Have Patience; He Hears Our Prayers

Hebrews 10:35-36 KJV; Have patience; trust the Lord; He hears your prayers and answers according to His time.

God Is Our Fortress

Psalm 71:1-11 KJV

In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.

Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.

Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.

Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth.

By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.

I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.

Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.

Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.

For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together,

Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him.

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The Lord has been with us and will continue with us to protect us from those who would come up against us. They may think that God is not with us and attack us mercilessly but we have every confidence that he is. He is our refuge and our fortress. In him alone do we trust. In him alone do we find peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

In God We Trust

Psalm 118 KJV

I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place.

The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

The Lord taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.

It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.

It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.

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There is one whom you can trust 100% to be on your side. That one is the Lord God; the creator of heaven and earth. No matter what the world may throw at you he is there for his children. You may suffer for a bit of time; but, be assured that God has a plan for you. He is merciful  and will not have you suffer eternally. Trust him above all other for he has a great plan for you. 

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Rom 8:28)

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. (Psalm 118:29)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Taxed

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 

                                                           (Luke 2:1,3-7 KJV)

It is that time of year when we celebrate the birth of our Savior. Unfortunately, it is also that time of year when it's time to start thinking about paying income taxes.  It can be a taxing time for many. It is not unheard of to receive a letter after paying your taxes that you need to send another check because the IRS has decided that you owe more taxes and unless  you have a lot of time to find all the paperwork you need and the money to pay for a tax lawyer you really are going to have to pay it whether you owe it or not or you could end up having even your home taken from you. I remember hearing something about an unfair tax on tea before this country was born. It ended up in a party known as the Boston Tea Party. 

Joseph and very pregnant Mary traveled to Bethlehem to be taxed. Caesar had declared that the whole world had to go to their hometowns to be taxed. That sounds like madness to me. But, God had another plan.  Jesus was born during that tax paying journey in Bethlehem as had been prophesied. God turned a bad thing into a good thing.

During this season and everyday let us rejoice for the good things that God has given us in confidence that no matter what happens God has a good plan for you.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Rom 8:28)

Trust the Lord!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Surgery Today!

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

                                                                           (James 1:13-16 KJV)

Well, today is the day for my husband's heart surgery. He is scheduled for a triple by-pass this afternoon. There has been a lot of praying going on around here. When I left him the other night, I asked him if the chaplain had come by to see him. Of course, he had! Howard is at Advent Health, a faith based health system. On just about every wall in their hospitals are quotes from scripture that remind us that the Lord is with us and for us.

I am just a little anxious; probably being a bit selfish, as I really do not care to be left in this world without him. But, I have confidence that the Lord will be working through the surgeon.

I also, sometimes feel a bit guilty. We have been married for 49 years this year. I have been his pastor for about 25 of those years. I am not sure if it's all that fair to spouses to have their wife or husband as their pastor. While I do not have a problem giving pastoral care to others in times of need as I volunteered as a home health care and hospice chaplain for many years; I'm not so sure that I am doing or saying all that I should or could for my own family. So, thanks be to God for chaplains! Thanks be to God for faith based health care systems!

All of your prayers for him are very much appreciated! Thank you for your prayers!

God's Peace - Pr. J. 

Thoughts Of Peace For You

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jer 29:11-13 KJV)

We want to be loved. We want a peaceful and good life. Unfortunately, there are way too many who do not get to experience the peaceful life. Many seek the good life in places that it cannot be found. Genuine peace; peace that encompasses us even in the times of trouble, is found only in one place. That place is in our Lord. 

The Lord who loves you has a plan for you. It is a plan of peace. No matter what assails you, know that God is with you and will remain with you. He longs for you to call upon Him for help in your time of need as well as in your times of plenty. Seek Him and you will know peace in the confidence that God will see you through these troubled times. Trust Him!

