Walking with God requires faith, hope, and perseverance. The journey will not always be easy. Some trails we find ourselves on may lead us into dark and wooded places. Some times we will walk in fields of sunshine filled with beautiful flowers, our spirits soaring on the wings of our salvation.

Other times we may find ourselves trekking through long, lonely valleys with no end in sight. We may at times be in a sea of doubt and despair with only the stars to lead us home.

Sometimes we will be totally in our comfort zone as we serve God and praise Him. Other times we may find it difficult to praise Him because we are on a difficult and rocky path, stumbling along.

God never promised us that our Christian walk would be easy. In fact Jesus warned His disciples ===In this world you will have trouble. But also said to be encouraged because He had overcome the world.

Many years ago my family had a great need. At that time I found these verses in the book of Habakkuk in the Bible. Chapter 3. Verses 17-19 and I began to practice them. As I did this God began to meet our needs in amazing ways. I think they are good verses for our day and age. For this moment of disease, lost jobs, fear, uncertainty and possible calamity.

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, ( remember in Habakkuk’s day this was very serious because they relied on their crops for survival just like we rely on paychecks today) Neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail , and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold , and there shall be no herd in the stalls:”

This is a dire picture for an economy that depends solely on what they can grow and how much their herds yielded for their meat. In fact in a time like this it would look hopeless. Famine was upon the land and people would go hungry and die.

Fortunately today we have plenty of provision except maybe toilet paper. If that panic we have seen over one daily product we need has been overwhelmingly evident  of our human nature when faced with the possiblity of not having a provision handy that we depend on—just think of suddenly no food anywhere. Fortunately we are no where near that today. Just as we didn’t know this virus was coming neither did Habakkuk know that this terrible season of loss was coming. No chance to store up food or prepare for empty shelves. No expecting the trucks to come in with provisions by next week.  Habakkuk is speaking of desperate times.

But now lets see how he handles it. He doesn’t panic and rush out in fear trying to find some remnant of provision somewhere. He doesn’t cave in to the situation at hand and give up on God. He doesn’t blame God for this time of loss. Instead he looks to God for help. Because at a time like this only God can help.

verse 18–“Yet I(Habakkuk) will rejoice in the LORD–” Just let that sink in for a moment. Most of  times it is easy to rejoice in the LORD as we receive His abundant blessings. Rejoicing and thankfulness come natural. But in a moment of desperation and loss. In a moment of fear and discouragement that is something I think we have to purpose in our hearts to do. Because it isn’t easy to begin with but as we begin to praise God for Who He is and for His great salvation. As we begin to thank Him for past blessings and provisions it will become easier. Trust me. I’ve been there and sometimes this is the only way to come through a tough time. Praise Him no matter how we feel. There is a Scripture that says He inhabits our praise and I truly believe that.

Next Habakkuk says–“I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Joy. Wow what a word for a time like that and a time like this when all looks grim. There is another verse in the Bible that states –“The joy of the LORD is  your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

Now Habakkuk continues–: The LORD God is my strength , and he will make my feet like  hinds feet, and he will make me to walk upon my high places .” The hind spoken of here is a mountain goat that lives on the side of a mountain in a very rocky place. The mountain goat walks right out on the edge of the mountain with no fear because God has made him to be able to do so.  He finds his food in the high places and shelters in the rocks.  All he needs is there on the mountain where God has placed him. He has no need to fear or worry. All will be well because he is living where God planned for him to live.

We are living now in this time where God planned for us to live. This virus is no surprise to Him. He is still in control leading and guiding and He will provide us with what we need to survive even in this climate of fear and possible illness. He hasn’t deserted you or me. Not only that, but He has prepared us for this. He has! By giving us His indwelling Holy Spirit.   He has designed us as believers to be over comers when we seek Him and walk with Him in obedience.

Now is the time to draw near to Him is praise, and prayer, and confession of any known sin. If our relationship with Him has become distant let us run to Him and seek Him and renew that fellowship with Him. He is always ready and waiting to forgive our sins and to give us a new start. No matter where you may have strayed in your life; Jesus still loves  you and has your best in mind. He wants to help you and be your strength but you need to bow down in humility and ask Him to once again restore that joy of fellowship you once had. He says in Scripture we have not because we ask not.

So Habakkuk is saying, that just as he has seen the mountain goat survive in an unlikely place with unlikely ability, God will provide him the same ability to survive and thrive. God will keep his feet from falling even in rocky and unsure terrain.  God will provide his needs even in a place that seems barren.

God will provide our needs! Trust Him and you can’t go wrong. In fact He will give you and me a song.

THE WORLD’S BATTLEGROUND

We are in a battle with an “unseen enemy.” Covid-19 is referenced as the unseen enemy. But I submit to you that we are in an unseen battle everyday with the unseen forces of Satan’s armies. For mankind the real enemy is Satan. He wants to destroy you and your family in any way he can. He wants to destroy your peace of mind, tempt you to worry, and fear.

We feel like we are struggling right now with this enemy and all its side affects. But the Bible reminds us that this known thing (the virus)  is not what we are really struggling against. We are struggling against the powers of darkness. Against Satan who would do everything he can to destroy our hopes and dreams. Unseen but not uneffective. Powerful, yes, but not victorious. Jesus had the victory over sin and death at the cross.  With His resurrection Satan now can only taunt us and make our lives miserable with doubts, fears, and anxieties and “what ifs?”.

Whether you believe that the devil exists or not, nonetheless, he is real. Jesus made it clear when He walked on earth that our soul has an enemy. Satan is the thief  of our soul and He desires to keep people from belief in God so he can cast them into hell at the moment of their death.

