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August 9

Tuesday, August 9th, 2022

Have you ever read a passage of Scripture-least you think you have-and not have it register? Then one time you read it and BAM! the light goes on. This morning was one of  those times.

The Scripture in the spotlight: Isaiah 37: 14-20. (Please take a moment  and read it).

Sennacherib (S), the Assyrian king, planned to invade Judah. He sent his lackeys to threaten and badger Hezekiah into surrendering and not trust God. God surely would not save them. Outgunned and out-manned, Hezekiah does something totally unusual: he takes the letter from S, reads it, then heads to the temple and lays it out before God. Then he prays. It was not an “I’m scared spitless and don’t know what to do” kind of prayer. It was simply a prayer that acknowledged God’s power and might, Hezekiah’s weakness against S, and his trust that God would save them.

God answers Hezekiah’s prayer through Isaiah. I like the words Isaiah says in verse 21: “Because you have prayer to me (God) about S…” God is acknowledging Hezekiah’s correct response to the threat.

Now watch the result. Verses 36-38 -> 185,000 Assyrians dead. Not by Hezekiah’s hand or his army. “The angel of the Lord went out and struck…” Hezekiah didn’t lift a finger. S went home in disgrace and was eventually assassinated by his own sons.

Hezekiah averted a disaster by going to God first. What a great lesson! Instead of moving in his own strength (to sure defeat); relying on his own army; or even surrendering to S, he went to God and laid it all out before Him.

There’s gotta be a lesson there! 🙂

“Father, may I not  fret and worry and scheme in my own strength. Let me bring it all before You, lay it all before You, and trust You implicitly. “

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July 9

Friday, July 9th, 2021

I apologize for the late entry and also the light entry. We left Ohio early so I could get back for an appointment. After the appointment I did some office work, we went to the Owen County Fair then came home and vegged. So I am sharing something short and late with you this morning. It is from Bob Goff’s book, Live in Grace-Walk in Love:

We don’t need to have all the information to start; we just need courage to take the first step. Don’t worry about next week’s potential problems. Give today everything you’ve got. Our stories are written as we live, so live fully. Our love is refined as we give it away genuinely, so love the people around you authentically. Let the story you’re writing be a page-turner.

Starting out on a task is hard, especially because we can’t see the end. We have no clue what the future holds (even with a DeLorean). 🙂 But we will never know the impact we may make or the influence we may have or the lives we may touch unless we get started.

“Father, help me to trust you in spite of the fact that I don’t know the end. But you do and that should be all I need to know.”

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June 17

Thursday, June 17th, 2021

I learned a valuable lesson last night.

Let me explain. Jo and I had a great day together. It was our 48th anniversary and we just took our time and did different things. I’ll not waste your time with that but by the end of the day things had changed. No, I didn’t get mad at her or she me. A glaring checkbook mistake colored my evening. Again, I ‘ll not bore you with details.

But it clouded my evening. That, and a few other “dumb” things, changed my mood. And I’m not a moody person. I went to bed extremely agitated (again highly unusual). I was at fault for the mistake. But so was a local business. I told Jo two things as we lay there waiting for sleep to come: 1) Smart pills are needed-for me for the bone-headed mistake- and also for  them for not seeing it and calling; and 2) I told her I was going to have trouble sleeping and may end up going to my chair (which also broke last night). Her words to me were calm and spot-on words, words I needed to hear. As a result of listening I. SLEPT. LIKE. A. BABY!  Except for when I needed to turn over to my other side to relieve the hip which now hurts as a result of the hit-n-run while riding back in November of ’16. That pain was also another fun part of my day.

The Bible says not to let the sun go down on your anger. I’d also say we should not allow the sun to go down on our fretting and stewing and worrying. The Bible even speaks to that: “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares for you.” (I Peter 5:7)

It is true the situation is still in front of me, even as I sit here this morning writing this. But even then I cannot even begin to do anything until the business opens in 3 1/2 hours.

“Father, I have a choice: Stew or Trust. With your help, I’m going to trust. Wait. Rely. Give my worries to You.”

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September 22

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2020

One of the things I read a lot about, especially during this pandemic, is worry. Worry about the virus. Worry about family and friends. Worry about a job. Worry about the future. Worry about money. Worry about how things will be on the other side of it. A pastor’s life is compounded by the sheer responsibility he feels for the people he pastors/shepherds. So multiply a family of four (for example) times 25 or 50 or more. Now you catch a glimpse of the magnitude.

So its easy to worry about things. Both big and small. Jesus speaks to that in Matthew 6: 26-27: “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you be being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” His picturesque advice for His listeners in just as appropriate for His followers today. He is saying, “Bill (or whatever your name is) don’t worry. I got this and you will be taken care of.” Why should I be anxious? Why should I hoard for fear of the future? Why should I be concerned about where the next dime is going to come from? Jesus has promised He will take care of me. In spite of how easy it is to feel alone, forgotten, left hanging on a string, He has made a promise and will keep it.

Trust Him. He made another promise He keeps: “I will never leave you or forsake you.”

“Father, those words are for me. May I not forget Your promise given in Matthew 6 and elsewhere.”

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