9-13-2024

 Good Morning All,

   Psalm 145: 18-19: “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in    truth.  He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.”

    Sometimes life goes relatively smoothly.  We coast through the days, happy as most things go according either to our plans or our desires.  We often don’t think too much when things go well. But when we face trouble, we often see things differently.  We usually start to wonder what we did wrong to deserve this trouble.  We sometimes wonder if we are the only ones who are being afflicted.  We see pain in our family; we are restless and unable to sleep.  All the time we struggle with why.  Why is this happening and why God isn’t fixing it?

     One of the big problems that we have in our lives is that we think only of ourselves.  We see our problems as above and beyond anyone else’s.  We somehow think that since we have been so incredibly blessed for so long that we are somehow entitled to those blessings.  The truth is we are no better than anyone else.  We are all sinners and deserve death.  There is a book written with the title of “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.” The problem is there are no good people.  We have all sinned and deserve only God’s wrath and punishment.

    BUT God, in his mercy, has chosen to save us.  He has redeemed us from the devil and the power of sin and called us to be his children. He gives us many gifts, one of which is prayer.    Notice our verse “The Lord is near all who call on Him.” We never walk alone; we never face the trials and struggles of this life alone.  God is always with us.  Jesus experienced everything which we have or will and he conquered it for us.  We can confidently and boldly go to Him in prayer, and He will hear our cry, and He will save us.  How God chooses to do this is a mystery to us.  Yet we can have confidence in a God that saved us from the devil with the incredible price of His Son dying on a cross to protect and defend us.

    We may face health issues that are life altering or require surgery.  We may see our job teetering on the brink of disappearing.  We may watch our land dry up and blow away.  We may see our whole country collapse under the weight of too many problems and too few answers.  We may see it all, but we know that as God’s people He will rescue us from eternal damnation and give us hope and comfort when all other supports fail around us.  Go to God in prayer.  Go to him in earnest, sincere prayer and He will answer you.  In the Book of James, we read that “we do not have, because we do not ask.”  Make daily prayer part of your life not as a superstition or the last act of a desperate man.  Go to Him in faith, confessing our sins, thanksgiving for the gifts we have and for the needs which we have. He has promised to be near and to incline his ear to you and to listen to you and to give you his comfort and peace.  Speak to the Lord for He is listening.

Father we pray for all those who are hurting and lost.  We ask that you comfort them and sustain them.  We look around and see all the blessing that we have, and we give you thanks for them especially for the grace which we receive from you through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus in whose name we pray.  Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret