healing

When God Seems Silent

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”  But He answered her not a word …    Matthew 15:22-23a ESV

Did it ever feel as if God wasn’t paying any attention to you? That is undoubtedly exactly the feeling that the woman in today’s verse experienced. She cried. She begged. She fell to Jesus’ feet. But nothing she could do or say seemed to touch the Lord. Her story reminded me of the Bangladeshi people who come to work the gravel of the dry river banks in North India. They are rejected by most of the local people and forced to take the lowest and most menial jobs. Yet at the end of the story we find that not only did Jesus care but that He did answer her cry and in fact He had made this – His longest trip of His lifetime just for her . 

But when it feels like Jesus is not listening and other believers tell us that it is no use, we have a decision to make. Will we continue to pray or will we give up? For all of us there comes that single moment when we have to decide what to do God’s silence. This woman who appeared to have no background, no friends and no hope leaves us with a testimony of hope, not only that God is listening but that He cares enough to hear and answer prayer! Think of it as if Jesus made His trip to earth, just for you, and keep on trusting till an answer comes!

Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. Matthew 15:28

Let’s Change the World!

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. John 9:1-3

It is popular to say that, “We want to change the world.” and considering all the changes brought on by the Corona virus, the elections and the ongoing divisions in our society,  we have certainly seen a lot of change. “But we are talking about positive change!” you might respond, so then I would ask, “How would you suggest we change the world for the better? Would you propose building a large social media platform, or inventing a new product or service? Should we run for political office or join others in the street to protest for change?” Amazingly the one person who has changed the world the most did none of these things. Jesus Christ never held a position, owned a home or traveled the world.   He talked about the kingdom of God, healed the sick and encouraged the rejected people of his day. But when His popularity grew till large crowds began following Him, He sent them away to go up on a mountain and pray.  

If we carefully read the New Testament accounts of His life we find that; yes Jesus was interested in changing our world, but He had a tactic far different than ours. Instead of finding the best arenas to fill, He went to obscure places filled with people in need, and when He got there, Jesus usually chose one single person to talk to. The woman at the well and another about to be stoned each left His presence, changed forever. A young man about to be buried was raised from the dead (Now that’s a change!) and a leper on the outskirts of a village was cleansed and healed. But perhaps the most notable – since the Bible devotes an entire chapter to him- is the blind man in today’s verse who was sitting at the corner of a busy city street. Maybe the Bible does not reveal his identity because God wants us to know that any one of us can be like him.

We don’t need to be important, well financed or talented for God to take an interest in us. It doesn’t matter to Jesus what other people’s opinions about us are. God wants us to know that He hasn’t forgotten about us. He reassures our hearts that our problems are not too hard for Him to solve and that if we just put our trust in Him, that He will change our world forever. Then through our lives, no matter what anyone else thinks, God will be glorified. Now tell me, “What change is any better than that?”!

How God Heals Broken Nations

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But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. James 4:6

I have rarely posted a message from any pastor on my blog, not because I think there is anything wrong with it but because I do not consider this venue a productive place to do so. We all have our own churches with varying callings and visions for service in our local communities. However due to the urgency and depth of our nation’s crisis and because I personally was so challenged by Pastor Rick Warren’s message, I have posted it for you today. May God grant each of us mercy and may we with humble sincere hearts call out for God’s forgiveness, healing and restoration of our hearts, our families, our churches and our nation. May God bless you and I as we join together in humbly asking His help, His grace and His healing and direction for our future.