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Rom 8:28)

God's Peace - Pr. J

According To His Will

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. (1 John 5:14 NIV)

According to His will...  Why did this happen? Why did I not get what I asked for? So many times we wonder why God did not answer our prayers totally forgetting that what we have asked for may go directly against His good will. His good will encompasses not just us; but, all people. When we pray we must keep in mind that selfish prayers may not be heard. They very well may not be answered in the way that we would like them to be answered. God has a better view of what all people need, including ourselves, and what we need may not be what we're asking for.

May God help us to better understand His will that we might pray for the good of all people.

God's Peace - Pr. J

My Light And My Salvation

Hunting Island Lighthouse, SC

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers assail me
    to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
    they shall stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me,
    my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
    yet I will be confident.

                                          Psalm 27 NRSV

 

The southern shores of the United States have been buffeted this fall with some major storms. There is yet another one, soon to be named Nate, brewing in the Gulf. In years gone by, lighthouses were placed strategically upon the shore to help anyone who found themselves caught in a storm upon the waters.

 

Life brings about many storms of many kinds. Some are small and some are huge. But, no matter what kind or how large the storm you are facing; no matter who brings it; no matter how dark it gets; there is a light shining to help you find your way. The light of Christ will always shine in the darkness to bring you to safe harbor. Follow the light of Christ and walk in the confidence that no matter who or what storm is attempting to bring you down; you will survive; you will live in God's presence for all eternity.

 

The Lord is our stronghold. We have no need to fear anything or anyone. God is with all who believe in Him.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

He Leads Us

"For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. ^'Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,' bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory." (Heb 3:4-6)

We are His house. He is faithful to us. May God help us to be faithful to Him. God saved His people from the Egyptians. He delivered them from bondage. They followed Him into the wilderness. But, once there, they began to rebel. They complained against God. They were not happy following in the way that He led them. Those who rebelled perished in the wilderness. They never got to see the promised land.

God has delivered us from our own sinful nature by the blood of His Son, Jesus. He leads us through the wilderness. What shall we do there? Shall we rebel? Shall we complain against Him because the way is not always to our liking?

"Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house." We are his house. We are his children. Will we be faithful to him and follow through whichever wilderness he would lead us to the promised land?

God's Peace - Pr. J

Listen!

"And they will know that I am the Lord; I did not threaten in vain to bring this calamity on them." (Ezekiel 6:10 NIV)

It is sometimes (no, most of the time) difficult to find any good news in the prophecies of old. The prophets warned the people over and over again to turn to the LORD and worship only Him. But, they did not listen and suffered greatly for it.

Sadly, we do not listen to God's word as we should; so, often we have to learn the hard way that when our feet follow paths we should not follow, destruction follows those footsteps. It is when destruction happens, when we are brought low, by the worship of our false gods, that we realize that we have to turn to the LORD for help. He is our help in every time and need.

"Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Persevere

"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." Hebrews 10:35-36

Believe me, there are days when I'd like nothing better than to just throw in the towel. But, I don't. I wake up the next morning and ask God, once again, to carry me through the day and to be with, guiding and protecting, those whom I love. Life can be rough for all of us. Intentional sin can make it rough not just for ourselves; but, for everyone who loves us, for everyone around us. There are consequences to sin. There are consequences to breaking the law and they are usually not nice consequences. But; even then, if we turn back to God, He will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Reluctantly, I read the news online this morning. Again, mass murders! What in the world is wrong with humanity? I guess, I may have just answered my own question. We have a tendency to follow in the ways of the world, turning away from God.

Without the gift of being able to be in God's presence, trusting in Him, I would have no hope for the world. But, He gives me the confidence to keep on praying for the people I love, for people that I don't know, even for the whole world trusting that He has a good plan and knowing that in the end His will will be done.

Help us, Lord, to keep from throwing in the towel and to trust that your good will will be done for all whom we love.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Eternal Hope

“Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,” bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory." Hebrews 3:5-6

We are God's house! We are the children of God! May God help us to never give up the hope given to us through the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus the Christ. In him, alone, is our hope for peace; for reconciliation in the eternal Kingdom with God our Father and with one another.

God's Peace - Pr. J