The Unseen Hand of God: II Kings 6:8-17

In the above passage we have a fascinating story of the king of Aram attempting to attack the Israelites. He had a problem, however. Every time he made plans the Israelites escaped because they knew what he was planning. The king assumed that someone in his camp was tipping them off and demanded to know who it was. In verse 12 we read that one of his officers told him, “None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.” 

The king had an easy solution to that problem. He would send his army to capture Elisha who was living in Dothan. Verse 14 records “He sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.”

When morning came a servant of Elisha got up and went outside, probably to draw water for a cup of coffee. We can only imagine what went through his mind when he looked out and saw the city surrounded by an enemy army. I Kings 6:15 records how he said felt. It reads, “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” The Bible does not give the tone with which conversations took place, but I suspect this was more than a simple question. Read that with the same tone you might have if you looked outside and saw a tornado bearing down on your house.

Elisha looked up from his I-pad and said, “Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

Most of us know what followed. Verse 17 tells us “Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

Here’s the problem we too often have when we read this. We get hung up on the issue of angels and their protection of us. We too easily miss the truth that it was not the angels that were protecting Elisha but God. In that case it appears He used His angels. I am sure He often sends His angels to watch over us and care for us, but it is never about angels, it is always about God.

Note the important lesson here. God has our back even when we can’t see it or understand what He is doing. Just because the servant couldn’t see the protection did not mean he was alone in that difficult time. We are never alone.

In this pandemic our heavenly Father would say to us, ““Don’t be afraid.  I am with you and that is all you need to know.”

Praise: 

1. Another good zoom service and opportunity to not only look together into God’s Word but to fellowship in a small way

Prayer: 

1. Bill H.’s sister-in-law Deb has been diagnosed with a spot of cancer on her lung.
2. Remember our first responders and health workers.

2020 Psalm 91

Read Psalm 91. Like many passages of Scripture, we can return to it often and discover new truths. This Psalm expresses confidence in God, which is a message we certainly need to be reminded of at a time such as this. After the 23^rd Psalm probably no Psalm is turned to more often than the 91^st. It is a great Psalm of comfort and encouragement.  

As testimony to the beauty of this Psalm and the message it has for all of us, it is one of the few passages that Satan quoted, actually misquoted. Verse 11 was one of the Old Testament verses misused by Satan in the temptation of Jesus. In the way Satan uses it to mislead us, he uses it to bring doubts to our minds about the truth of Scripture and the goodness of God.

The Psalm itself does not identify the author. It is interesting, however, that this Psalm is grouped with Psalm 90 and probably Psalm 92. Over many years hundreds of poems were written for use in both private and public worship. Some were set to music and some were apparently used in a form of chant or litany. Along the way the rabbis, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, collected from those poems and hymns those that were to be included in the Holy Bible, those poems that had God’s hand upon their writing. In the process of collecting the Psalms they often grouped together those that seemed to form a unit. In Psalm 90 we have a testimony to the power and desire of God to care for and bless the nation of Israel. Then in Psalm 91 we have the same idea taken from a national level to a personal one and we see God’s loving care for all of His people individually.

Psalm 90 is attributed to Moses. Psalm 91 is not given an author but it is easy to see that if it was not written by Moses, it was written by someone who was thoroughly familiar with the life of Moses and all God did for His people under Moses. Almost every reference in this Psalm can be traced to a promise or a provision made by God to Moses. The symbols of what we are protected against, certainly understandable and applicable to all generations, had meaning to the people under Moses. Many phrases were taken directly from Deuteronomy. 

The Psalm itself is a great one of promise. It assures us of God’s care and protection in every danger or challenge of life. It can be outlined very simply with verses 1 and 2 being the promise and condition for receiving that promise. Verses 3-13 are a description of the specifics of the provisions available from God. Finally, in verses 14-16 we have God Himself reiterating those promises. 

Several things about this Psalm must be kept in mind if we are to understand the nature of the blessings being offered here. First, this is not a promise to everyone but rather it is a specific promise to those who meet the qualification of verse 1. That is, it is a promise to those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High and abide or rest in the shadow of the Almighty. That same truth is repeated in verse 9 where we read the promises are possible because we have made the most High our habitation. Again. as God speaks in verse14, He says that because He has set his love upon us, we will, and then lists the blessings

Here we have a lesson repeated so often throughout the Bible. Spiritual benefits belong to those who trust in God. God’s promises are often missed. I hear people point out that the Bible says all things work together for good, but they leave off the half that says, “”to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose.”

