Month: February 2022

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. John 14:13-14

Years ago when the Miss America Pageant was at its zenith, one of the most popular questions asked of the contestants was, “If you could have anything you want, what would it be?” The most popular answer was, “World Peace”. That answer would certainly fit our situation in today’s world!

We are dealing with the Russian invasion of the Ukraine and seeing horror stories of what those people are enduring. How far will people go for the sake of power, wealth, narcissism, and control? We are experiencing some of the same problems with crime, inflation, fear, hatred, and lack of compassion for our fellow man right in our own country and neighborhood. It’s hard to believe the world around us has come to this.

With those thoughts in mind, if we change that question above to fit a Christian’s thought process it would be, “If you could ask God for anything, what would it be?” I think we would all agree, we would like to feel at peace not only with the world, but with so many things life seems to throw our way.

The question is, why don’t we ask God for help with those things that are causing us so much pain and sorrow? The story is told of a Father and daughter who were out for a walk. The little girl’s shoe strings needed tying, and the Father admonished her to please tie her shoe before she tripped. Inadvertently, the little girl became so frustrated in trying to tie her shoe that tied it in a knot. As her father watched, she tried in vain to get that knot out of her shoe in order to retie it. The more she tried, the worse it got until she was in tears. Her father was standing right over her, why didn’t she ask him for help? Why not just look up and ask him to help tie her shoe rather than going through all that distress?

Asking is really a basic part of our life. It is defined as saying something in order to receive an answer, permission, or information. If we don’t ask questions of others about their background, their hobbies, their likes and dislikes, or their faith, then we will never truly know them. It’s the same with God, if we don’t ask, we will never know what kind of Father He is to us. Asking is the way we learn. If we don’t know we can ask God, we are going to settle for trying to work things out on our own.

We tend to forget to ask God daily what He would have us do with our day. Even the disciples were guilty of not asking God for His advice. The feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle Jesus performed which is recorded in all four gospels. There are minor differences, but all the gospels are similar on the occurrence.

Jesus had withdrawn to a solitary place, but the crowds from the surrounding towns followed him. The Bible says, “He had compassion on them and healed their sick.” Evening was coming, and because the place was so remote, there was no food. The disciples had an easy answer, “Send them away to a remote village and let them buy food for themselves.” None of them ever asked Jesus if He could in some way feed the crowd. They even argued with him when He told them to feed the crowd. Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish, gave thanks, and broke the loaves. The number of people fed that evening were five thousand. The basics of believing is knowing that we can just ask God.

First, be specific when you ask God for something and ask in Jesus’ name. Even though God already knows what you need and want, He wants us to ask. When we are specific, the bond between our Savior and ourselves becomes stronger. F. B. Meyer says, “It is much better to claim a few specific things than to make twenty vague requests. “

Next, trust that God that will act according to His will, and continue to praise Him while He’s working. If you don’t believe God has heard your prayer and is acting, the prayer loses power.

Finally, be patient. God’s timeline is not ours. Remember, there is a reason He has not answered in our time. One day we will laugh at the seemingly impossible situations while we watch with delight at how God will open a path through our Red Sea. (copied) His timing is perfect.

This week we begin the forty days of Lent. Perhaps this year we need to do something different in preparation for Easter. Rather than giving up something, let’s begin to ask God everyday for what we need, then wait and see. As the psalmist said, “I am confident of this; I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:3

My faith looks up to Thee, thou lamb of Calvary, Savior Divine. Now hear me while I pray, Take all my guilt away, O let me from this day be wholly thine. lyrics by Ray Parker

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Everything in the heavens and the earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore You as being in control of everything. 1 Chronicles 29:11 from The Living Bible

Years ago in preparing for an International flight, I became a little nervous thinking about pilots and how they handle these long flights especially over the ocean. Several of my friends are flight attendants, and even though they assured me that it was routine, all kinds of scenarios played in my mind.

Just as many passengers, I assumed that the pilots fly the plane for the entire duration of the flight. After all, isn’t that why we have them in the cockpit behind a locked door? In my research, however, it was stated that pilots actually only “fly” the plane from ten to fifteen per cent of the time. They do the takeoff, get the plane to a certain altitude, do their flight check, and turn on auto pilot. If all goes well, then about 2000 feet from the landing approach, they disengage the auto pilot and land the plane. The rest of the flight is controlled by the Flight Management System and the Air Traffic Control tower. (My pilot friends might disagree, just relaying my information). The pilots are irreplaceable, but with the advent of computers, the Control Tower is actually in control.

That certainly doesn’t exclude emergencies such as US Airways Flight 1549 whose Captain Sully was trained and capable of making manual decisions and piloting planes in emergencies. His expertise saved all 155 passengers on board after ditching the plan in the Hudson. There are many other stories of heroic pilots and crew as well.