As believers we need to be ever aware of his sneaky tactics. Be vigilant and on guard that he doesn’t deceive us into thinking he is not real or not interested in us.

Yes this illness is terrible that is a fact. It has taken many lives. More people  however have had the virus and recovered. Though it seems like the illness is in control it is not. God is in control. Always. While we have an unseen enemy we have an unseen deliverance. II Kings 6:15-17–“And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him(Elisha the prophet) ‘Alas my master! How shall we do?” The armies of the enemies of Israel had surrounded their city and it appeared that all would be lost.

Many of  us today are looking around at our suddenly changed and fearful world and asking, “What shall we do?” This looks like a certain defeat for our health and our jobs and for any hope of future good and  prosperity.

But now read Elisha the prophet of God’s answer to his dismayed servant who could only see with his natural eyes the certain calamity that was surrounding them. ” And Elisha prayed and said ,LORD, I pray thee, open his the eyes of the young man ; and  he saw, and behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” Read the next few verses to see how God delivered them in a most unusual way. God is good and always surrounding us with His protection.

For more comfort and encouragement read Psalm 91 and apply it to yourself. Where you read the words thou or thee. Replace them with your name. Because God is today talking to you specifically. He knows you. He sees you. He has a plan for you. He is  your protector and helper. We don’t need to fear only praise and thank Him for all the good He does do everyday in our lives. The Bible tells us that He inhabits our praise.

Do Take the precautions recommended by the CDC and don’t be foolish; but wait on God for deliverance. We will come to the end of this tribulation. The question is how will we come to the end of this? Stronger in our faith or ashamed at our lack of belief while we  turned to our own devices to survive. In the end all we can do is wait and hope and trust and keep up our faith.

It is time for us to strengthen our faith and share it with a lost and dying world. Perhaps this is their time to stop and contemplate their eternal destination and it is a perfect time to let them know what their  hope after this life can be. Send a Bible tract to a friend or coworker along with a message of encouragement. Give them a phone call and let them know that you and Jesus cares. Lift them up in prayer. Let them see the difference between those of us who are believers by acting without fear. So that they can see that God is real and He does care.

 

IN TIMES LIKE THESE

During the 1940’s with the WWII raging a Pastor’s wife, Ruth Caye Jones, opened the morning  paper to disturbing news. A list of casualties of the war  with many more to come if we did not have victory in the boot of Italy.

At home supplies were rationed and everyone was living  under incredible stress. It was a dark time in the history of America. A time that called for people to be strong and prayerful. In fact Wednesday night prayer meetings were started during this desperate and fearful time.

We have the luxury of looking back to that time and knowing that eventually we would win the war and all would be well but they did not.

Today Covid-19 has everyone on edge. Worried about the health of their families, friends, and themselves. Every hour brings some new development, some new fear to be dealt with. American life as we have enjoyed is changing rapidly. Stores and restaurants are closings, events are closing, churches are closing, though many of these can still be watched on line. Going out to the mall or the grocery store feels like a minefield of the unseen enemy. We are afraid and rightly so.

I don’t know that the WWII generation was any different than ours as far as strength and purpose. But ultimately their sacrifices would shine though out history. They were just as afraid as we are. They were just as anxious about what might happen next. The one thing they did do was turn to God. No matter their religion they went to church to listen to hope from God’s Word and to be uplifted in prayer. They placed their trust, not in headlines in the papers, not in word of mouth,  but in God’s Word that  promised if they turned to Him, confessed their sins and turned from them   He would forgive their sins. He would gladly look upon them to protect them and their families as well as give them the needed strength to endure hardships. He would and did provide their needs. He blessed our troops with victory in the battle.

We are in a battle today. Not just for our health but for our souls. Our nation is in a battle with ourselves. Our comfortable lifestyles. Our immoral pleasures. Our unbridled lust for more. A whole generation is looking for a presidential candidate to be their savior. In other words give them everything they want without working for it. A misinformed generation believes that killing babies in the womb is alright. That living together without marriage is no problem. That committing adultery with someone else’s spouse is normal. Indulging in liquor and illicit drugs is okay. Lying and stealing are just a way of life. All of these things God forbids in the Ten Commandments. When we do what God forbids we are not only sinning against God but ourselves. Read back over the things I just mentioned and ask yourself, “Do any of these things bring lasting happiness? What are the consequences of these behaviors to me and those I love? God is our Creator and He knows what we need. He gave His commandments not to keep us from having fun but to protect us from ourselves. From ruining our lives and living in unhappiness.

Perhaps Covid-19 is a wake up call. It is time to stop and examine ourselves and ask the question am I guilty of living a sinful life, selfish life. Have I been caught up in societies chatter about trivial things that will pass away quickly? Where have I placed my priorities for myself and my family. Are sports more important than going to church and learning about God who holds our eternity in His hands.  People are dying from this virus. But people die everyday from accidents and illnesses. Some die slowly, others are taken by surprise. Your death and my death are inevitable. We had a pastor that used to say,”No one gets out of this world alive.”  Am I prepared when my time arrives to face eternity? Are you prepared? Have  you taught your children about God and the choices they need to make about their eternity. Young children die too. Let us be a nation turning to God from our sin and choosing to confess our sins and welcome Him into our heart and life so that we can truly have strength and comfort in the best of times and in the worst of times.  The Scripture read “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”

If you don’t understand this because it is new to you please contact me and I will explain in more detail. Or you can simply open a Bible and read the book of John and begin to understand what salvation of the soul truly is. Don’t hesitate. Tomorrow may be too late.

My next post is going to be more about Ruth Caye Jones and a hymn she wrote that resonates from her time to ours.