4-28-2022

 

Good Morning All!

    2 Corinthians 1:20; “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”

    “Yes!”  There is probably no more exciting or sought-after word in the English language. Most of the greatest events in our lives revolve around “yes” When you asked that special someone out for that first date; when you asked her to marry you, these times were punctuated by “yes.”  Even other, lesser events are surrounded by “yes.” Did you get the job? Did you get the house? Did you win the game? Did you pass the test? Did you get into the school you wanted? Will you be home this weekend? All make us happy when the answer is yes.

    We spend most of our life looking forward to hearing “yes” from our loved ones. It is funny that one of the first phrases our children learn is “no-no.”  Yet we say no in order to protect them. We tell them “no” to touching a hot stove. We tell them “no” to playing with sharp objects. We tell them “no” because we love them and want them to stay safe. That is the same reason God told Adam and Eve “no” when eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

God knew that eating that fruit would only bring pain to Adam, but Adam didn’t trust God and Adam have visions of being equal to or greater than God. So, with that Adam turned from God and lost his perfect world and went into a world where only pain and anguish existed.

    Our only hope is God. G. looked at us, sinful, wretched being and said “Yes.”  “Yes” I love you; “Yes” I want you; “Yes” I will save you and redeem you to be my own. In Jesus, we see all of God’s “yesses” for us. We see his love, his comfort, his compassion for us. We see all of God’s everlasting kindness for us in Jesus. So, we hear “Yes” from God.  But what about those times when we can’t hear a “yes”?

    There are many times when we think that we don’t hear a “yes” from God. Whether it is a marriage that breaks, or a family that crumbles, a job that disappears, health that fails or even death of a loved one; it can be hard to hear God’s “Yes.”  The thing is, God still tells us “Yes” we just don’t want to hear it. It is usually our sinful nature or the sinful nature of the world that causes us the pain. Sometimes, it can’t be fixed in this world. So, we cry and ask why, we really need to trust in God because he has shown us his “yes;” we see it in the empty cross and the open tomb.  God’s “Yes” to us is shown by his grace for us, by the comfort that he sends to us. It may take a time or two for it to take hold, but he keeps sending it to us. We continue to receive grace upon grace. So, when we don’t hear God’s “Yes”; we need to turn off the other noise and listen closely.  God speaks his “Yes” to us and gives us peace for today and hope for tomorrow.

Dearest Father, you shout “Yes” to us through your Son Jesus. Give us the strength and the faith to trust your “Yes” even when sin causes us to miss it. Speak it loudly to those who need it most. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret