problems

Even Through the Days of Rain

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
Aches and pains knocked on my door
And stayed an hour yesterday
Like every uninvited guest
They demanded their own way 

Just as I wondered what was next
 They tired of their game
And slipped out then down the street
Leaving quiet here again

So, I begged God "Please lock my door
Before they come to stay!"
But He answered only "Robins sing
 Even through the days of rain."

But I am afflicted and in pain;
    let your salvation, O God, set me on high!
I will praise the name of God with a song;
    I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
Psalm 69:29-30 ESV

Even Through the Days of Rain
By Peter Caligiuri
Copyright © 2022
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

A Superglue Love!

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? …Romans 8:35

I have always loved this verse, though holding on to it at times of trouble has seemed elusive at best. Usually when the going gets tough in relational conflict, under financial pressure or sickness I forget about God’s love and revert to anxiety or stressed out overreactions. But God’s love is supposed stick to us like superglue; so what are we missing?

Maybe our common weakness in situations needing God’s love is expecting to find the source in ourselves; and when that is failing we fall back into fear, stress or shame. But this morning I noticed how this superglue love that sticks through every possible circumstance has nothing to do with me or you. Its holding power is linked to who Jesus is and where He is in the previous verse.

Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Romans 8:34 ESV

Yup…that superglue love is all about Jesus interceding for us with the Father right there in heaven. Remember He told us, “I and the Father are one.”? His love for us superglues Him to that place in Heaven. No situation of life or death, sickness or persecution can unstick His love or make Him give up on us. His love is superglued right to the throne of God and nothing in creation will ever separate us from the amazing….unbelievable…all powerful and wonderful, love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord! Now that gives me hope and puts a drop of God’s superglue love in me!

When Lightning Strikes

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

He covers his hands with the lightning and commands it to strike the mark.                     Job 36:32 ESV

Having worked another long day outside with temperatures flirting with one hundred degrees, we were enjoying the little bit of rain that the breeze wafted our way as we sat on the front porch. Then that wonderful stillness was interrupted by the horrible crash of a thunderbolt that landed just a few yards away on the other side of the dirt road. We sat in shock for a moment and then we started laughing in relief as the geese over in the cow pasture honked in loud and angry protest.

brown and beige wooden barn surrounded with brown grasses under thunderclouds

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The terrible thing about lightning is that it wakes us up to just how vulnerable we are. Car accidents, break-ins, doctor’s reports and family crisis hit at times when we least expect. But the hope that our scripture today gives is that God is ultimately in control. He holds the power of the lightning in His hands and He is the one who commands where it will strike.

God knows not only when and where the lightning will strike but even when each sparrow falls. He has marked His calendar for how long our life on earth is to be. So we must decide if we will honk in angry protest when thunder crashes all around or we can rejoice in God’s mercy and grace. He loved us so much that He sent Jesus to die in our place so we can praise the one who will keep us safe in every storm!