The Same Place

Years ago, I heard Paul Crouch, then president of the Trinity Broadcasting Network say, “The brink of a disaster and the brink of a miracle are the same place.”  God does his finest work and proves His power when things look their worst. The hour preceding dawn is the darkest.  You may be in that hour, but take heart, morning’s coming!

Travel back with me to 1446 B.C.  Moses and the Children of Israel have escaped from Egyptian bondage.  But not without nerve-wracking consequences and further testing.  The people are backed up against the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit.  Things look pretty bleak for the approximate 1.5 million men, women and children. Many in the crowd begin to murmur against Moses. “Why did you bring us out here to die in this wilderness” (Exodus 14:11)?  Fear began to sweep through the camp, as horse hooves trampling the earth became louder. 

Disaster appeared imminent.  Between confusion brought on by the enemy and the grumbling of the people, Moses had his hands full.  His leadership was on the line, and God’s reputation was soon to be verified.    

But then…

Moses lifted his rod high and the waters of the Red Sea divided.  The breath of God piled the waters high on each side and dried the earth under the sea.  A pillar of fire then separated the Israelites from the fast approaching Egyptian army.  It was Israel’s finest moment, one that Jews still celebrate today!  We do, too!  In that hour, the brink of a disaster and the brink of a miracle were one in the same!       

Have you been there?  Perhaps you’re there now!  Backed up against the wall with seemingly no help in sight.  The enemy of your soul may even be taunting you:  “Where is your God now?”  

Keep praising.  Keep believing.  Your deliverance is on the way!  God has not brought you this far to fail you now.  “The horse and its rider WILL be thrown into the sea” (Exodus 15:21b).   We used to sing this faith declaration:

“How great is our God!

How great is His name!

He’s the greatest One, forever the same.

He rolled back the waters of the mighty Red Sea.

And He said, “I’ll never leave you, so put your trust in Me!”

No matter how difficult your circumstances, no matter what you’re facing, the waters are about to part.  “Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5b).  Let this incredible story from Israel’s archives, hold you steady today.  The same God Who parted the waters approximately 3,466 years ago is still proving His power today!  The brink of your disaster is about ready to become your most glorious victory!

Praise Him out loud this very moment! 

Rainy Seasons

I can’t remember a spring when it has rained so much. 

Farmers have been unable to plow their fields, as tractors sink up to their axles.  Lawns are high.  Water overflows creeks, rivers and ditches.  Cars hydroplane because of deep water on the roads.  Wipers often fail to remove torrential rains from windshields and cars are forced to pull over to wait out heavy down pours.  The ground is saturated causing sports events to be cancelled.  Parts of Texas are under deep water!

And it appears that no let-up is in sight. 

Sometimes life is like that, too.  We become saturated and overwhelmed by difficult days.  Tension-filled situations threaten to destroy the very fiber of our existence, often with no let up in sight.  But summer and sunshine are on the way!

Over 35 years ago my late father-in-law experienced a long bout of depression.  Severe life-altering situations threatened his physical, mental and emotional health.  It seemed that nothing worked out for him.  Financial setbacks and family struggles took him to the brink of disaster.  Dad was a strong man, but everyone has a breaking point.  It seemed the more he prayed, the worse things got.  Ultimately, over a five-year period, he also lost his health.  Instead of family members and friends saying, “Poor Job,” they were saying, “Poor Dale!”

When life’s struggles escalated to a severe breakdown, my in-laws drove to Indiana from Alabama to be with their parents.  Subsequently, our family history records and remembers a miracle. 

Dad’s health had declined to the point where his nerves were shot and Parkinson-like symptoms caused his hands to shake.  He was at his wits end.  Dad sat mostly in silence, refusing to talk to anyone, including his worried wife and parents.

My wife and I remained in Alabama to take care of the church he pastored.  During those years Sunday night church was a regular part of our week.  Lori was at the piano when she heard the Lord say, “Pray for your father.”  Suddenly an intense burden came over her and she knelt down behind the piano and began praying earnestly for her dad, who was in desperate straits some 500 miles away. 

