Sudden Change

In the past 24 hours we have gone from having three inches of snow to my wife mowing the yard.  Only in northeastern Ohio! Right?

Life can change on a dime.  This sudden transformation reminded me to not take this COVID-19 quarantine for granted.  For sure, nothing’s the same as before. Who would have guessed that 2020 would require all of  us to navigate these difficult waters? Everyday is a faith adventure.

I’m determined not to squander this uncertain time in my life.  Am I completely comfortable with what’s happening? Of course not!  And I’m sure I speak for you as well. But one thing I know: God is asking me to inventory my life.  Let me explain.

1. What have I previously taken for granted?   Lori and I are watching the Netflix series, “When Calls the Heart.”  Frankly, I find it a bit unrealistic at times, but the fact remains that love between husbands and wives and people in general is life’s greatest treasure.  Each episode moves me to an emotional edge. I recommend it for your “virus viewing!”

While watching, I occasionally sneak a glance at my wife of almost 43 years, and my heart is gladdened by her presence in my life.  After the Lord, she is the one constant in my life, who loves me unconditionally and completely. I never want to take her for granted!  What loved one(s) do you need to reaffirm today?

2. Perhaps like you, I have issues in my life that need to be placed under the Lordship of Christ. Not necessarily sin issues, but things that, if confronted and subdued, will enhance my daily living.  For example, I need to watch my food intake. The refrigerator beckons me to open and see! Also, what important tasks have I put off for a better day? In what areas have I procrastinated? Finally, am I “taking every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5)?  How? By minding my mind! Making sure that unhealthy, negative, impure, and unnecessary thoughts do not crowd out those things that are “true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and of good repute…” (Philippians 4:8).    

3. During the long hours of quarantine, am I praying more, reading the Scriptures more fervently and waiting for the Lord’s “still small voice” to speak to me?  He promises me “an audience of one!”

4. Am I using this time to speak into the lives of those I love, without becoming annoying?  Understanding the need to maintain personal space, I text, email, write cards, make calls, and send Facebook and YouTube inspirational messages. Let me encourage you to find communication expressions that work for you, and then make someone’s day!

None of us knows what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow.  And as life continues to usher in unexpected, at times, harsh changes, we hold to the Lord’s unchanging hand.  He will walk us safely to the other side of uncertainty!

  

Does Prayer Work?

The original band of disciples one day said to the Lord, “Teach us how to pray” (Luke 11:1).  Jesus subsequently taught a prayer outline of sorts that we refer to as “The Lord’s Prayer.” Our Catholic friends refer to it as “The Our Father.”  A breakdown of this prayer -- verse by verse -- reveals many different aspects of God’s character and how we as believers can tap into heaven’s resources.

If these disciples needed to learn how to pray, we too need to learn.  Although the best prayers come from the heart, we still need to pray according to God’s Word and His will.  

My friend, prayer is much more than a command or even a suggestion; it is a privilege to pray.  When we mix our faith with prayer based on God’s Word, heaven responds! When our faith declarations line up with the Word and come into agreement with what God has already promised, we stand on solid ground.  

Do you need peace?  Then let “the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your heart and mind” (Philippians 4:7).

Do you need healing”   Then declare today -- this moment -- that “He is the Lord who heals” (Exodus 15:26).

Do you need provision?  Then pray, “My God shall provide all of my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

We are asked to pray, not because God isn’t aware of our situation.  We are asked to combine our faith with heaven’s intentions. When we pray, we invite heaven to come to earth.  “Let your kingdom come, and let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). We invite heaven to kiss the earth!  During this Coronavirus pandemic, we are asking the Lord to allow what’s in heaven to fill the earth. Heaven has no sickness, so we are asking the Lord to touch down on the earth with healing and to destroy the virus. 

I need not beg the Lord when I pray.  After all, He knows what I “have need of before I pray” (Matthew 6:8).  We pray because we understand that our faith pleases God. Prayer keeps us dependent on the Lord!  Selfishness dies in the midst of concerted prayer. It’s His kingdom, not ours!

Keep praying and keep believing!

The Right Tools

Have you ever tried to complete a task without having the proper tool(s)?   It’s frustrating!

Some weeks ago, I decided to cut off two dead limbs from a tree in our front yard.  I found a dull hand saw in my tool shed and went to work.  Two hours later, the limbs were still attached to the tree and I was completely worn out and admittedly very upset.

All that hard work created open sores on both hands and aching muscles.  Why?  Because I did not use the right tool.  I needed a chainsaw!

Sadly, many go through life without discovering the right “tools” to make it easier.  Life at best brings difficult days, so we need to use the tools God has given us to help navigate our years.  What are some of the most important “tools” we need?

1.  We need to place our faith in the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  We need SALVATION.  “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).  

2.  We need a daily re-fueling (IN-FILLING) of power to help us be effective witnesses.  “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8). 

3.  We need the BIBLE.  The Bible is God’s Word and our roadmap for success.  I once heard Billy Graham say, “The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible.”  The psalmist understood the need of connecting with God when he said, “Thy word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against God” (Psalm 119:11).  How true!  When we read the Bible, we literally ingest the life of God.  “My words are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63). 