Randy’s grandmother only flew once to my knowledge. On that flight, the pilot walked down the aisle welcoming passengers while the plane was in flight, and when he got to her, she said, “Oh, Honey, thank you, but who are you?” When he informed her that he was the pilot, she said, “Oh Lord help us! If you are here, who, pray tell, is flying this plane?” This is a perfect example of how we want to be sure we know who is in control of everything in our lives, and how we sometimes fall to pieces if we don’t know the details.

Who’s in control of this life? We are only human, and we like to think and believe that we are in control of our lives, but the fact is that there are a multitude of things out of our control. Life has a way of throwing obstacles in our way which we can’t control. The good news for Christians is, just like the pilot, we may be in the cockpit, but God is in the control tower.

When we are spinning out of control, there are three things that we might need to remember about God’s control.

First, because God is in control, we can rest in the promise that He has a plan for our lives. There is an old saying, life is what happens while we are busy making plans. Who hasn’t made plans only to have them changed? We all have those things which aren’t planned occur, but if we take the time to include God in the plans we make, He will direct us to His plan for our lives.

Next, because God is in control, He has a purpose for us. Problems and hardships come and go in our life most of the time seemingly without a purpose. However, in hindsight, we can see how God has used them to get us to the place and use us for the purpose for which He has designed us. Our response should be to look past the pain to see God’s ultimate purpose for us.

Finally, God is in control, and He answers prayers. Every prayer we pray has an impact because God hears every one. When a prayer is uttered, angelic forces are dispatched from heaven. There is a confidence in knowing that if we approach God asking for anything according to His will, He will answer. It might not always be the answer we want, but we honor Him when we tell him exactly what we need and trust Him with the rest!

If we trust God’s plan, believe in His purpose, and trust Him to answer our prayers, He blesses us with opportunities to become creative. He helps us to change our attitude and know that God has us.

The more we believe in His control, the more we relinquish our control. God is in the control tower!

Oh Lord our God the Majesty and Glory of You name, transcends the earth and fills the heavens. O Lord our God little children praise you perfectly, And so would we. And so would we. Linda Lee Johnson

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8

Today we celebrate a holiday set aside to emphasize the spirit and meaning of love. There are different kinds of love – everything from romantic love to love of family, friends, pets, country, alma mater, church, and multiple others. Love in any kind of relationship isn’t always easy, but rather it requires unselfishness and commitment on our part.

Love in any relationship has different qualities. One of the most important qualities of love is staying power. A few weeks ago, I read a story on Matthew and Kelly Stafford, the LA Rams quarterback of the new Super Bowl Champs and his wife. I am a fan of Stafford because he is a former Georgia quarterback, he’s had a rough professional road, and the story is heartwarming. Kelly was diagnosed in 2019 with a benign brain tumor which had to be removed surgically. After the surgery there was a long recovery as she had to learn to walk again. She gives one hundred per cent of the credit for her recovery to her husband as she says, “Matthew was right there by my side for every exercise and every step.” This kind of love has staying power.

Love is unselfish likened to that of the parable of the lost sheep. The shepherd had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them. He left the ninety nine to find the one sheep that had gone astray. Our Buford grand boys each got a bunny for Easter about two years ago. The bunnies, Stanley and Cotton, made their home outside with a condo like enclosure, fans, heaters, food, water, and lots of places to make themselves comfortable. It was a short time later when they realized that Stanley was blind, and he never left Cotton’s side while relying on him for everything. One morning, Stanley was gone. What happened to him is a mystery. Cotton wandered around for a couple of days in the cage, and then one morning he was gone as well. In trying to explain this, Ashley said, “If you were lost, wouldn’t you want someone to come after you?” What would make even a bunny go after the other? The answer is unselfish love.

Love also values the other person. According to the Bible, love is an active interest in the well being of another, and as such, it should never be confused with modern feelings such as sentimentality or gratification. William Barclay says, “Love is the spirit in the heart that will never seek anything but the highest good of its fellow man.” God’s command to love your neighbor probably sounds irrelevant in this world of police departments and force to uphold the law, but if we truly love every person because they are a person, we’d never desire to cause them harm.

Love is costly. Love takes goes out on a limb to help others, it takes a chance, it makes a statement, it leaves a legacy, it does unexpected things, and it can do things that steal your heart and are never forgotten.

