Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or about your body what you will wear. Life is more than food and the body more than clothes.” Luke 12:22-23

As I write this on the last day of November 2008, it is becoming more and more apparent that the United States (and many parts of the world) is headed into some financial troubles (which may prove to be the understatement of the year). Housing, manufacturing, automobile, insurance and banking industries are all struggling and it’ll probably get worse before it gets better. It will be very easy to panic as the world comes crashing down.

But I think it will also be an opportunity for Christians to display a vibrant and active faith. Others will be panicky about food and clothing and shelter. Others will point fingers at Congress, the President, former Presidents and anyone else they can think of for the mess we will be in.

Know this, though, God is in control. He knew about these troubled years long long ago. He knew about all the anxieties you’d be experiencing during these times. In the midst of calamity (as in the days of calm), He will be calling out to each of us. His desire is for us to draw near to him. In tough times or plentiful times, He is constantly wooing us, trying to show us our utter need for Him.

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the Lord, is my strength and my song: he has become my salvation. Isaiah 12:2

Spread plentifully throughout the Old and New Testaments are songs of praise to God. Often times those songs come at what appears to be very odd times. But God was a way of life for these people. Times were tough; life was tough. Throw in the added disadvantage of being hated for what they believe, it would have been understandable if they had fallen away. Many did.

But those who remained faithful knew the value of worship. Poetry. Loud music. Solemn pronouncements. Dancing. Kneeling. Prostrating themselves before God. Rending their garments.

There was a reverent fear of God. I’m sure the stories were passed down about what happened to people who were disobedient to God. But when it was all said and done, they worshipped. Whatever it took, they did it.

I think we can learn from them. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, when we worship, we merely offer what we have to God, whether it’s through song or poetry or prayer or bowing silently before a Holy, Almighty God. It doesn’t even have to sound pretty or eloquent. It just needs to come from the heart.

May the God of peace be with you all. Amen. Romans 15:33

We are coming upon a time of the year when many people are
under a lot of stress from different sources. People have busier schedules,
spend more money, visit close relatives, and eat more than they should. Paul’s
prayer at the end of Romans 15 is as applicable today as when it was written.
They had stresses in Paul’s day that we don’t have now.

The Bible talks a lot about peace. In fact, one of our
Savior’s names is the Prince of Peace.

Of course, political leaders define peace as “the absence of
war,” but that’s not the peace I’m talking about. Peace is elusive. We know it
when we have it; we know it when we don’t. We don’t often know how to get it
when we don’t have it.

    Internal peace.

    Getting-a-sound-sleep peace.

    Having-a-clear-conscience peace.

    Knowing that all-is-well-with-your-soul peace.

You can’t buy that peace nor can you manufacture it.

May the God of peace be with you all. Rest completely in
that prayer.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:4-5

Throughout the Psalms is a general theme of “Give thanks to God; his love endures forever." I suspect a phrase similar to that is in the Old Testament 30 times or more. In fact, each verse in Psalm 136 ends in “His love endures forever.” Obviously it’s a phrase that God wants us to be familiar with.

You see, we forget easily. We forget that the world doesn’t revolve around us. We forget that we are expendable and can be replaced. We forget that we are not permanent on this earth. And we also forget that God’s love endures forever.

The writers of Psalms wanted to make it crystal clear that we should be giving thanks to the One who created and redeemed us. Then they remind us that The Lord is good. It’s a fairly simple recipe in how we should treat God.

I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. Ephesians 1:16

A number of years ago I wrote a letter to my Little League coach. It had been a full 25+ years since I had seen or heard from him. I wrote him a letter thanking him for the influence he had over my life during three short summers. It wasn’t long. It wasn’t eloquent or fancy, but I had to do it.

When someone tells me that he’s a self-made man I have to laugh hysterically. I laugh because he has been influenced by teachers and coaches and parents and challenging friends and fellow students and co-workers. That’s why we need to express our thanks to the people who got us where we are. (think how you would react if someone did this to you!)
Make a list of those who have influenced you over the years. It’ll dig up some old memories, both good and bad. Now pick one, just one, that you know is still living. Write that person a short letter or card, thanking him/her for the influence he/she has had. It doesn’t have to be fancy or long. Sign it, then send it.

More importantly, pray for that person. Unless you’ve been in contact recently, you probably don’t know exactly how to pray for the individual. Pray through Ephesians 1:17-23. It’s very powerful stuff.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 107:1

This is the week of Thanksgiving Day. It’s a day when families and friends gather round large turkeys with all the trimmings and thank God for what he’s given. I’m sure we don’t do it often enough.