4.  We need to PRAY.  Prayer to the believer is what oxygen is to the body.  It is life-giving and life-sustaining.  God invites us to pray so that heaven comes to earth!  “Let Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).  He has given us both the privilege and authority to pray so that when we come into agreement with His Word, we receive help in our time of need.  “Let us draw near with confidence that we may receive mercy and find grace in the time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16).

5.  We need the LOCAL CHURCH.  None of us were made to do it alone.  Life is rewarding and wonderful when we come alongside other believers who encourage us.  The love, accountability, teaching, friendships, and many other benefits we experience in Christian community cannot be equaled elsewhere.  When sinners saved by grace gather to worship, heaven kisses earth, “and we which were dead in our transgressions, (are) made alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised up with him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”   I can’t imagine not having a local church to call “family and home.”  Percentage wise today, fewer in America are making church a regular part of their lives.  And mores the pity! 

6.   Finally, we need PEACE.  To know Jesus is to know peace, and “No Jesus” leads to “no peace.”  He is the peace-giver!  I can’t imagine not having Him in my life.  When life circumstances threaten to overwhelm me, I count on His peace to sustain me and to keep me on track.  “And the peace of God that surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).    

How we need Him today and every day!  He has given us these tools, among others, to experience life to its fullest – and the one to come!    

Persistence in Prayer

Have you ever prayed and had to wait for God’s response?  Of course you have.  We all have!

In Matthew 7: 7-8 Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”  The Greek tense of the verse renders the meaning:   “Keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking.”  This viewpoint focuses on God’s true meaning of this passage.  

Scholars refer to these times as employing the prayer of importunity, or perseverance.  Sometimes we are called upon to persevere in prayer, not because of God’s indifference to our needs, but because timing is always a factor with God, and He more often than not pursues a deeper purpose beyond our requests.

Importunity does not constitute begging but rather when we persevere in prayer, God has time to pull things out of our lives that He deems more important than even answering our prayer.  God is not a slot machine, that responds to our every request for help; He is a loving Father who values character, fruit and holiness above answered prayer.

I remember watching a movie that I think aptly illustrates God’s intention during our times of perseverance.  I don’t remember the name of the movie, but I remember being impacted by it very deeply.  A millionaire paid a train conductor and two other men to take a load of coal up a mountain grade deemed almost impassable in order to win a bet.  Three boxcars piled high with coal slowly grinded their way up a steep slope in western Pennsylvania.  The three men were determined to move the train forward because the millionaire had promised them a sizeable reward.

However, what these three men encountered along the way challenged their greed. Hundreds of people began lining the tracks with their hands held out, hoping to receive lumps of coal to burn in their potbelly stoves, as winter temperatures were severe.  Desperate faces and the children’s raggedy clothing caught the attention of the men and they said to themselves, “One or two pieces of coal won’t matter, as these people are freezing.”

Sad hearts were gladdened as pieces of coal were tossed into waiting hands.  Eventually, when the now empty train reached the crest of the mountain, all three men were fearful for their jobs because the millionaire’s bet had been lost. 

However, the unthinkable happened.  The wealthy man’s heart was overwhelmed by their heart-rending generosity. The wealthy man, now turned humanitarian, was reduced to tears upon hearing the fear-filled men explain their story, and subsequently rewarded the three men with more than originally promised.   You see, the men were challenged to unload what was more important than an impending reward in order to receive a better prize!  And that’s what God requires from us during times of perseverance!

During our “asking…seeking…knocking” times, we too are often required to rid our lives of issues, attitudes, and even sins that may be holding us back.  As we allow the Lord to “empty our “boxcar” while asking in faith – continuing even when answers allude us – He brings answers in His time and in His way.

Are you waiting for a prayer to be answered?  Keep praying, keep trusting, keep obeying the Lord’s directives in your life when He shows you things and know that in His time, you will be rewarded for your persistence in prayer.  Remember, the people needed the coal and the two men needed to walk in obedience!  When we persevere in trust and obedience to the Lord, even those around us benefit!

Finally, the story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5 illustrates the principle of perseverance when a proud Syrian general is asked to dip, not one time, but seven times in the River Jordan in order to receive healing from leprosy.  Why seven times?

For one thing, the number 7 in the Bible is according to biblical numerology God’s number of perfection or completion.  But I think the reason goes even deeper.  I believe it took seven dips for the Syrian general to wash his pride away!  Do you remember?  His first response when the prophet Elisha told him to go under the water seven times was that of anger:  “But Naaman went away angry and said, ‘I thought that he (Elisha) would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy” (verse 11).

And you probably know how the story ended.  In obedience to God’s prophet, General Naaman went under the water seven times, “and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy” (verse 14).  He may or may not have swallowed dirty water but we know for sure he swallowed his pride!  And the answer to his prayer came! In a very real sense, Naaman asked the Lord seven times before his leprosy was totally gone.  What a beautiful story.  Naaman obeyed the prophet’s command and God answered his desperate prayer. 

Have you reached a point of desperation regarding that thing for which you have asked the Lord?  Have you obeyed what the Lord has asked you to do?  Are you still asking, seeking and knocking?   Remember, you are not operating in a lack of faith; you are allowing the Lord to remove what may be in your “boxcar!”

Hold steady.  Your answer is on the way!