Spiritual blessings come to those who dwell continually, or literally sit down, in the presence of God. The concept is that of remaining, tarrying, having one’s abode with God. This is not a picture of a super spiritual giant but of one whose aim is to know God, to love God, to live for God, to depend upon God and to trust God for all things. Read Colossians 3:2-3. The promise of verse 1, which is then amplified in the rest of the Psalm, is dependent upon the response of verse 2 that says in all honesty, “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God; in Him will I trust.” Note carefully the personal nature of the confession. “I” will say, He is “my”, “I” trust. Faith that dwells in the presence of God is not second hand but personal. It comes first by a personal commitment to Jesus and then, as we begin to seek to live for Him. we discover His loving care for us. Our faith nurtures via Bible study and spending time with God. God can than bless us accordingly. God is at the heart of this Psalm. No passage combines, in so few verses, more names for God than we have in this Psalm. The names of God are description of Him and were given so we might have a glimpse of Him who is beyond our comprehension. 

In verse 1 God is describes as Elyon or Most High and Almighty or El Shaddai. Those two are names used to describe the God who can provide for all the needs of His people. In verse 2 we see Him described as “Lord” which is “Jehovah” and “God” which is “Elohim.” Jehovah is the personal covenant God and Elohim is the creator God who rules His creation. All men belong to Him by virtue of creation and His covenant people are His by virtue of recreation. The God who is making the promises of this Psalm is the eternal, living, unchanging, all-powerful creator, and covenant God. In addition, we find God described in this Psalm as a shelter and shadow, as a bird who protects its young under its wings, and as a warrior who defends within His fortress.

This is not a Psalm that promises that we will never face danger, never have difficulty, never suffer, never get sick, etc. Note verse 15 where we read that God will be with us in our troubles. He cannot be with us in it if we are not already in trouble. The idea that God will always take care of us and we should never be hurt is the same lie that Satan used to tempt Jesus. “Go ahead,” he said, “and throw yourself off the pinnacle, God will always take care of you. You won’t be hurt.” 

While many of us know that, there are many who believe the lie of Satan that nothing harmful should ever come our way and when hard times come, they assume that God has lied. We tend to ask if God promised to be with us in a pandemic where is He?  If God really has the power to stop it why hasn’t He? That idea is centered on the falsehood that God will always protect when in fact that is not the promise. The promise is that He will be with us in trouble and because of who He is and His power, we are ultimately on the winning side. That is the truth pictured from start to finish in this Psalm.  

The imagery of the opening verses of the Psalm are those of a bird who shelters her young under her feathers, and a father who draws his children unto himself in protection and love. Every parent can remember a time when his children were scared of something, perhaps thunder or a big storm, and all they wanted to do was pile into our laps and cling to us and have us wrap our arms around them and just hold them and talk quietly to them. That is the picture of God in relationship to His people as they pass through difficult and even scary times. The Psalm goes on to describe God as one who protects with references to a fortress and refuge. He is the one to whom we can go and find safety and security in an insecure and unstable world.

Satan cannot destroy us so he seeks to discourage us and cause us to fear so that we will focus our attention on something other than God’s goodness to us. But verse 5 declares that when we are focused upon Him then we do not fear. The opposite of fear is not courage but faith. It is not making man invincible but seeing the Most High God as invincible and in control. It is not escaping difficulty but facing it victoriously. When the difficulties of this world begin to surround us the very first words we hear from God are, “Fear not, I am with you always.” 

What don’t we need to fear? The phrases that follow, mostly taken from the life and experience of Moses, can best be summarized by saying we need fear nothing. The phrases are a collection of all-inclusive images that tell us nothing man made, nothing that nature throws at us, nothing that comes by day or by night, nothing that Satan tries to do should ever cause us fear when we face it with the Lord. Alone this world is pretty scary. There are so many unknowns as far as health, resources, loved ones etc. are concerned, but God is the same yesterday, today and forever and therefore the constant who drives away fear. 

Becoming a Christian does not exempt us from trials and difficulties but rather it gives us one who will walk with us through them. This Psalm, perhaps better than any, assures us of His presence and therefore His strength, His peace, His joy, His calmness, and His victory in every circumstance of life. The alternative to worry is to climb into His open arms and let Him wrap us in His love.