I don’t know about you, but being thankful isn’t natural for me. I like to think that I’m the model of Gratefulness, that every little (or big) thing that comes my way, I’m thankful for. You guessed it, I’m not. But as I’ve stated elsewhere, it’s not always about me. In fact, it rarely is.

We need to be reminded often that we’re not on this earth alone and the things that people do for us should not go unthanked. And of course, God should be thanked as often as we can because without Him we’d be total wrecks!

“Jesus knew their thoughts…” Matthew 12:25

Jesus was getting ready to heal the man with a demon, and the Pharisees were indignant. They said he could only drive out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons. Earlier in the chapter the Scripture states that these same Pharisees were plotting on how they might kill Jesus.

But Jesus knew their thoughts. He knew what caused them to get to this point. He knew the anger and frustration they must have felt at someone trying to “muscle in” on their territory, so to speak. He knew who was behind their vile thoughts about him. And he also knew that they didn’t care a wit about the demon-possessed man or the man with the shriveled hand earlier in the chapter.

Jesus knew their thoughts. He knew just how far those thoughts would take them.

Two thousand years later, Jesus still knows our thoughts. He knows our frustrations and anger and joys and pains. He knows the unkind rumor we think just before it comes out of our mouths. He knows what we're capable of, both good and bad.

And yet, incredibly, He still loves us.

“Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside…” Matthew 20:17

Have you ever wondered what Jesus and his disciples talked about when they were walking to places? They would regularly walk 2, 5, 10 or more miles to get to the next town so they had to talk about something. Obviously we’ll never know this side of Heaven how those conversations went, but He had gained the trust and confidence of twelve men.

I had a professor in Bible School that was a great man of wisdom. He was often slow in communicating that, but when he did we wrote down everything he had to say. Everything. We hung on his every word. I imagine it was like that for the disciples of Jesus too. When he spoke, people listened intently. Picture them gathering around Him even as they walked (and walking backwards if they had to).

And yet, I’m not sure they fully grasped who He was or what He came to do. I find that I do that often enough. I doubt and question and wonder. It’s the valleys and peaks of our Christian experience. They are normal and can be expected if we hope to mature in the Christian faith.

But I can say with certainty, “Yes, it has been worth it all.” 

“Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” Matthew 20:26

James, John, and the remaining ten disciples were arguing about who was the greatest. Actually, the ten were upset at James and John for trying to secure a special place in the Kingdom of Heaven. Though the text doesn’t say it, I presume at least a few of the ten were indignant because they weren’t quick enough to ask! It’s a very human thing to want.

But Jesus set them all in their places. If you want to be great, serve others. That’s it. It’s certainly not what the world teaches. The world tells us to be great first then you’ll be able to serve humanity. Or “look out for Number One because no one else will be looking out for you.” What an upside down kingdom we’re a part of.

It’s a very basic lesson to us all: if you want to be great in the Kingdom, serve.

As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Matthew 20:29

Have you ever seen a famous person on the street? It’s kind of a cool experience. To this day on occasion you’ll probably “drop a name” if given a chance. “Yeah, I rode the elevator with that guy.”

In the previous passage, we see the mother of James and John vying for her sons to take seats of honor in the coming Kingdom (and the remaining 10 disciples becoming angry about it). They all knew who Jesus was. The very thought of the Messiah being in their presence every day was phenomenal. I’m certain they too were name droppers.

“I walked to Jericho with THE Messiah.” That kind of story just begged a response: “What was it like? What did you talk about?” Then, the disciples could tell the full story. What an opportunity!

We too walk with the Messiah. We talk. We listen. We argue. We laugh. Then we have an opportunity to “name drop." 

David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God. 1 Samuel 30:6

At this time in David’s reign—to put it mildly—he wasn’t well liked. We’ve all had those kinds of days. And to be fair, there are times that we haven’t liked people that much. Those who were against David wanted blood. Amidst all that anguish and strife, David could say that he found strength in the Lord his God. The correlation to our own lives is obvious but I think we need to step it up a notch.

As I’ve written in this space before, millions of Christians face situations similar to David’s. Many want the blood of Christians. We need to pray for our Brothers and Sisters that they will find strength in the Lord their God. Their very lives may depend on our prayers.

Pray for the nation of Sudan. Darfur gets most of the attention out of all the news coming out of Sudan, but Sudan is a very large country. After 20+ years of civil war, there is trouble once again. Pray for those in the towns of Wau, Bir Di, Bor, Rumbek, Waat, Akelo, and the capital of the South, Juba (to name a few).

Pray that they too will find strength in the Lord their God.

Voice of the Martyrs

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Psalm 5:11

Here are two related questions. (1) How do you sing when no one is watching? It could be a song on the radio or a worship tape or a song that just pops into your head. (2) Now how do you sing when people are around, say, perhaps in a congregational setting? Are the two manners different? (sorry, that was 3 questions)

This evening the barbershop chorus I sing with went to a nursing home. We sang to two different audiences: the first was to “regular” residents as they were dining, and the second in the Memory Care Section (Alzheimer’s Unit). What a contrast. The regular residents were polite and cordial. Then we sang to the Memory Care residents. One woman in particular took it upon herself to join in with us to the tunes she knew. She was off key, shrill, and a half second ahead of us in our singing. No problem.

Then it happened. A quartet began a medley of three Gospel songs and I watched this woman in amazement. She sang (almost) in tune and in tempo with the quartet. The words came alive to her. She was halfway between tears and smiles. She wasn’t singing for our benefit, even though we were all standing in front of her. No, she was carefree and joyfully singing for the Audience of One.

And I suspect He was pleased with her worship.

I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass. Isaiah 51:12

When God is our comfort, what do we have to fear? Nothing. And yet, we fear a lot.

• We fear about not having enough money “to make ends meet.”
• We fear about the type of society our children are growing up in.
• We fear that the global economy will come crashing around us.
• We fear old age.
• We fear death.
• We even fear that God doesn’t love us sometimes.

We could easily add to the list if we're honest with ourselves. The list is as real as our fears. However, the God who set the mountains and lakes in place, the God who threw out the stars in the heavens and sprinkled the sand on the beaches, the God who knows the number of water molecules in all of the oceans, yes, that same God will comfort us.

Sometimes we just need to ask. Often it’s the hardest thing to do.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. Psalm 90:1

Have you ever wondered if the God who created the universe is capable? I know, it sounds like a foolish question. I ask this because I think that we often treat Him as if He were a “if you can” God versus a “I know you can” God. We doubt God. We think that with a billion Christians praying at one time, what’s the likelihood that He even cares for us let alone will answer our prayers?

But as today’s Scripture states, He’s been around a long long time and He isn’t going away any time too soon. From the beginning of time until it is no more, God will be. He’s heard the prayers of the saints from of old and He’ll hear the prayers of His modern-day saints. Nothing is beyond His grasp. No one is unimportant. And no prayers go unheard (you may not like His answers but He does hear them).

So, today is a day to just think about His greatness. Think about the God who talked to Adam in the garden, Noah as he was building the ark, Moses in the burning bush, Paul on the road to Damascus, and any number of Biblical characters. Same God. Different eras. And after we perish from this Earth, He will be here for the saints who follow us.

Stability through the generations is what we need in this rapidly changing world. 

In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:5

A religious leader came to Jesus in the dark of night because he was fearful of what his other leaders would think of him if they found out. Nicodemus was a truth seeker. He was putting a lot on the line to meet with this radical named Jesus.

Then Jesus told him he had to be born again. After Jesus briefly explained the concept, Nicodemus was still puzzled. Jesus’ next words must have shook Nicodemus to the core: “You are Israel’s teacher and you don’t understand these things.” It probably upset him because as a teacher, he was certain to know a great deal about the Law and the Prophets. But he never came across anything about being “born again.” He would have remembered that!

But the rebirth Jesus was talking about was (and is) spiritual. It was all about dying to oneself, sacrifice, trusting in a God you couldn’t see, turning from your evil and wicked desires, acknowledging to that same God that you couldn’t do it on your own. And yet, it began with one simple step: surrendering your life to Christ.

Most reading this will have had that experience in one form or another, but I think it’s prudent to remember where we’ve been and what it was all about. Back then it was fresh in our minds and exciting. The message is still the same: you must be born again. It’s as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago when a troubled religious leader came to Jesus with deep questions.

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58

Those in the ministry know the joys and pains of helping people. It’s often a thankless, sleepless, and tireless job. People don’t always act the way they should or the way you want them to act. People can be downright stubborn and ornery!

