God’s Faithfulness

You can do it!

/ pastorpete51 / 9 Comments

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9

Six years ago, while my wife Nancy was battling cancer, I remember sitting for hours in hospital rooms and doctor’s offices, feeling anything but strong; and not courageous at all. I was overwhelmed, alone, and exhausted. When we go through those times, some of us look to the Bible character of Joshua as a tremendous example of courage. Yet I wonder if during those days when Joshua was mourning the loss of his friend and mentor Moses, if he was feeling particularly courageous. Do you suppose that he ever felt weak or afraid as he faced the task of leading more than a million people into the promised land? You better believe he did! Just think, if he never felt that way, then why did God command him not once, not twice but three times to be strong and courageous?

    Whether you are in a crisis or are just facing problems beyond your control, remember that we serve a God who gives us hope that is not based on own courage and strength, but in Him. We can have hope in His promise that the enemies we face are no match for our Him! He is not disappointed by our weakness, nor impatient with our faltering steps. Like a good father teaching His child to walk, God stretches out His arms today and calls to us, “Take another step! You can do it! Be strong and very courageous: because no matter what you face, I will be with you!”

Father, I ask you to quiet my heart so that I can hear your voice and trust that you will be with me wherever I go.

Going for a Walk

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment 
By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. Hebrews 11:5 ESV

I love going for walks, whether at the park, along the beach or around our neighborhood. It is my way of not only getting fresh air, but also finding a place to think and talk things out with God. The Bible says that Enoch walked with God. Now we aren’t given the details but maybe his last day on earth went a little like this. He put on his robe and sandals, kissed his wife goodbye and said, “I’m headed out for a walk.” It was just like every other day, except that this time Enoch never came home.

Though Enoch’s disappearance certainly must have seemed strange, what is interesting to me is that no one wondered where he went. People who knew Enoch recognized that he walked so closely with God that if He were missing, then God must have taken Him. The Bible doesn’t explain exactly how this occurred, but it tells us that God was pleased with him and that he did not see death. Did you get that part? “He did not see death!” Now strange or not, the testimony Enoch left for us is both a challenge and a promise. Today Enoch’s life challenges us to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, and yet it also includes the promise that if we do that, God will walk with us and His promise is that He will take us on a path that goes on forever, and that for forever, He will walk with us!

Step Away From the Puzzle

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 
Hebrews 11:13 ESV

Years ago, book lovers often subscribed to book-of-the-month clubs and one of the most popular was the Reader’s Digest. Their angle was to condense books down from their original length, and then bundle 4-5 novels into a single volume. (Think War and Peace down to 120 pages!). Though this was usually a big hit, one of their flops was an ill-conceived attempt to condense the Bible. Turns out folks didn’t want the Good Book being slimmed down! Yet, in Hebrews chapter eleven, God does, what those editors couldn’t, and gives in just forty verses a condensed version of all the heroes of the Old Testament. Today’s passage tells us that these people hadn’t received all of God’s promises, but they got a glimpse of them from far away.

That long distance perspective reminded me of putting together a jig-saw puzzle. God’s promise is the beautiful picture on the front of the box, but what I see is more like a heap of pieces dumped on a table. Some of them I put aside for edges, while others I group by color, but few fit easily together. But just as the Bible heroes stepped back and greeted their promises from afar, sometimes the best puzzle strategy is to step away. After too much time up close, we need to rest our eyes. Then, almost miraculously, on when we return, we see patterns that just leap out at us, and we make progress. The worst thing is to keep trying to force pieces together without perspective. In the Bible, that approach has led to some terrible decisions. Abraham took a second wife when Sarah didn’t get pregnant, Moses killed an Egyptian, and David got tangled up with Bathsheba, just to name a few. If our own lives were condensed into forty verses, I am sure there would be enough to scandalize all our friends and family! But if we just step back, God will help us see His promises from afar. That viewpoint is a reminder that we aren’t on a predetermined schedule and only God can see the whole picture on the front of the box. So, take a breath, step away from the puzzle for a moment and God will give you the wisdom to fit together that puzzle, one piece at a time!