Dad was sitting in his parent’s living room in Jamestown, Indiana when he began experiencing more severe tremors.  He later said, “I felt like I was dying.”  The prayer burden in Lori’s heart became crushing to the point that she could only weep and moan.  Intercessory prayer reached the throne of grace from Gadsden, Alabama and exactly at 7:03 p.m., Dale Owens was healed!  Lori felt the burden lift that very moment.

Like rain that seems not to let up, we sometimes go through long periods when our faith is severely tested and answers escape us.  For me personally, my mind races back to October 1982 when an intercessory prayer meeting (of one!) connected with the Healer and across the miles a man who was desperately ill experienced an instantaneous healing. 

Inordinate amounts of rain may continue to fall but God alone is able to bring us through the harsh seasons of our life into the sunshine of His grace, healing and provision!

A Culture of Honor, Part 3

The gospel should draw on the heartstrings of lost people, not beat them up with condemnation, guilt and shame. The gospel is good news, not bad news. Had Jesus not honored the much-hated tax collector, Zacchaeus, like He did; but continued to address him on the same course that the townspeople were accustomed to, Zacchaeus potentially would never have come to faith. His story is found in Luke 19

Note with me in verse 7 that the people were used to coming at Zacchaeus in a very dishonoring and self-righteous manner: “He (Jesus) has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” His reputation preceded him, and his chances for reconciliation and a better life were minimized. The Spirit of God, by all indicators, was dealing with the heart and attitude of that little man, or he would not have been there in the first place.

Something inside the tax collector caused him to show up that day when he heard that Jesus was coming; and desperation for life change drove that little guy up a tree! What was going inside this wretched tax collector went way beyond natural curiosity. Jesus would testify later concerning Zacchaeus that “Today salvation has come to his house…” (verse 9). Something supernatural was pulling at his heartstrings. Jesus Christ honored the much-despised man. He honored him by informing the unsuspecting loner of his dinner plans. What’s so significant about the Master inviting Himself to dinner? The Son of God loved him for WHO he was, not WHAT he was! Jesus showed him honor!

Believe me, this little man probably lived in a gated community, or at least a gated parcel of property with high fences around his home. He probably lived on the outskirts of town, where human interaction would be minimized. Where the taunts and threats of angry people could not be heard.

We can well imagine that nights were spent alone, and every night represented a new eternity for the little man who had no friends and the friends he did have were fair-weather – hearts as crooked as his and ready to sell one another down the river if it meant more corrupt wealth. Rome certainly did not care about Zacchaeus. If he were murdered, there were always others to take his place. Zacchaeus was disposable and a human target.

His dimly lit home would only intensify the darkness of his already broken life. Zacchaeus would later testify that money fell short of a meaningful life: “Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (verse 8).

The crowd that day directed a calculated slur against the Master when they said, “He has gone home to be the guest of a sinner” (verse 7). Comically, Jesus invites himself to Zacchaeus’ home for dinner! While this may be frowned upon in modern day life – viewed as socially inappropriate – the Master touched a heart-string that caused the little man to come alive on the inside. “You mean, you want to come to MY house tonight? MY house? You’re coming to MY house?” Jesus Christ, in a display of honor overlooked WHAT Zacchaeus did for a living to honor WHO he was! Jesus honored the man’s personhood. When someone honors us, we open our hearts to him.

In today’s church, if we will honor those God sends us, I’m convinced we will see more conversions to Christ than ever before. That’s why we at Hope Community continually stress servant leadership that places the needs of others over ours. People are frantically searching for significance. “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).

Do you know him today? Jesus Christ knows how to get your attention. He knows what pulls on your heartstring. He will address you at the point of what captures your heart’s attention and draw you toward saving faith. Jesus turns significance into salvation!