The thoughts today are primarily for extroverts, and you know who you are. Introverts can read and refer this to your spouse. Introverts are secretly enjoying this quarantine deal. They prefer to stay at home and read a book anyway. Extroverts, however, are struggling. Staying put is difficult, almost like being in prison.

Speaking of being in prison, by far the Bible character with the strongest extrovert personality was the Apostle Paul. If ever there was a man who couldn’t sit still it was Paul. He had to constantly be on the move from one place to another and when he was in a given town for a few days or week he had to continually be out and about telling people about Jesus or teaching Christians, sometimes in all day teaching session. For Paul, being quarantined would have been like being in prison. Which is exactly where he was on several occasions. 

Paul’s longest quarantine/imprisonment was in Rome. He may have been in prison there for 2-3 years, which makes our current quarantine seem pretty short but that would only be the opinion of an introvert. Historians think he was probably under house arrest and not in a real Roman prison, like that is supposed to make extroverts feel better.

Being an extrovert meant he could not be content to just sit at home and read (I doubt the house he was in could really have been called a home). Paul had to do something, so he decided to write letters. Actually, he wrote a number of letters that we refer to today as his prison epistles. They include Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. 

So, what was the attitude of Paul the extrovert when he was quarantined to a house in Rome? Maybe his letter to the church in Philippi gives us a hint concerning that. In 1:18 he wrote about others preaching Jesus when he could not, and he wrote, “Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.” In 2:18 he wrote, “So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.” To make that very clear he wrote in 3:1, Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! Finally, this extrovert quarantined to a house for 2 plus years wrote in 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (If you want to look it up Paul used the word “rejoice” 2 additional times and the word “joy” 5 times in his letter to the Philippians.) Beginning to look like there is a pattern here!

Hey fellow extroverts, how are you handling this quarantine thing? I wonder if maybe we should try rejoicing like Paul did. After all, our homes are not like Paul’s prison home and we have at least some family with us. I also suspect our food is better.

Praise items:

1. We had another good Zoom service on Sunday.

Prayer items: 

1. Let’s continue to remember Ashley as she grieves the death of a friend who went through basic with her.
2. Let’s remember EMS and all First Responders
3. Let’s remember those of our church family who have loved ones in nursing and retirement homes and cannot visit them.

Don’t forget to send your tithes and offering to Deb. R. Thanks

Fear and God

To put it mildly, the last month plus has been a difficult time not only for America but for most of the world. The nightly news begins with the latest death toll from the virus and that is followed by the reports on unemployment and losses in the stock market. To date over 2 million individuals have been infected by it worldwide. Pundits tell us we will get through it, but it could take several years to fully recover and that is going to happen only if we don’t get a second cycle. As far as stocks and unemployment are concerned, many have made a comparison to the great depression.

If I were going to try and pick a single word that would characterize our current world it would have to be fear. The Coronavirus has caused many to live in fear. So, what does the Bible say about fear?

I punched into my Bible Concordance a variety of terms such as “do not fear.” “do not be afraid.” and “fear not.” I got close to 90 hits. In addition to the “do not fear” passages, there are 22 passages that read. “fear the Lord” and 11 passages that read “fear of God.”  Those numbers would certainly indicate that fear is a subject on which the Bible has a lot to say.

In thinking about fear we need to note some things. We all know that fear by itself is not necessarily wrong. In fact, fear is one of those God given reactions to certain situations that is designed to protect us. We probably all know of people who seemingly fear nothing, and we worry about their safety. We pray they will develop a healthy understanding of danger and learn to fear what should be feared. 

We also know there is a difference between fear and a genuine or realistic concern. For example, reality dictates that we should be concerned with the financial resources that God have given us. Reality says we should be concerned about our health and should practice habits that promote health, including these days staying home and wearing masks when we must go out. The danger is that a genuine concern becomes an unnecessary fear that limits our ability to live as God would have us live. Corrie Ten Boom wrote, “Worry doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrows, it empties today of its strength.”

When we are tempted to fear we need to remember several things. First, God is always with us. Second, because we are God’s children, we are of infinite value to Him. Third, God knows our every need before we are even aware of it. Finally, God has invited, in fact He has commanded us to cast our concerns upon Him.