Years ago at the end of a wedding where Randy was officiating and I was attending, he pronounced the couple man and wife, and the organ postlude began. I was horrified because the groom had not kissed his bride, so I began to furiously throw kisses toward Randy hoping he would understand the signals. Randy was so surprised at my outward show of affection that he began to throw kisses back. This exchange went on as the bride and groom were waking up the aisle. Finally, through many missed signals, Randy realized the omission. He stopped the music, had the congregation sit back down, and called the couple back down to the altar. When the confused couple were back in place he said, “Now, you may kiss your bride.”

The couple were thrilled with this wonderful end to their wedding and everyone in attendance could talk of nothing else. This emphasis on love made other brides ask for that same thing in their wedding! Nope, that was a one time thing!

It’s also costly as you give of yourselves to others. It’s love that feeds the homeless, it’s love that fosters children, it’s love that visits the sick, it’s love that gives to the poor, and it’s love that spreads Christianity. Christian love is the most costly investment you will ever make.

The good new is that God’s love is unchangeable, and He loves us even when we don’t see or feel it. “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5) This kind of love grows if we nurture it, develops if we feed it, and expands if we persist in it. Love needs staying power, love is unselfish, love is valuable, and it is costly. The good news is that God’s love never fails.

We can do no great things only small things with great love. Mother Teresa

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8 Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor. Proverbs 22:9

This week I learned a great lesson while watching The Magic of Belle Isle, a wonderful movie about life. An older gentleman was attempting to teach a teenager to look closely at things all around her and use her imagination to see things of beauty with her eyes rather than technology. The scene was a dirt road overhung with trees in a small town. When he asked, “What do you see?” She replied, “Nothing”. He changed the question and asked, “What don’t you see?” At that point, she could name things that were not there.

The exercise was so eye opening that it has encouraged me to make it part of my daily routine. Now when I walk outside really early in the morning, I make a mental note of what I don’t see. Some mornings, I don’t see rain, I don’t see a plane in the sky, I don’t see hatred, I don’t see busyness, or I don’t see children waiting for the bus.

Sometimes it’s what we don’t see that can prompt us to re examine our daily conduct. When’s the last time any of us have sat down in a restaurant, in a meeting, at a party, or even in church and not seen our phones either in our hand or closely by? When’s the last time any of us have seen conversation or laughter in these places not interrupted by technology? When is the last time we sat with acquaintances or friends and not seen them through judgmental eyes? When is the last time we passed by a homeless individual and have seen their struggles through eyes of compassion? When is the last time we stopped in our day to think of someone else? We seem to be a generation that is losing the art of communicating with others, and seeing others as God sees them. We are guilty of not seeing the hurt, frustration, loneliness, and despair so many feel.

The truth is that when we view this world through our own sight, the vision is distorted. When we ask God to show us what we don’t see, it’s like the blinders are taken away, and we can see clearly. Lately, I confess to having stumbled a lot in this area of what I don’t see.

This past week as Randy was having a routine test, I settled into the lobby of the Doctor’s building with a good book to wait. The place where I chose to sit had four chairs (strategically apart), and a table in the middle. Almost immediately two guys came and sat in two of the chairs. One had coffee, and I needed coffee, so we spoke, and he directed me to it. I judged or saw them to be there killing time between appointments.

As they interacted, it became apparent that they were brothers, also waiting, and they were worried. They asked about me, and I asked about them. It turns out their Dad was having hip replacement, and since I’m an expert on that, I began to reassure them while painting a positive picture. They smiled, but it was obvious this wasn’t routine. It seems their Dad had broken his hip and damaged muscles and nerves when he was twelve years old and lived in Ecuador. He is sixty now, and he has walked with a limp and lived in pain for forty two years. This surgery, though complicated, would change his life. I didn’t see that when I looked at them. I asked their Dad’s name and told them I would pray for him. Their faces lit up and their eyes filled with tears at this point. It seems they are Christians, but their Dad is unsure. Their last comment as we left was, “Dad will be so thankful for the prayers.” The boys text me every day with updates, and he is now home and doing better. Now, I see.

A woman swims at the pool with us on occasion. She never shares her lane, wears ear buds, never looks up, and ignores people when they try to ask her if she will share. We assumed she was either very rude or just didn’t want to be bothered. We didn’t see that she is deaf until she began to sign to a woman in the lane next to her. She is just trying to exist in this world with out the benefit of hearing. Now we see.

Although Jesus preceded the high tech age, He was in constant demand. The multitudes of people pursued Him at all hours of the day and night. Even with all the different needs around Him, Jesus was able to see the individual needs of those who called on Him for healing, comfort, and direction.

In the picture above, what don’t you see? In the lives of those you love, what don’t you see? When you see those whom you don’t understand, what don’t you see? Jesus would have us open our eyes and see the hurt, pain, but also, the goodness around us. He has lessons for us if we can only see them. No matter when you don’t see Him, God is always there.