Trust and Obey

At His Word

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment 
And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” -  And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. Luke 5:5; 11 ESV

Like the farmer who has just finished his spring planting only to have his field washed out by a rainstorm, Peter was discouraged after spending the entire night casting his nets and laboriously pulling them in again and then returning home exhausted and empty handed. All of us are sometimes forced to face our inabilities and failures that have happened in spite of our best efforts. Maybe we were fired from our job because we failed to make a quota, our marriage is struggling, and it seems we don’t have even one friend. Whatever we are facing, is how Peter felt that morning when he met Jesus. But Jesus hadn’t come to call Peter because he was the best fisherman, and He doesn’t only call the best fathers, mothers, or pastors for His kingdom work. Jesus often picks people for His team who have worked all night with nothing to show for their efforts. And Jesus hasn’t showed up just to demand that we try harder, He only asks that we believe and obey His word. Peter didn’t understand why Jesus said to launch out, and he even pointed out that it seemed foolish to throw out his nets again, but he chose to obey anyway. Then, when he cast that heavy net out just one more time, it became so full that it took all the efforts of Peter, and his friends to pull it in. But this story is about more than just blessings. The real blessing and call of Jesus, both then, and now, is to leave everything by faith and come follow Jesus wherever He asks us to go!

Who Are You Going To Trust?

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 ESV

Even some of my American friends may not know that here in the United States our national motto is “In God We Trust.” Ironically, this motto appears, neither on our flag, nor in our constitution but on our money, and was introduced not at the height of our prosperity, but during the darkest days of our Civil War. It came about in response to a letter from a Reverend Watkinson appealing to the Treasury Secretary, that we as a nation needed to publicly acknowledge God if we were to receive His help. Though the letter was sent in 1861, it took three years to be instituted. Finally in 1864, when, despite the many victories of the Northern States, the painful reality was that both sides were suffering devastation, death and tragedy on a scale never seen before in our history. Then, just when our hopes were at their lowest “In God We Trust” was introduced on the 2-cent piece. This national decision at that pivotal time, should be a wake-up call for us in the midst of social upheaval, violence, and division. We need to realize that we will never be blessed as “One nation under God” until we remember that our trust in God must not be a bold boast, but a cry to Him for help. Today’s verse reminds us that our greatest hope is not in victory, nor in success, but in the promise that our God will hear our cry. He is our hope this morning and for every morning. Whatever our disappointment; Whatever our despair; whatever our weakness: God has promised to hear us, to come to us and to comfort us, if we put our trust in Him. Of course, that doesn’t imply that everything in our lives will wonderful when we trust God, but that whatever we face, He has promised to be right by our side because we belong to Him!

“We cannot always trace God's hand, but we can always trust God's heart.”
Charles Spurgeon
Photo by Jeff Weese on Pexels.com

Quiet Like a Child

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment 
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. Psalm 131 2-3 ESV

Psalm 131 is one of the fifteen Psalms titled, “Songs of Ascent” It is supposed that these were sung by pilgrims, making their way from all over Israel towards Jerusalem for the great festivals prescribed by God in the law of Moses. Since this Psalm appears near the end of that group, maybe at this point the temple is already in sight, or at least the outer walls of the city of Jerusalem. This unknown author was not someone of high rank. We don’t know his exact circumstances, but maybe it was as he paused to rest on his journey, that he was inspired to write. “I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother. ” Then taking a deep breath, he thrills in wonder at the magnificent sight of the Holy City, lying just ahead. Then a simple truth, comes like a gentle rain on a parched field. I imagine him taking a deep breath, thrilling in wonder at the magnificent sight of the Hoy City, lying just ahead. Though he wrote these words thousands of years ago, He is a lot like us. He, just a simple worshiper of Jehovah: has been not only commanded to appear, but God has invited him to come. This man, who is not a king entering the city gates in triumph, or a priest bringing a lamb for God’s altar, is accepted and even welcomed. Then he says, that, just as a weaned child rests upon His mother’s lap waiting for the new adult food that she will feed him, he realizes that God has something new for him as well. This morning, as he has quieted his hungry soul, he remembers David’s Psalm that tells him that God has prepared a banquet table in the wilderness and is waiting just for him. That truth awakening in Him such a joy, the writer knows that he must tell everyone! “O Israel, hope in the Lord, from this time forth and forevermore!”