by George | Oct 7, 2021 | Community News, Devotional, Newsletter
After These Acts of Faithfulness…
“After these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and besieged the fortified cities, and thought to break into them for himself.”
2 Chronicles 32:1
You did your best, but it didn’t seem to matter. In spite of your efforts, your forward progress, opposition and difficulties came. Disappointment sets in.
Hezekiah followed God. He led a “revival” in the land, helping to turn the hearts of many to the LORD. Hezekiah got rid of the foreign gods, organizing temple priests, singers and helpers, leading people to worship the one true God.
2 Chronicles 31:20-21 offers a summary:
“Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered.”
Everything looked pretty bright and positive, right?
Yes…. Then the opposition came.
“After these acts of faithfulness Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and besieged the fortified cities, and thought to break into them for himself.”
2 Chronicles 32:1
What did Hezekiah do?
He didn’t give up. Instead, he, along with the prophet Isaiah, went to God in prayer.
“But King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed about this and cried out to heaven.”
2 Chronicles 32:20
God answered in a miraculous way!
“And the Lord sent an angel who destroyed every mighty warrior, commander and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned in shame to his own land. And when he had entered the temple of his god, some of his own children killed him there with the sword.”
2 Chronicles 32:21
So, keep on serving the Lord! When setbacks occur, talk to the Lord about it, and don’t give up.
Don’t ever give up!
“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.”
Chuck Swindoll
by George | Sep 23, 2021 | Community News, Devotional, Newsletter
Pray, Don’t Panic
“The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.”
Exodus 14:15-16
Moses was in trouble. Pharaoh and his army were coming closer, intending to kill anyone who would resist them.
Not only that, an angry mob of his own people was yelling at him.
“Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”
Exodus 14:11-12
Things looked really bleak. The children of Israel had no weapons and no artillery. How were they going to stand before Pharaoh’s army?
Moses didn’t give in. As far as we know, he didn’t panic. He tried to reassure the people.
“And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
Exodus 14:13-14
Then, Moses prayed. His words are not recorded, but I imagine it was pretty intense, because God said:
“And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.”
Exodus 14:15
God said: “Why do you cry to Me?” It wasn’t that God didn’t want to hear Moses’
prayer, because He definitely heard his plea, his cry for help.
The time had come to move forward.
“Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. ”
Exodus 14:15-16
God was going to do His part. Moses and the children of Israel had to do their part. Move forward by faith.
They did this, and God responded. Boy, did He ever! To summarize:
“So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.”
Exodus 14:30
Sometimes we find ourselves in seemingly impossible situations. Look to the left… Enemies charging toward you. Look to the right… Folks reminding you that the situation is hopeless.
So, what do you do?
Look up, and pray. The psalmist said:
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”
Psalms 121:1-2
God is going to answer, at just the right time.
Pray, and don’t panic.
by George | Sep 19, 2021 | Community News, Devotional, Newsletter
Over My Head
“My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:20-23
Reading an old Peanuts comic strip the other day, I found something very relevant for the situation we are in today.
Linus: “Have you ever been in a situation where you felt you were in over your head?
Charlie Brown: “That’s happened to me a lot lately… As soon as I get up in the morning, I feel I’m in over my head!”
Anxiety over the increased number of Covid cases, vaccine mandates, mask requirements… So many concerns…
Coming into the office this morning, I discovered that a co-worker had been crying.
“I feel so stressed… I just want this thing to be over.”
I’m in agreement with her sentiments…. My prayer every day is for the Lord to remove the Covid virus, for healing for folks that have it and that people would draw close to the Lord.
Jeremiah was distressed about the situation in Israel. Many had been killed or died from famine. Others were taken into captivity in Babylon. The temple had been destroyed, and the walls of Jerusalem had been torn down.
In the midst of his distress, he remembered the faithfulness of God.
“My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:20-23
God is faithful… Because of this, I have hope that in His unending mercy and love, He will hear our prayers for relief. God will answer in His time and way.
Peace.
