Wednesday, January 13,
2016
“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 leave
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 own ways are better than Your ways? (Read Isaiah 55:8-9)
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 atheists 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, 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. (My Hillbilly
Rendition). We see a panoramic view of what He went through; 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 people in school that faced the misguided young man who
asked, “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 the 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
PS As I (Gma J) reread this, about incidents when the nation came together - I thought about the recent incident on the NFL
field when Demar Hamlin was injured. We were a praying nation- to the Eternal God
– on the field, in the stands, on TV and in homes around the country. Praise God for his recovery. Continue
to pray for our country. “The prayer
of a righteous man/person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16
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