Musings:04/28/09, God Behind the Scenes, by John.

In my last "musing," We looked at God's Sovereignty as the prime moving force in our universe and our existence. I'm frequently disappointed in myself for resisting, or doubting His sovereignty. I am also quite disappointed in many others for the same reason. We are all in the same boat.

On the other hand, I am thrilled when I see and hear people approaching God in prayer, not as a perfunctory utterance of memorized words, but as a heart-felt, mind and spirit-led praise, thanks, intercession and/or request. That fills me with joy.

Prayer is open to everyone. I've heard some ministers state dogmatically, "God will hear only one prayer from a sinner!" They spoke of lost people saying, "God forgive me my sins, and save my soul. I'm putting my trust in Jesus." There is no evidence for that being the only prayer God hears when non-Christians pray, and by the way, we are all sinners according to the Romans 3:23 and in other Biblical passages.

The prayers we know God hears are prayers of sincerity, prayers of thanksgiving, prayers interceding for others, and more. They must come from the heart of the pray-er though, not the recitation of some well educated minister, or popular personality. The Bible tells us God is no respecter of persons. His love covers all of us, and He knows the thoughts and intents of every person's heart. That was well illustrated when some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, "Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you." Jesus said to them, "Go tell that fox...." He already knew that Herod was fickle, and stayed in power by wooing both the Romans and the Jews. He walked a tight rope as well as any modern politician! He would do whatever made his position more secure. We sometimes call that "situation ethics." The Bible contains many other instances such as when God told Moses just how Pharaoh would react to His judgments on Egypt. God knows, and it is evident He uses His knowledge of mankind to accomplish His will without once commanding what they must do and without manipulating them. He always gives human beings their freedom to choose. (That's something we humans usually do not do with others because we don't know what's in their minds and hearts, and that scares us!)

Our wonderful God is so wise and all-knowing that He can remain behind the human scene, accomplish His will, and never once coerce anyone. The entire Book of Esther shows the wonderful way God works behind the human scene. His name is not mentioned even once. The Song of Solomon tells a beautiful human love story and shows how God works with individual relationships. His activity never is evidenced by using His Name. Some think that the story is an allegory depicting the relationship of Christ and His church. Whatever you believe about it, you must see that God is there, and that He is in caring control of life.
Paul knew that he was a child of God, and beyond that simple statement, he also knew he was united with God in a way that most can never fully understand unless they get really close to the Lord themselves. Paul knew his death would only free him into a much broader opportunity to show his love for his Heavenly Father. That doesn't belittle physical death. I Corinthians 15 addresses the difference between physical death and our transformed life with God. The Christian family is a much tighter relationship than most of us ever realize.

World situations concern me because they frequently take personal liberties away from so many people, cause so much death, suffering, and oppression, but at the same time, I am aware God is in control. He will not allow His children to be hurt, oppressed, or killed without some greater good coming from it. One good thing, of course, is those so misused will have far greater blessings in the future, and if they were killed, their spiritual future starts at that moment. I'm not overlooking the suffering for all concerned. I am saying when the sinful hearts of mankind concoct these painful experiences, God rewards His mistreated children, or he causes the perpetrators to fail. In WW II, many of those who survived death camps and the death march became great blessings to many of us who never had to experience such oppression.

God allowed Jesus to suffer the indignities human beings heaped on Him for approximately thirty-three years before the cross, and then on the cross for the blessing of all of us. Would you expect Him to spare us so that we could not truly follow in His footsteps?

Where is God? someone always asks when any calamity strikes. The answer is, He's right in the heart of the action. That reminds me of the little boy afraid of the dark who was told to go upstairs to bed. He looked at his father and said, "It's dark up there! I'm afraid!" His father said, "There's no

need to be afraid. You won't be alone. God will be there with you." He finally persuaded him to go to bed. The little fellow reluctantly climbed the stairs. When he got to the top, he peeked into the dark room, and said, "Lord, if you are in there, please don't move! I'm already scared to death!"

God cares, he controls without coercion or manipulation, and for my 80 plus years I have seen that His way is always a blessing and the best even though I can't see Him. I trust I will see Him as my Loving Father before too long. Will you?

Musings:04/24/09, How important are demographics? by John.

I received an e-mail pointing me to a You tube article about the way Islam is overcoming the world. I glanced at it, and penned the following letter to my friend.

Good morning, there was a time when I worried about demographics. I knew black people produced more children than white. The results were inevitable that they would be in the majority. I also worried about Islam because of their warlike nature. Inevitably they would control. Then I waked up one day to realize God is in control, and demographics are not as important as missions. The key to all of our troubles is telling people about Jesus, and that's what God has been telling us all along.

