“In my distress I
called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of the
His temple, and my cry did enter into His ears” (2 Samuel 22:7).
Hey Gang: I have been
walking this earth for more than eight decades and never before has my heart
hurt as does this day- not for myself or the bride-of-my youth, for I believe
we are in that life’s period that Paul referred to as “the last lap of the
race.” My concern is for the world I leavr for my children, my grand-children
and my great-grand-children.
In the past several years I have been spending more time
asking the Lord “Why Lord?” “Why would a nation- that has been abundantly
blessed by You- suddenly choose to say, “We have listened to You these many
years and have been so very blessed, but now we want to try it your adversary’s
way”.
Why would a person who was blessed
by You with the intellectual power to evaluate, with common sense and the
ability to see the results of the choices they are making, decide that their
ways are better than Your ways?
As I was seeking the Lord’s guidance on what I would write
to you this morning, the Paris catastrophe is still heavy on my heart. When I first heard that a major terrorist
attack was under way, I wondered if there were those who were praying. There were sixty-thousand people in the
stadium watching a soccer game when the explosions were first heard. Prayer has nearly become obsolete in France,
most of the churches, except the Muslim Mosques, have closed and sold for more
up-to-date things.
I suspect there were people praying. I suspect the seeds that were planted in
their hearts, at some time in their lives, suddenly came to life. In our lifetime of ministry we have often
received calls from people who have rejected God all their lives asking that we
pray for them. I have often wondered if
that does any good, but have honored those requests.
There is an old saying that there are no atheist in fox-holes. I certainly believe that is true. I served in Korea, not during the killing
phase, but worked side by side with warriors who had seen buddies fall and it
was always very special to listen to their stories. In the dozens who were free to share their story
with me, I found some very tough hombres, but I found no atheist.
I have been spending time in Isaiah once again. I love the last 26 chapters of Isaiah and
especially Chapter 53. The Suffering Servant Chapter is one with many colored
markings, in my Bible. This morning, as
has happened many times before, one of the verses was in very bold print. Did you ever have that happen to you? I believe it was bold this morning so I would
be sure to include it in Gramps Morning Thought for today.
As I read Isaiah’s words, once again, the message that
seemed to stick out was “He could have
called ten thousand angels down and snuffed the bad dudes who were planning on
ending His life but He choose to die for me and you. (Hillbilly rendition). We see a panoramic view of what He went
through and I wondered, if I had a gun in my hand and someone threatened to do
what they did to him, would I turn the other cheek?
I thought of the young lads and lassies that faced the
misguided young man who ask the question “Are you a Christian.” After the first one answered, “Yes,” and
was shot dead, do you think Satan was saying “Hey, you surely will not die” “Just say no, it really doesn’t
matter. No one will blame you.” The ones who answered, “No, I am not, he
shot in the leg”. I wonder if every time
they shower and feel the scar from that decision. Will prick their conscience?
Do you think there were times when Peter
agonized over his denial of the Lord?
I wish I could say that never happened to me, but such is not the case.
How thankful I am that our Lord is a loving, compassion, merciful Lord who paid
a price, He did not owe for me, who could not pay what I owed.
It is snowing and the ground looks so clean and
beautiful. I wonder if the climate
control folks enjoy God’s changes in the weather. I pray you will have a blessed day, one that
is filled with the joy of the Lord.
Blessings,
Gramps
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