trusting God

His Plans

/ pastorpete51 / 7 Comments

The last two weeks as we traveled North for the memorial service for our daughter -in-law have passed with a blur of hotels, phone calls, long days on the road and exhaustion. But the last several days we were blessed to be invited to rest at the lake house of our friends. I had visions of sitting out on the water, just thinking and being alone, but God surprised us with a 100-year flood, and we ended up in the house doing puzzles and just talking, drinking tea and sharing memories. Those moments I tried to capture with the words of a short poem, that I hoped might be a blessing to somebody today. 

His Plans / My Plans

 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

My plan was for quiet walks
To think long thoughts of sorrows
His was for me to be with friends
To talk about tomorrows

I planned for fishing on the lake
With quiet sunny weather
But He sent thunderstorms and floods
That shut us in together

He planned for me to stand and trust
Though I tried to run and hide
 And while I wrestled in the dark
He drew me to His side.

His Plans / My Plans
by Peter Caligiuri
Copyright 2024
All rights reserved

God’s Arrival Time

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:25-26 ESV

Our oldest grandson flew home last night from a visit with friends back in Pennsylvania. His family went to pick him up at the airport, and while his dad checked for the flight’s arrival, the younger ones milled around looking for snacks, but, the fourteen year-old, with his newly acquired cell phone decided to begin texting, “Are you here yet Amadeo? How about now? Now? Now? Now? Now?”  Since it was a family group text, soon all our phones began pinging like a popcorn machine at the movies.  While Alex was having a blast, the rest of us were left rolling our eyes. But just then God reminded me that sometimes I am just like Alex. In my prayers I have been asking; “When are you going to fix things, bring evil men to justice and give us peace? How about now? Now? Now? Now? Now?” Maybe Alex’s enthusiastic impatience makes me laugh so hard because we are alot alike. In today’s verse the prophet Jeremiah, shares with us what God had taught him after the destruction of Jerusalem. Thousands of soldiers had been killed, tens of thousands of civilians had starved to death during the siege, and most of the survivors were marched off as slaves. There had been no miraculous rescue or escape for God’s people, and yet in the midst of the devastation, God showed Jeremiah that He was still in control. God’s plan for him was to as Kipling once wrote, “keep your head when everyone around you is losing theirs.”  No matter how bad things get, we must believe that God’s “Now!” is way better than ours and that His goodness and salvation extends far beyond the arrival time we are hoping for in our prayers!

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When I Am Afraid

/ pastorpete51 / 12 Comments 
Whenever I am afraid I will trust in you. In God whose word I praise. in God I trust. 
I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? 
Psalm 56:3 NIV

Joe was on the board of elders of the small country church we attended, and when the pastor left, Joe was invited to fill that role. Joe had been a steel worker, and didn’t think of himself as a “real pastor” so he asked that we simply call him “Brother Joe.”  In spite of his humble start, Joe knew his Bible well, loved people and trusted God. His statements often included observations from his days of working on the towers, and my favorite was “Any man who tells you he is not afraid is a liar!” I think King David would have not only liked Brother Joe but would have whole heartedly agreed with that statement. When David wrote today’s verse, he had just been captured by the people from the city if Gath. In case that name doesn’t ring a bell, it was the home town of the giant he had killed, named Goliath. Probably in that crowd of soldiers who marched David off as a prisoner were Goliath’s friends and neighbors. They were hoping to see him executed and David really had a perfect excuse to be afraid. It is interesting that David didn’t start by pretending that he wasn’t afraid. Instead, he faced his fears by first accepting them, “When I am afraid!” David said. But what David did next was something most of us forget to do. He chose to trust in God in spite of that fear. If you feel as if circumstances have taken you prisoner, today, it’s okay to join David by just saying out loud, I am afraid!” But then we need to move on to what David said next. “But I will trust in You (God)!”  This isn’t pretending, it is a choice. We are afraid, but we don’t have to stay there. God’s promises are true. He is still in control, and He has us in His mighty hands! – I hope you enjoy this beautiful song from Selah that makes the case for trusting God. Have a blessed day everyone!