But this verse gives us all hope. You see, if we were in the ministry for the money or the prestige or the fame, it wouldn’t last. But we’re in it for the people. Yeah, they’re stubborn, but we also know that God must love them and is getting ready to do something in their lives, because why else would you be ministering to them?

Take heart. You know your reward is a heavenly reward and the work you’re doing on behalf of other people isn’t in vain. It’s nice to be reminded of that when you’re in the thick of things.

Blessed are they who are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord.  Psalm 119:1

“Nobody’s perfect.” If we’ve heard that phrase once, we’ve heard it several thousand times. Often it is spoken when a person has failed to meet someone else’s standard. And dare I say, often it is an excuse.

Of course we all make mistakes, and nobody is perfect. Trust me when I say that this phrase was coined when the person saw me coming! The Psalmist tells us, though, that we will be blessed if we are blameless as we walk according to the Law of the Lord. How do we connect the two? On the one hand, we are  all sinners and fail. On the other, God said we will be blessed if we walk according to His law.

I think it all in your attitude. If as a Christian you aren’t even trying to live a Godly life according to the principles set forth in the Word of God, it’s a problem. If you’ve resigned yourself to the fact that you fail and you’ll always fail and why should you try to succeed, that’s also a problem. However, if you genuinely seek to live according to God’s Word and still fail, you are on the right track. You have not let sin or the circumstances of the world harden your heart. You are, as the Scriptures say, a man after God’s own heart.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Matthew 5:11

This is another one of those hard teachings of Jesus, especially to those of who have never undergone real persecution. In fact, when we were thinking about moving to a Muslim country, I was amazed at the looks people gave me when I tried to explain that our mail would be read and our telephone conversations would be monitored. Then the real shocker was when I told people to never ever refer to us as missionaries (because the term "missionary" does not have a positive meaning in many lands).

It’s true. It’s many lands, it’s a crime to be a missionary. If you lead someone to Christ, it is dangerous for the person and his/her family if the authorities find out about the conversion. Such is the case of many of our Brothers and Sisters in Muslim, Hindu, and Communist lands.

And yet, the church is often vibrant (and possibly secret and underground). Growth occurs and the authorities scratch their heads because they think they’re rooting out the problem.

Pray today for Christians in the Indian state of Orissa. As many as 10,000 Christians have had to flee their homes, and up to 500 people have died at the hands of the Hindus. There isn’t a lot of news coming out of Orissa so the reports are sketchy.

O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still. Psalm 83:1

Have you ever wanted to grab God by the collar and shout to Him about the major problems that you see around you? I’m not talking about the fender bender you get in or the coffee you spill on your blouse. I’m referring to the major injustices you see around you: child abuse, rape, murder, abject poverty, general lawlessness. Of course we’ve seen it and wanted God to act NOW! It just doesn’t seem fair or right. If you’ve ever thought this, you’re correct. It isn’t right! It wasn’t God’s original intention for those things to happen. So why doesn’t God just step in and take out the evil-doers?

That’s the question that philosophers, theologians, and “normal” people have been asking for centuries. God certainly could do it that way, but He doesn’t. He is often silent, and we’re not always privy to the reasons. We seek and discover. We don’t always find the answer we want or the answers we’re searching for but there is value in asking the questions.

And yet, we know that one day those wrongs will be “righted,” those hurts will be perfectly healed, those injustices will be judged rightly. When His justice comes, it will be swift, fair, and perfect.

In other words, God may be silent at times, but He’s not blind.

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple. Psalm 27:4

Have you ever just dropped everything to do what the Psalmist did?

Just to sit in the Lord’s presence.
No agendas.
No checklists.
No prayer requests.
Nothing to lose; everything to gain.
Open and vulnerable.
Just to sit.
Just to ponder His greatness and the magnitude of His love.
To fathom the unfathomable.
To bask in His glory.
To prostrate ourselves before Him.
To pour out our hearts without the lists and the checked items.
To listen.
Five minutes or ten minutes.
An hour…two hours.

Have you ever done that?

How would our lives be different if we did it often?

“Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Psalm 2:3-4

As I’ve been discussing for the past week, God is in control. Consider the story of a five-year-old playing basketball with his 6’10” brother. When the little boy says to his older brother, “I’m gonna stomp on you,” the older brother has little reaction but to laugh. It’s totally preposterous that a boy who cannot even tie his shoes can win against his older, taller brother.

But, isn’t it amazing when the enemies of God threaten to do away with Him! He laughs at them. He laughs at the nations who seek to redefine and minimize Him. He laughs at those who would want to “hold Him accountable” as if Almighty God needs to answer to his creation. He laughs at man’s education and intellect and knowledge and ability to reason. They’ve reasoned God himself out of their society, then turn around to blame and curse Him for every malady that comes their way.

Soon, though, the laughter will halt and God will judge the deeds and misdeeds of a nation and its people. No nation will be excluded. No person will be exempted. It’s certainly a sobering thought if you have no Fear of the Lord or of holy judgment. Yes, God is a God of love and mercy and grace and forgiveness. But He’s also a Righteous Judge (Jeremiah 11:20, Psalm 96:13).

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. Psalm 2:1-2

There are many in this world who would shake their fists at God. They’re angry. Before we become self-righteous about their anger at God, I think we need to take a close look at our house as well. Could it be that they look at us and see a lack of devotion to Christ and his teachings? Consider the areas that this might display itself.

• You talk glowingly about going to church and church events, but what comes out of your mouth the rest of the time is less than wholesome and pure.
• You badmouth the boss and co-workers.
• You complain about your spouse and your kids.
• Gentlemen, you make lewd jokes to your co-worker when the cute woman walks by your desk.
• Ladies, you criticize your husbands when all the other ladies are criticizing theirs.
• You spend and spend and spend just like your neighbors.

Now, the subject of this devotion is the world’s anger at God. I not-so-indirectly-accused many of us of acting and speaking in the same way that our “worldly” friends would. Before we move on to other reasons why they might be angry, I think it’s time for the believers to closely examine our own ways and ask ourselves one question: Are we being stumbling blocks in any way for our unsaved friends: speech, manners, actions, emotions, habits, etc?

Robert Boyd Munger wrote a short booklet a number of years ago entitled, “My Heart, Christ’s Home.” It’s still as pertinent today as when he wrote it.

Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me if you understand. Job 38:4

Whenever I wander into the book of Job, I want to rush past Job’s problems and his so called friends. The meat of the book is at the end, in my opinion. To recap briefly, God gave Satan freedom to do anything he wanted to Job except to take his life. Satan said that Job would deny God in the end. Then Job’s “friends” ridicule and harassed Job day after day. God has heard enough.

He rebukes the Job (and the other three by extension) by walking them through creation:

• Who marked off the seasons?
• Who shut up the sea behind doors?
• Have you ever given orders to the morning?
• Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep?
• Have you entered the storehouses of the snow?
• Do you know the laws of the heavens?
• Does the rain have a father?
• Can you raise your voice to the clouds?

It’s a fascinating chapter to read on its own but in the context of these four men, it makes profound sense. It wasn’t about us. It rarely is.

God is in charge. When the world is crumbling around us, that is the one truth we can cling to. Some times it’s the only thing we can cling to.

Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. 2 Chronicles 16:7-9

Israel relied on the king of Aram and not the Lord. If this isn’t fitting for where we are today in our nation, I’m not sure what is. It’s always dangerous to rely solely on mere men to make the tough decisions that need to be made. Let’s face it, men and women make mistakes. We all do. From President Washington to the sitting President Bush, they have all had to make extremely difficult decisions daily that very few people ever have to make.

Blessed are the leaders who readily admit that they don’t have all the answers and falls on their faces before Almighty God. Blessed also are their followers who also take the time to bathe those leaders in prayer.

And Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord.

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4

Any cursory study of Biblical end times will reveal that Satan does not win in the end. And he knows he can’t win, so what does he do? He deceives as many as possible. That deception comes in many forms and ways. Lying, stealing, cheating, lusting, drunkenness, greed, gossip, debauchery, envy, hatred, and every other kind of sin imaginable. Satan knows weaknesses and exploits them.

So when “sinners” sin, why should we be surprised? It doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to stop it, but we really shouldn’t be surprised at the moral decay we see all around us. And we sense that it’s getting worse. Satan knows his time is short and is doing everything in his power to deceive as many as he can. He knows what the “light of the gospel” is and will do what it takes to prevent others from seeing that light.

There are people we know personally that have been blinded by “the god of this age.” Today, pray specifically for that person (by name), that God would remove those blinders. Ask Him to shine the light of his glory into his/her life.

“If you will return, O Israel, return to me,” declares the Lord. “If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray, and if in a truthful, just and righteous way you swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ then the nations will be blessed by him and in him they will glory.” Jeremiah 4:1-2

As I write this, the returns are just starting to come in from Tuesday’s Presidential election. At this point, no one knows who won. But even if the most righteous man in the world ran for President, these verses would apply to our nation.

You see, without the Lord we are nothing. As Jesus pointed out, ‘apart from me you can do nothing.’ John 15:5.

Nothing.

We value many things in this world: wealth, freedom, military might, pride in country, entrepreneurial spirit, diversity, tolerance, and yes even our sins. Somewhere along the way God has faded into the distance. We say that God continues to bless this nation, but for how long? It grieves me even to write it.

In the next few hours (or days depending on lawsuits that have become part of the American election landscape), a new President will begin selecting cabinet members and setting up his administration. Pray with me that our nation will return to the Lord, that we will once again seek His face. Pray that the men and women who will lead this nation will have a awesome fear the God.

The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases. Proverbs 21:1

As I write this, it is the eve of the U.S. Presidential election between John McCain and Barack Obama. Tensions on both sides have been mounting for weeks. As you read this, people all across the United States will be going to the polling booths and poking holes in paper or touching a screen to vote for whom they think can best lead this nation over the next four years. A lot of money has been spent and it’s been a long race.

This verse above comes to mind because ultimately it is God who guides and directs the way He sees fit. In this election, both sides will undoubtedly say they were robbed and that the election was stolen from them if they lose. People across this country have been praying for the outcome for weeks and months now. Make no mistake: God knows the outcome. Often He gives people what they want as He did in Israel when they wanted a King (1 Samuel 8). It’s also important to remember, though we live in a democracy, what people want may not be what’s best for them (i.e., giving candy to a child because he wants it usually is not in the child’s best interest).

But God is in control. I don’t think I can state that clearly enough. Our strength and our hope come from God, not the Government. God will use whoever is in place for His glory and honor. In our ever-changing world, we do have a Rock more stable than Gibraltar.

By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “this is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat. But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” Mark 6:35-37

Jesus, even after spending time with his disciples in a boat and teaching those who followed the boat to the shore, still wanted to minister to the people. His disciples were slow to catch on regarding his mission. Later we’ll see the miracle with the loaves and the fishes, but before that, Jesus needed to teach His disciples. I actually think the miracle with the food was secondary to what Jesus needed to show his disciples.

We’ve heard the phrase “ministry is caught, not taught.” That’s what’s happening here. They’re probably all exhausted because they’ve dealt with people and each other all day. When they’re weakest physically was when their guards were down. They just wanted to disperse the crowd and get some rest. Jesus had other thoughts.

I think this is an often overlooked point about ministry. We may not have the luxury of being at our best at all times. God knows that. Those in ministry know what it’s like to get emergency midnight calls when we’re clearly not at the top of our game. Ministry is about people, and people need help at very inconvenient times!

If you’re in that situation, rest easy knowing that God see and knows you best. Leaning on Him during those times is absolutely essential for maintaining sanity and balance. The disciples obviously had to lean on Jesus because they hadn’t a clue about where they were going to get food to feed the crowds. It was a lesson that was caught, not taught.

So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot…When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. Mark 6:32-34

Jesus had taken His disciples aside to teach them and to find out exactly they had been doing (v30). As the disciples traveled in a boat, many followed them on foot.

Picture this scene. Jesus is teaching in a boat on the way to a quiet place, a place where they could be alone and regroup. His disciples are jabbering a mile a minute, probably trying to “one-up” each other in their stories. He and the others see the crowds on the shore rushing to their probable landing place. His followers undoubtedly are watching Jesus closely to see what He would do when He landed. After all, he made the suggestion that they get away (v31) and now that their peace and quiet would be interrupted, what would He do? This moment is as much for the disciples as it is for the people who followed Him.

So what did He do? He had compassion on them and began teaching them. He would eventually feed them from the loaves and fishes.

Don’t miss the significance of that. Even when Jesus had been busy teaching and counseling His own disciples, He made time to minister to others who came to Him.

Their needs were similar to ours. And it’s evident that He’ll have time for us when we come to Him.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Jesus loves me, this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to Him belong
They are weak but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so.

We learned the simple song as kids. We smile as its nostalgia. The years and worries and cares and fears and hurts have changed us. God hasn’t changed.

We sometimes forget that God loves us. We forget that God does what is best for His children. We forget that the God of all Creation is on our side and ready to help at the mention of His name. Yes, we certainly forget about the love of God when we’re in the midst of this thing called life.

Fortunately–fortunately–God doesn’t forget that He loves us.