Years ago, a pastor in San Antonio, TX wanted to make clear the need for salvation, and God's position in it crystal clear. He came up with this little story:

A man was enjoying the view from the extreme height of a vertical cliff. There were warning signs all over warning people not to get too near the edge, but he just had to see how far down it was. He kept creeping closer to the edge enthralled by the sight so far below. All of a sudden the ground beneath him fell away, and he screamed for help as he went over the edge. At just the last moment he reached out and grasped the root of a bush exposed by the falling dirt, and he clung to it crying out for help, but there was no one in hearing distance. He looked everywhere hoping for help, and that's when he discovered an angel standing in the open air with his arms folded. "Help me!" he cried out. Calmly the angel said, "I will, if you turn loose." "I can't!" the man screamed, as he felt dirt trickling down his collar and saw that the bush was being slowly pulled out of the ground. The angel said, "I will help you, if you turn loose."

The point was, and is, God is in control, and He has been telling us for eons that we have to trust Him. He's told us again and again that the solution to all problems is for the whole world to trust Him. People can't trust Him if they don't know He exists and that He cares and that He has made a way for us to live together and live eternally. That's doubtlessly the reason Jesus told us to tell others. I've spent my life doing that, and I will until I die. If enough of us do that, there is no power in existence that can stop us or overcome us. We are God's children!

Directions make little if any difference other than to show us whether we are doing our job to best advantage or not. Results will be judged when we stand before God one day. If you aren't on the winning team, Jesus is waiting to make you a child of God. Turn loose! Let Him save you.

Musings:04/14/09,Moving is Stressful, by John.

Moving is Stressful!

Thrice in the last two years, we have moved. We moved a lot when we were younger, but during those times, we could do most of the actual work ourselves, and we felt competent and fulfilled when we got the job done.

Now we are correctly classified as old, not that we feel old spiritually, but our bodies tell us we are old, and they don't mince words in doing it. Doctor visits are regular occurrences, and medical bills pile up and knock the bottom out of savings.

The first move two years ago was for retirement. We moved into a house our middle child, a daughter, bought for the three of us. It was away from the harsh climate of north central Nebraska and into the softer climate of Arkansas. Not too long after, our daughter moved to Maine. We chose not to go with her. We felt the climate was probably worse than Nebraska. We believe, in our old age, warm all the time is better than cold. Our other daughter lives in Albuquerque, NM, so we were faced with another choice. We had to choose between Albuquerque and eastern Arkansas where our son lives. We chose the latter. We moved in with our son out in the country, in fact, in the woods a half mile off the paved road and twelve miles from town. I don't see well enough to drive, so it made it unhandy for us to go back and forth. Our son foresaw that and bought a place for us in town, but it was rented, and we waited six months until the renters were out before we moved the third time.

Now we are in town, but most of our books and other treasures were still packed from the first move. Boxes sat all over the place, and then the repairs started. Grass was knee high in the yard. An ice storm wrecked the siding on the garage apartments. The kitchen roof leaked and part of the ceiling over the sink collapsed while we were a few feet away eating. The dishwasher had to be replaced, and so did the wiring for it. A new screen door is a must, and one bathroom floor has to be shored up. Both stools in the house, and one in the garage apartment leaked.

All of this amounts to 24 months of stress. I think we handle it very well, but we are both quite aware of it, and our day's work never seems to be finished.

When we first arrived in the area, we discovered a wonderful church where we could enjoy the preaching, teaching and fellowship while we worshiped and served the Lord, but we couldn't drive those crooked roads into and back from town at night. As long as we were in the country what we consider normal activities were quite limited partly because of the high cost of gasoline and partly because too many things happen after dark.

We are gradually getting back into the swing of things since we moved into town a couple of weeks ago, but a lot of the stress is still present! Psalm 46:10,11 says, "'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.' The Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress." In spite of the load of stress that rises up around us, the Lord is with us, and He strengthens us and makes us able to bear it. Part of His mighty power and love are revealed in the fellowship and love given to us by our church people. They've helped us clean house, furnished us with things we needed but lacked, and we know their prayers are with us all the time.

It is wonderful to know that the Lord takes care of us, and that includes preparing us for what lies ahead. I Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." That verb "cares" is the third person singular, present indicative. That indicates God has always cared for each of us, does take interest in, and does continue His care for us in the present. The future is just the present extended.

Stress is always with us for one reason or another, but so is God, and His love constantly covers us. We could be in jail (like John Bunyan), or we could be sitting in the lap of luxury. In any circumstance, we should thank God for His constant companionship, care, and the marvelous future He promises us. Samuel Stinnett in the 18th century wrote these words: "When all my labors and trials are o'er, And I am safe on that beautiful shore, Just to be near the dear Lord I adore, Will thro' the ages be glory for me...When by His grace I shall look on His face, That will be glory for me." We handle stress by facing life in the present while treasuring in our hearts the promises of the future, the glory of living eternally in the presence of the Lord!