Where is your God? (Psalm 42)

 Contrary to what many think, the bible has much to say about hope, it relates to those who are God's children,it does not only deal with the here and now,but also for the afterlife. In Psalm 42 v 11 and 43 v5, we have these words. 

                                                  'Why,my soul, are you downcast?

                                                  Why so disturbed within me?

                                                   Put your hope in God,

                                                  for I will yet praise Him,

                                                  my Saviour and my God'

Here is a man of God downcast,and yet a man who was searching for  God (Ps 42v 2) people are asking him,' Where is your God?' (v3). A teacher of atheistic outlook wrote on the blackboard- 'God is  nowhere,' at that moment the class finished, for lunch,the words remained on the blackboard. When they came back from lunch, someone had altered the words on the blackboard,it read,' God is now here'. Frederick W, Faber  wrote,

                                                  'Thrice blest is he to whom is given

                                                  The instinct that can tell

                                                  That  God is on the field,

                                                  when He is most invisible'

                                             'Jesus said,'' I am with you always''

                                                      'Matthew 28 v 20'

Waiting . ( Psalm 40 v 1 )

They  say timing is everything ,In an old devotional called ,' Springs in the valley ', Mrs . Chas. E. Cowman writes the following,'God always hears, and He never forgets, His silence does not mean that He is not listening and is not planning. Probably it means that the best time of deliverance has not come yet, and that He is patiently waiting for the moment  to arrive when He may prove His love and His power. Cromwell  said to His soldiers just before a great battle; ''Know ye soldiers all,that God always comes to man's  help in the nick of time''. Yes ,God is always in time; never behind never ahead. Happy is the man who learns to wait as he prays, and never loses patience with God. Let us wait His time ; ''He that believeth  shall not make haste''. God's time is the best time. ''When a great issue is in the balance and the path is obscure, wait; but with thy waiting shirk not the work that lieth before thee, for in that task may be the solution of thy problem'

                                                                Romans 4 v 18.

                  'Even when there was reason to hope,Abraham kept hoping  - believing that he would 

                   become the father of many nations.

The land of uncertainty. ( John 14 v 1-6 )

 Sometimes there will a dark cloud hanging over us,and it can be in regards to our families,our employment,a breakdown within our marriage,health issues,bereavement and many other things.The uncertainty in relation to all those things is hard to cope with,they fill our vision ,blotting out the sun.We may not feel we can share what we are going through with others,and this makes us  feel very isolated. It all sounds very negative, what can we do? it is a good question,I don't want to give a trite answer,if we are a Christian,yes a Christian, listen, God understands how we feel,He is not critical of you,and He would say to you,'let not your heart be troubled',and those words go to the heart of the matter,our hearts.Jesus spoke those words to his disciples,for soon they would be in the land of uncertainty.They would witness an awful thing ,the most  devastating thing in all their lives,Jesus would be arrested ,and be tried by a kangaroo court that ignored recognized standards of law and justice. They thought that He would deliver Israel,instead Israel delivered Him unto death,this drove them into the land of uncertainty.But Friday is called good Friday  ,and so it was,and that death was followed by Sunday,and thereafter all uncertainty vanished,and certainty came flooding in, and granted unto all who trust Him a sure and certain hope.

                                          'Through the Love of Christ our Saviour

                                                      ALL WILL BE WELL

                                                       

We all have problems. ( Job 5 v 7 )

 It was Billy Graham who said,' I've never met a person who hasn't got a problem', so very true,I am sure that most of you have problems,I have at this time medical problems, I wander whats your problem?.They come in all shapes and sizes,some are complex ,some are on going,you get the picture.The question is how do you solve problems?,there are many ways,get advice, if its debt there are organisations that can help you,one I know is 'Christians against poverty'.Recently one of my sons told me about a problem he was having,I said I will pray about it,after all God is expert in solving problems, He does it in different ways usually through an individual.As regards mankind we are sooner or later faced with a problem we cannot solve, death,yes we can with the help of science live to a ripe old age,women usually live longer than men But the fact is we cannot beat death,it is a problem,but here is good news, as a Christian ,we can know victory over death,because Jesus conquered sin, death ,and Satan, when we trust Him as our Saviour even though we die we shall live  (John 11 v25 ),problemed solved.

It may happen.( Job 13 v15 )

From it may never happen,to it may happen,The fact is bad things happen to the most godly of people,there are many examples of that in the Bible,many,and there are many examples in life,or even in our experience of that happening. And so we come back to the statement,which we asked ,'I don't know where you are going with this Lord'. Let us remind ourselves that our times are in God's hands,the good times,the bad times,the sad times,the happy times.No one  if they had a choice would choose the sad and bad times,no one, including my self, but the fact is they happen,whether we like it or not.The challenge comes to us ,are we prepared to trust the Lord?,or turn away from Him?,or even run away from Him. Yes we have a choice,let us not give up,a better time is coming, if not in time,then most surely in eternity.

                                                'Though ''the reason why'' we cannot see,

                                                 Our Father knows-'tis enough we 

                                                 But trust His love, when our eyes are dim.

                                                 Look up! Hold fast! though the fight is grim.

                                                           We shall not be overcome!

                                                               Mary E. Thompson.

Don't anticipate. ( Genesis 27 v 41/ 33 v 1ff)

 A man watched his friend a sculptor working on a piece of marble,and he said to him,'I don't know where you are going with that', his friend said to him,'' in time you will''.It was Peter who was told by our Saviour, ''you do not realise  now what I am doing,but later you will understand''.(John 13 v 7) It was the apostle Paul who wrote,'Now I know in part; then I shall know fully' (1Corinthians 13 v12)Life being life, throws so many challenges at us,that  we cannot understand,and we may think where is God taking me in what I am experiencing ?. First let me say ,don't  anticipate the worse, the sky is not going to fall on you , the evil you fear may not happen, I remember reading of a man who had invested money for his company,and he lost it all. Later he was called in to see his boss, and before his boss had time to speak ,he  blurted out,I am sorry about that money that I invested,that went wrong. His boss looked at him and said,''don't worry about that,I have something else I want to talk to you about''. Remember it may never happen.

                                                 'Ye fearful saints ,fresh courage take,

                                                  The clouds ye so much dread

                                                   Are big with mercy, and shall break

                                                   In blessings on your head'

                                                         William Cowper.

Sent by God. ( Matthew 25 v 31 - 46)

Ann was looking after  her husband who had Parkinson disease,he was in the latter stage of his illness, needing total care .Ann is a retired nurse,and both her and husband were fine Christians ,it was a very emotionally and physically time as you can well imagine.She tells there was a day in which she could not cope,her husband needed changed,and she just did not have the strength to help him,they both wept.Then just at that moment the door bell ,two lovely Christians were standing there,they said that they felt they should bring two ready meals for them.But when they discovered what what was happening,they got to work,the lady had worked as carer one time,so she got Ann's husband sorted out,  and did what necessary in the home.I read the following,' Be happy when God answers your prayers,but  be more happy when God makes you the answer to someone else's prayer'.