First, we do not need to be afraid because God has promised to always be with us. Read Isaiah 41:10; Joshua 1:9; Deuteronomy 3:18; Hebrews 13:5 and Isaiah 49:15-16. 

When we are tempted to worry, we need to remember that God loves us as His children and has engraved our names on the palm of His hand. We are never out of His sight or love. Because we are God’s children, He has promised He will never leave us. That does not exempt us from storms but assures us that He has taken it upon Himself to ensure that nothing befalls us that He has not determined is ultimately for our good and His glory. 

Second, we are valuable to God. We are so valuable to God that He sent His Son to die on a Cross for us. We are His children and He values us accordingly. Read Matthew 10:29-31.  

We protect the things that are most valuable to us. I don’t know anyone who locks their trash in a safe but that is where we put our valuables. If a fire were to break out at our house what would we be sure was out of the house first? Our family, of course. I have often heard on TV someone who has lost all their worldly possessions praise God that their family is safe. Transfer that truth to God. We are His valued possessions. He is going to protect us even as we protect our family. We are valued by Him.

Third, God knows our every need before we are even aware of it. Not only does He know our needs, He has promised to meet them. Read Philippians 4:6. Paul then went on in that same chapter, in verse 19 to write, “My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Make a note that God has promised to meet our needs from “the riches of his glory.” In other words, God will meet our needs from His inexhaustible storehouse. There are no empty shelves in His storehouse and no signs that tell us there is a limit to how much He will supply. 

Read what Jesus said in Matthew 6:26 and then read Matthew 6:31-33, 

This is not a blank check that guarantees we will not have a shortage of things we might like to have. It is certainly not a promise that we will not come down with the virus or even die from it. It is a promise that we will have what we really need as determined by His love for each of us. It is His commitment to ensure that what comes our way is ultimately for our growth and His glory. We belong to God and are valued by Him so He will not withhold from us that which we truly need.

Finally, God has told us to take our worries and give them to Him. Read what Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30.  Peter gave us what I call the Reader’s Digest version, found in I Peter 5:7. Read that verse. That is an invitation we should always remember, an invitation that is a command if we fail to willingly see it as a possibility.

Are you concerned about this pandemic? All of us rightfully are. It is impacting us beyond what any of us could have imagined 6 months ago. We should be concerned, concerned enough to take realistic precautions. We should be concerned enough to consider once again what really matters in our life. We should be concerned enough to pray for one another, for our EMS and health care workers. Be realistically concerned but do not let that concern turn into worry that robs you of the peace God would give you today. Psalm 34:4 reads, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” 

Why will God deliver us from our fears? Because God is always with us. Because we are His children and we are of infinite value to Him. Because God knows our every need before we are even aware of it. God has invited us to cast our concerns upon Him. 

Concerned, yes. Worried, no. Hey, your name is written on the palm of His hand.  

Think about what a great time this is to praise the Lord. We are virtually locked in our homes, unable to go out and visit with family and friends. Thousands are sick with the virus. Thousands around the world have died. Many of the basic items we depend on are not in stores. Hundreds of thousands are without work. Most of us have lost close to 20% of our retirement funds. But we can still praise the Lord.

One of the events recorded in the Bible that should challenge us is found in Acts 16:16-34. The story is familiar to most of us. Paul and Silas were in Philippi where they cast a demon out of a girl. The girl’s manager was upset that she could no longer be used to earn money so in verse 19 we read, “When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities.” Luke went on to record in Acts 16:22-23, “The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison.” Unfortunately when we study this passage we jump ahead to the part where an earthquake opened the doors of their cell and because they did not flee the jailer, who was about to put himself to death because he thought he had lost a prisoner, asked, according to verse 30. “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Their answer is one most Christians are familiar with. They said, according to verse 31, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”

What is too easy to skip over is verse 25 that tells us, “Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.” Keep the setting in mind. They had just been stripped, beaten with rods and thrown into prison. And they were “praying and singing hymns to God.” Praying I can see, although we are not told what they were praying for. I would have been praying for God to get me out of the mess and I might have been praying for judgment on those who had beaten me with rods. I doubt they were praying for revenge. But they were doing more than praying they were singing hymns to God. Even if those hymns were some of the Psalms asking God to protect them and do battle for them, they also contained praise. Almost all of the Psalms and early church hymns focused on praise.  

