suffering

He Remembers Prayers

/ pastorpete51 / 7 Comments 
Prayer is not an idle wish
And more than wondering
If God might be too busy with
Some more important things

It puts down its deepest roots
In the garden of our cares
Knowing God has scheduled us
In His appointment book of prayer

And bends low to listen for
Each child of His who seeks
For He well remembers when
At Calvary He was weak

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15 ESV


He Remembers Prayers by Peter Caligiuri copyright 2022 all rights reserved

Power of Perspective

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

Lots of us have heard famous speakers talk about suffering from the pulpits of mega churches, but don’t see how it connects to our own lives. But the testimony of the Mullett family is as down to earth and as real as it gets. I am posting part five here tonight believing that there is someone else besides me who is going through a life altering time of difficulty, grief or confusion. The good news for all of us is that God is also as real as it gets and I am so thankful that He walks by our side through every moment of our lives!

As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18 ESV

12 Gifts of Christmas / 8th Gift – Blueprints of Grace

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6

As we near Christmas we need to remember that same grace that chose Bethlehem’s manger for God’s new born Son of God to lay in, has also chosen whatever struggles we face today. No matter what difficulty we are up against, today’s verse reminds us to abandon our own smarts, or strength. It reminds me of when I was about eight years old going with my step-father to visit his architectural firm. There, everywhere I looked large tables were filled with blueprints. My step-dad put me up on a chair so I could see and flipped through some of his plans. To my eight year old mind those pages looked more like a tangle of arrows and lines than anything useful. But He just smiled and slowly showed me how those arrows and lines would one day become beautiful new buildings. Today standing at the edge of old age I sometimes feel like that little boy again. I Look back and recall the unstoppable tears at the death of my parents, my terrifying visits to the emergency room for back pain and my wife’s battle with cancer. In the heat of those moments they just seemed like aimless and terrifying attacks. Though I know that in God’s design He has been working from a blueprint for good, I still need His grace to calm my heart and help me trust His plan.

Photo by Lex Photography on Pexels.com

The blueprints on God’s workbench are covered with the lines and plans of His grace. We may not see it but we are each a part of His design. One day together we will be completed in the beautiful home He has designed for us all. He often chooses that our struggles today, will become a comfort that we can give to someone else tomorrow. If we humbly ask in prayer, “Father what is this confusing jumble of lines and arrows written on your blueprint of grace for me?” He will delight in explaining just enough of His plan to gently lead us down our path today.