God's Wonderful Track Record

I admit it.  I tend to worry, especially when it comes to money, and more specifically, retirement.  The other day I heard something about Social Security that further threatened my peace.  I heard a colleague say, “There will be no Social Security left when we need it” (Not sure where she got her facts).  Immediately, fear grabbed my heart, as I allowed the enemy to weave his lies into the fabric of my future.  Then something wonderful and supernatural happened.  I heard the Lord say, “I’ve been faithful to you over the years and I will continue to be faithful.  Trust Me!” Peace from above calmed my heart. 

My mind raced back to my senior year at Jefferson Area High School.  Graduation was coming and I had no idea how I was going to finance my college education.  By faith I applied to attend Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri and was accepted.

In April 1974, I learned that a foundation in Conneaut, Ohio was offering scholarships to qualified applicants.  Upon inquiry I discovered that I met the necessary preliminary requirements, so I applied to the George J. Record School Foundation for assistance.  And guess what?  Their mission statement lined up with my need!

It said, “In accordance with its mission, the foundation makes grants to very good students from Ashtabula County, Ohio, attending private, non-state supported, accredited colleges or universities affiliated with a religion of a Protestant denomination.  Grants are confined to residents of Ashtabula County, Ohio.”

God matched my need to their requirements!  Four years later I graduated from EU with only a $3,000 student loan balance!  God proved Himself faithful.

Over the years God has continued to prove Himself faithful in our finances.  We raised four children and when I look back I ask myself, “How did we do it?”  The answer:  God’s continued faithfulness.  I can recount story after story when the Lord helped us with financial issues.  I remember what the late radio evangelist C.M. Ward said about God’s faithfulness: “God will always meet our needs, but sometimes He’ll scare us!”  Been there, experienced that!

Now at 62, I find that television and radio advertisements about retirement income tend to place fearful thoughts in the minds of baby boomers.  I refuse to allow Wall Street, my 401k or the Social Security Administration to dictate my faith.  I choose to put my faith in Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord Who provides.  If these advertisements are correct, most Americans do not have enough money for their retirement years.  And if we choose to dwell on current savings ratios, we end up fearing the future. 

Yes, save your money.  Yes, do what you can in your youth and wage earning years to prepare for your financial future.  But when it comes down to it, life is uncertain and unpredictable.  We need the Lord to be our financial advisor!  He is our Provider. 

God used the George J. Record Foundation in my youth to unexpectedly meet my need for college tuition.  And this same God of my upcoming retirement years will continue to meet my needs “according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).  He has a wonderful track record.  His faithfulness is unsurpassed!

The Fear of the Lord

The Scriptures speak of the fear of the Lord, but perhaps not in the way you may be thinking.  To begin, let me give three dictionary definitions of fear:

1.  Feeling of anxiety--an unpleasant feeling of apprehension caused by the presence or anticipation of danger.

2.  Frightening thought--an idea, thought or other entity that causes feelings of fear.

3.  Reverence--respect or awe for somebody or something.

Sadly, many unbelievers and even many Christians fear God according to definitions 1 and 2.  These definitions, however, do not describe the fear of the Lord as mentioned in the Bible.  Simply put, a healthy fear of the Lord involves a respect or awe of His Person and presence.  He is an awesome God who is worthy of our highest admiration and praise.  We need not be afraid or scared of the Lord, but we should honor and reverence His Name.

Several verses in the Bible mention the fear of the Lord, but none more poignantly than in the Proverbs.  Let me list a few:

1:7 --  "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge."

2:1-5-- "My son, if you receive my words, and hide my commandments with you: so that you incline your ear unto wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; if you cry after knowledge, and lift up your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasure; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God."

3:7--"Don't be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord."

8:13--"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil..."

9:16--"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..."

As you have read, the fear of the Lord is a positive thing--so necessary, and its benefits are wonderful!  Generally speaking, scriptural teaching on the fear of the Lord produces believers who seek after godly knowledge, understanding and wisdom.  Mostly, those who fear the Lord will want to live above the pull of sin, the flesh and the devil.  They will weep over those things that cause God to weep, and rejoice over the things that gladden the heart of God!

I encourage you today to walk in a healthy fear of the Lord.  The benefits of a healthy fear are positive and life-changing!