What we must not miss is that they were singing those hymns before they had any idea how God would respond. Yes, they were set free, but many over the centuries have not been freed. Many Christians over the centuries have died in prisons that they were sent to because of their faith. Paul and Silas had no reason to assume they would be set free. Still they praised God. I believe it is our praise when things are not going our way that really expresses our faith and trust in God. Let’s use some of our quarantine time to praise God, not only for all we do have, but for His love, His presence with us, His peace etc. He is always worthy of praise!

Prayer Request:

Ashley S. has asked us to pray for her and the family of a sailor who recently died. He was in her basic training. I don’t have the details, but we need to uphold them all in prayer.

Let’s continue to remember our EMS and First Responders along with doctors and nurses who are constantly exposed to potential sickness.

Let’s remember our retirement homes, Myerstown and Schoolyard Square in particular, and Steve Reiter as he seeks to keep the residents safe and happy.

Easter 2020

“He is not here, He is risen.” With those words the angel announced the most incredible event in all of history. That announcement declared a victory over death that would not only change the course of history but would have meaning for all eternity. He who had been declared dead was not only alive but was alive forever more. Others, such as Lazarus, had been revived to life but would again face death. This was totally different for Jesus had not been revived but raised from the dead. The grave could not hold him. Satan was defeated and life everlasting was now possible. What a glorious event.

Picture if you can the events of that first Easter morning. A group of women had come to the grave to complete the burial that had been cut short three days earlier at the beginning of the Sabbath. No work was to be done on the Sabbath day and certainly no work on a dead body. One can only imagine how these women felt as they approached the tomb. For some time they had been following Jesus and they had grown to not only love Him but to trust in Him. They had listened as He taught and watched as He performed miracles. They had expected so much and suddenly all their hopes seemed to have come to an end as they learned of His arrest and then witnessed Him on a Cross. They heard the soldiers declare Him officially dead. This one, whom they hoped would be their Savior, was gone and now all that remained was a proper burial, the least they could do. After that, well I guess it was get on with life, pick up the pieces of broken dreams and move on.

Along with heaviness of heart that morning they had other concerns. How would they ever get into the tomb to complete the burial? The officials had rolled a huge stone in front of the tomb to ensure that no one interfered with the body. What would they do when they arrived? But we read that when they got there that which they feared most on the way was not an issue. The stone was rolled back, and we read that on that stone sat an angel. Read in Matthew 28:5-7 what he said. 

That announcement by the angel was incredible. First, it contains words of assurance. The angel says, “Don’t be afraid.” It had to have been awesome and scary to arrive expecting to struggle over a stone and find it moved with an angel sitting on it. Then came the great announcement, “He is not here.”

Had the angel stopped at that point we would be, as Paul would later write, “most miserable” because a simple message that He was not there would not give us the hope we need. If He were simply not there, it could be argued that his body was stolen, that it had been transferred to another site, that it had decayed, or maybe it was taken up into heaven as was the body of Enoch or Elijah. If the angel had ended his announcement with the fact that the body was no longer there, we would never know the glory of that Easter event. But the announcement did not end there, it went on to declare, “He is risen.” Jesus had risen from the dead. The body was not somewhere else; He was alive. And what a difference that would make for all mankind. 

Every day during this pandemic we hear reports of the present death totals from all over the world. One of man’s greatest questions is what, if anything, lies beyond the grave. Is death the end or is there more? The Bible tells us that death is not the end for anyone. We were all created to exist forever but, because of sin, we would have to exist forever separated from God. The Bible distinguishes between existing with God and existing without God by calling the first everlasting life and the second everlasting death. If the angel had not been able to declare that Jesus had risen, we would have no hope But He is alive. The victim became the victor, the conquered became the conqueror. Life, not just existence, after death is possible.

Read I Corinthians 15:51-55. Death has no victory because Jesus conquered death once and for all. Death has no victory because the tomb could not hold Jesus. 

That victory means many things to us. It means we can now have fellowship with God because the sentence of our sin that separated us has been paid, paid in full. No longer need we stand before God as sinners under judgment. By accepting the provision of Jesus on the Cross we can have renewed fellowship with God. The sin issue was cared for on the Cross. His resurrection means fellowship with God is possible.

