Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV
Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks put the circumstances of our lives, both good and bad into God’s hands and help us see them through His eyes. Last night our beloved daughter-in-law Melinda slipped from this world into the presence of Jesus. And while we are overwhelmed with grief and shock, these words are promises to which we cling. Melinda has finished her race. Her battle with cancer is finished. And while that pernicious disease claimed her physical life, it could not touch her soul. That remained fully and exclusively in the hands of Jesus with whom she now lives. Nancy and I didn’t know how to process the news that came in three words. “She is gone.” Yet as sadness rolls over my heart I sense the message echo back from Heaven, ” She has arrived!”
But now abides faith hope and love, but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 NKJV
The story of Jairus, is one that teaches us to hope when our hopes have run out on us. But I learned a valuable lesson on hope from the unlikely duo of two parrots. You see, when I was still in business, my possession of a pickup truck and trailer made me a very popular guy with my friends, friends of friends and, my family when it came time to move. It was really a great way to get to know people, get some free pizza and stay in shape. One December, Susan who was a friend from our church, asked my wife and I tot help her to move. Though it was chilly, the weather was not too bad by Northeast Pennsylvania standards, but the biggest challenge of the day came in the form of two large parrots. These fellows each had their own large cage, and I had left them for last.
So with the truck packed almost to the gills, After I carried out the first parrot and slid his cage carefully into the passenger side of the pick-up, I realized that there was no way that both cages were going to fit up front. So, the unlucky resident of cage number two was given the warmest spot I could find in between the boxes in the back, and I also carefully wrapped the entire cage in a blanket. Then after tying the cage in securely, and closing the tailgate, I slowly drove the eight miles or so of winding country road over to their new home. After pulling in, I first brought in my feathered friend from the front, while he was cheerfully chirping away, unfazed by the journey. The other less fortunate bird however was quite a different story. After bringing in his cage and unwrapping it from the blanket I saw him sitting as silent as a stone and virtually motionless. Whether he was suffering from shock or the cold I don’t know, yet nevertheless, after thirty minutes warming up, he seemed none the worse for wear.
The journey of these guys reminds me of that verse about hope. When everything else we have in this world is packed up and our world is changing around us, unlike the parrots, we get to choose between two options. We can ride up front close to Jesus, or we can make the journey in the back, wrapped in a blanket, safe secure and alone. Hope calls us to ride up front, close to Jesus. He promises us that even though we still won’t understand everything and that the situation is not in our control, that He will stay by our side and we can ride next to Him. I HOPE that you will like this little message that I shared with the residents at Life Care Center this Friday. Have a blessed weekend everyone!
Recently our church had a week of prayer. Since we are going through a complicated and difficult transition, it was exactly what we needed as a church body, but also something I needed personally. Each night that we gathered, a part of our time was devoted to hundreds of handwritten individual requests that were spread across the altar. They varied from, “Please pray for my Nana; to, “Pray for my friend, who is depressed and thinking of suicide.” I found it too easy during those times to simply close my eyes, repeat the words and then flip to the next request, without truly engaging my heart in intercession for those needs. Though I have not come all the way, it does help me to move a little closer to what Jesus has in mind when He taught us to pray in what we call: “The Lord’s Prayer.” I especially love the last verse in the King James version.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. Matthew 6:13 KJV
Though the more modern translations leave out the last half of this verse, I always include it, because it gives me the reason behind why God hears and answers our prayers. It is also interesting that almost the exact same prayer was used by Solomon when he was dedicating the temple eight hundred years earlier,
Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. 1 Chronicles 29:11 KJV
So, if you are struggling to pray because it is hard to believe that God will answer, remind yourself: that God will provide our daily bread, forgive our sins, protect us from evil and will lead us today because He loves us as a Father and it gives Him glory. ANd everything is possible with our God who rules as King over all the universe!
You must be logged in to post a comment.