Because He lives, we can have fellowship with Jesus. It really is hard to fellowship with a dead person. Because Jesus lives, we can believe His promise “I will never leave you or forsake you. And Lo I am with you always.” Fellowship can be a daily reality in prayer because we have a living Jesus. And fellowship is possible for all eternity. The promise that He is preparing a place for us and will come again to take us unto Himself can be a reality because He lives. 

The resurrection also provides a new kind of life. Paul wrote in Romans that not only was the resurrection a physical fact of history; it was a spiritual fact also. It’s beyond our ability to fully understand how it happens but when we trust in Jesus as our personal Savior, we somehow become personal participants in His resurrection. Paul wrote that because of this we have the power, the strength, the ability to overcome sin, to live above our circumstances, be victorious in our Christian living. A dead God cannot help us with the problems we have today. A dead God cannot help us overcome the temptations we face today. A dead God cannot help us overcome a habit that has held us in its grip for perhaps years. But a living Jesus can do all of that for us. His power is available to us today. He is not here; He is risen and therefore all of His power is available to us.

The resurrection means there is an eternal victory for all who know Jesus and have personally applied the forgiveness provided for on the Cross. The resurrection was not for time alone but for eternity. In I Corinthians 15:22 Paul wrote “In Adam all men die but in Christ shall all be made alive.” That statement sums up the blessing that the resurrection provides for those who know and love Jesus. Paul wrote that the death and resurrection of Jesus allows for an everlasting relationship. 

The resurrection means a fellowship, it means power, and it means an eternal provision. It also means we have a new message to share with the world. We must share the greatest proclamation of all history that, “He is not here, He is risen.” We live in a society that is searching for the answers to what life is all about. The pandemic has made it clear we are not indestructible, that everything we once depended upon is fragile.  Nearly everyone is thinking about life and death. The resurrection is a promise of a life for all who believe. We need to share the message of our living Savior with a hungry and searching world. Because He is risen, we cannot keep silent. The message of Good Friday and Easter is too important to be kept to ourselves. 

Easter celebrates the greatest event in all of history, the defeat of death and the assurance that what Jesus provided for on the Cross can indeed be ours. Let us rejoice in it all. Let us praise Him for the new fellowship that is now possible, for the power that is available to all of us that enables us to live above the circumstances of life, to break the hold of Satan over us. “He is not here, He is risen!”

Jesus Walks on the Water: Mark 6:45-52

Most Christians are familiar with the account in Mark 6 of Jesus walking on the water. The setting is also familiar. Jesus had spent the day teaching the multitude who had come to hear Him. As evening fell the disciples went to Jesus and suggested He send the crowd away because it was late in the day and they needed to be on their way before the time for the evening meal came. Jesus had a different and better idea. He said, according to Mark 6:37, “You give them something to eat.” The disciples asked how they were to do that. (Isn’t it interesting that whenever God asks us to do something, we question Him on how it is possible?) We know how that ended. Jesus took 5 loaves and 2 fish and fed the whole crowd. (Isn’t it amazing what God can do with our little when we turn it over to Him?)

Mark went on to tell us in 6:45 that Jesus then made His disciples get into a boat and head out across the Sea of Galilee. The next verse records that Jesus when into the mountain to pray. (Isn’t it interesting that Jesus felt the need to pray and we spend so little time praying?)

Mark 6:47-48 records that by evening they were in the middle of the lake (probably 3-4 miles from shore) and they found themselves in a storm with winds that made it all but impossible to move forward. (Isn’t it interesting that they were exactly where Jesus had told them to be doing exactly what He had told them to do yet they were in the middle of a storm?) 

Mark went on to note, as we know, that Jesus went to them, walking on the water. Understandably the disciples were afraid, so Jesus said, according to verse 50, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Mark wrote next that Jesus climbed into the boat and immediately the wind ceased. (I’m ready for Him to climb into our boat now so the virus will cease but He is apparently still on the mountain.)

We know the story well but there is one little note that Mark recorded that is too easy to miss in a quick reading of this passage. Mark 6:48 tells us that while Jesus was on the mountain, 3-4 miles away from the disciples who were in a storm in the middle of the night, “He saw the disciples straining at the oars.” Jesus saw His disciples in their time of need and at the right time He went to them and calmed the storm.

We may be quarantined in our homes and may feel like we are all alone, but we are not. God sees us in our distress. God sees us rowing against the financial challenges of a time like this. God sees us rowing against the loneliness of separation from family and friends. God sees us rowing against the fears and uncertainties of the future. He sees us and at the right time will come and in one way or another calm the storm. We are not alone; His eye is always on us. After all, we are His children and He will keep an eye on us.

Praise:

1. The Zoom service went very well on Sunday. 
2. Lily has her cast off.

Prayer:

1. For one another as we wait for the storm to calm.
2. For the Easter zoom service that will even include special music. (If you need help with getting on, message Jen F.)

 Palm Sunday, A Reminder to Praise God

Today is Palm Sunday and this is always a challenging day to celebrate and preach on. Palm Sunday has multiple themes, themes that at times seem almost conflicting with one another. We need to balance the events of that day with the response of the crowd just 5 days later when those who, on Sunday, cried “Hosanna” cried “Crucify Him.” One of the interesting things about that day was that the events that kicked off the most important week in history came in fulfillment to prophecy and came as a preview of what is yet to come. 

Old Testament prophecies regarding the birth, life and death of the Messiah are a fascinating study in themselves. God spoke those prophecies through a variety of prophets. God used Zechariah to prophesy the events of Palm Sunday. Read Zechariah 9:9. 

There were many things going on during the day we call Palm Sunday, but without a doubt the focal point of it all was the praise the people offered to Jesus. We know the details of that praise in terms of the laying down of palms and their coats and shouting hosanna. The word “hosanna” is the Greek translation of the corruption of Hebrew words found in Psalm 118:25 that originally meant “save us.” By the days of Jesus that cry had become a plea for the Messiah to come and save them. For too long they had suffered under Rome and they had become convinced that the Messiah would come as their only hope of overthrowing that government. They were convinced that as God had used Moses to set His people free from Egypt, He would use the Messiah to set them free from Rome. 

The people believed Jesus was the promised Messiah and that was what they had in mind on that Sunday when they laid palms at His feet and shouted “Hosanna.” Any question about their intent and praise was eliminated when in response to the Pharisees Jesus said, as recorded in Luke 19:39, 40, “Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”  “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”  Jesus was ready to fully accept the role of the Messiah, the Messiah who would give His life a ransom for the lost. The praise due Him could legitimately come to Him now. In fact, Jesus said that if the people didn’t praise Him the rocks would.

That statement is too easy to skip over in our focus on either the praise the crowd gave Jesus that day or the fact that their praise lasted but for a few days. What Jesus was saying was that as the Messiah who will give Himself for us, He was not only worthy of praise but would receive it one way or another. If we fail to recognize the truth that He deserves all praise, then He will get it from somewhere else and we will miss the blessings associated with praising Him. Praise to God is not an option, it will happen. If men will not praise Him, then His creation will and ultimately every knee will bow in praise and submission to Him.

In these difficult times it is too easy to focus on the challenges we all face and forget that our primary responsibility is to praise God. In truth we have much to praise Him for. Don’t abdicate that responsibility and privilege to the rocks. Let us all use our voices to praise Him, even when things are tough. In fact, it may be our praise in difficult times that means the most to God. It is easy to praise when all is going well but a real test of our faith is when we can praise Him in difficult times.

Palm Sunday is history and serves as a reminder that we are to worship Him. But fast forward for a moment. Fast forward 2000 plus years. Read what God said will happen as Jesus prepares to return in Revelation 7:9-10. 

You can’t miss the similarities between the account of Palm Sunday and the account of the praise that will be given to Jesus in heaven. It has been called the Triumphant Entry II. I call it Palm Eternity. There we see a multitude, the palms, the shouts of praise and at the very center of it all is Jesus. Where is history going? It is going to the place of praise because the Lamb of God, slain for our sins, is worthy of true and continual praise. The scene of Palm Sunday will, in a sense, be replayed in heaven as Palm eternity. There are, however, some interesting and important differences between the first Palm Sunday celebration and Palm Eternity.

On Palm Sunday the crowd that shouted Hosanna was primarily Jewish. The crowd that will shout Hosanna in the last days will be made up of individuals from every tribe and language group. That’s because God kept His promise to Abraham that through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. We are the recipient of that promise. In addition to those from every nation and tribe we read that the voices of the angelic world will be added to our voices in praise. What a praise chorus that will be!

Not only will many more be present, but the focus of the groups is different. Those gathered on Palm Sunday were looking for freedom from Rome and deliverance from their power over them. Those described in Revelation were rejoicing in their freedom from the penalty of sin and the very presence of sin. Because of the provision of Jesus, they had experienced a spiritual deliverance that truly set them free. 

And the commitment will be different in Palm Eternity. The praise of Palm Sunday lasted less than a week, but the praise that will be given in Palm Eternity will be infinitely more lasting because then we will understand much more fully what the mission of Jesus was all about. Paul wrote that now we can only see as if through a glass dimly but then face to face. We cannot even imagine how much more will be known when we see the fullness of His glory and feel His love in ways not possible to even imagine here. Today we can see much more fully His grace than they did on Palm Sunday, but it is nothing compared to what we will understand when we are in His glorious presence. 

The reality is different. On Palm Sunday the crowd looked for freedom from Roman taxes and regulations. No doubt it would have been a 100-times better than their conditions under the rule of the emperors. But the rejoicing on Palm Eternity will be because the provisions that Jesus made are infinitely better than anyone on Palm Sunday, or today for that matter, could ever have imagined. Read Revelation 7:15-17. We can add, there will be no quarantines in heaven. Will we be unable to do anything less than shout “Worthy is the Lamb?” 

Palm Sunday makes for a great story. There is certainly a lot of pageantry in it. There are many, many lessons to learn. At the heart of that day was praise being offered to Jesus. It was praise in hopes of getting what they wanted, not because Jesus was truly worthy of it. It’s always easy to praise God when we want something. It’s another issue all together when we learn to praise Him for who He is, for what He did, and for all that will be ours even if that comes much later. Knowing Him and knowing He is worthy of praise does not exempt us from difficult times. Notice what John wrote in Revelation 7 of those who offered their praise at the throne. He wrote in verse 14 that they are the ones who had come out of the great tribulation. They had been through much but still praised God. 

Today the questions we face as Christians are clear. In light of what we now know about the purpose of Jesus dwelling among us, and in light of the future we know will be ours because we belong to Him, how should we live?

Knowing who Jesus is and the praise He deserves, how do we approach Him in our quiet time each day? Do we approach our quiet time as an obligation to fulfill, as a necessary time out of an otherwise too full day, or do we approach Him in praise?

Palm Sunday teaches us that Jesus truly deserves praise, not just when we get what we want or think we need but we praise continually because He is worthy of it.

Let us enter the throne room often, praising Him who is creator and sustainer of all, and perhaps even more importantly, praising Him who is our Savior. He is truly worthy of eternal praise, beginning now and lasting for the rest of eternity. Let’s use some of our quarantine time to praise Him who is truly worthy of our praise.

Daniel 3 records one of the best-known biblical stories of how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego survived in a fiery furnace designed to burn them to bits in a matter of moments. We know the story. King Nebuchadnezzar had a statue of himself built and the order went out, according to Daniel 3:5, that as soon as the people heard the sound of various instruments they were to “ fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.” 

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to do so, knowing they were to worship only the true and living God. Sure enough, they were reported by their enemies to none other than King Nebuchadnezzar himself, who according to verse 13 was, “Furious with rage.” Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were given a second chance, something kings never did, but they still refused to worship the king or his statue. 

Part of their response to the king is recorded in verses 17-18 that read, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Few responses are more powerful than their commitment to God regardless of what happens. The “But even if he does not” statement of faith. Things don’t always go the way we want them to but “if He does not” we are called upon to remain firm in our faith.

Of particular interest today is verse 25 where we read that King Nebuchadnezzar looked into the fire and declared “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were not in the fire alone, God was with them.

We are not in this pandemic alone. We would all like to be spared from getting sick, “but if not” we can be sure that we are not alone. None of us like being quarantined but we are not alone. God is with us!

Tim Hill wrote a powerful song entitled “He’s Still In The Fire” In that song he asks the question, “If three went in and three came out, then where’d that fourth man go?” The lyrics go on, “He’s still in the fire and he’s walking in the flame, And he’ll be there to help you when you call upon his name, And he can still deliver by His almighty power, While here below it’s good to know He’s still in the fire.”

Today take courage. We are not alone. He is in this with us!

Don’t forget to stay in touch with one another via phone

COMING FOR SUNDAY: WE ARE GOING TO DO A ZOOM WORSHIP SERVICE AT 9:00. LOOK FOR AN ANNOUNCEMENT ON HOW TO CONNECT OR GET IN TOUCH WITH JEN F.