In God We Trust??

When Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah, he came to Jerusalem and confronted Hezekiah asking him, "On what are you basing your confidence, that you remain in Jerusalem?" It was a timely question because Assyria had been conquering nation after nation with little or no resistance. Hezekiah's answer was that he and the people of Jerusalem based their confidence on the LORD!

This is a fitting question for us today. When the enemies of our nation oppose us, where does our confidence lay? For many today they turn to the world's wisdom. Government or science or military-might is where they place their confidence. It was not so in past! The history of our nation shows that when enemies rose up against our nation that the leaders and the people turned to the Almighty. They placed their confidence in the only true God. The God, for whom so many had fled to this land so they could worship Him freely without fear, was where their confidence lay.

This is also a very fitting question for us personally. When the enemies of life like sickness or any number of life's difficulties invade our homes, where do we place our confidence? Is it in the Lord?

What do squirrels and highflying trapeze acts have to do with faith?

A variety of several very tall trees stand like English Palace Guards on our homestead.  Their limbs are host to a number of birds; and because there are Oak and Walnut trees in the mix, a fair number of squirrels make their home within our woods.

The highflying trapeze act the squirrels put on would bring cheers from the toughest circus audience. Watching these bushy tail friends leap from limb-to-limb high in the air always amazes me. Today one of these little guys put on a real show by jumping from limb to limb without hesitation and without fear. He moved with confidence performing feats that I would have been afraid to do even if I had the ability. He was perfectly at home in the high limbs.

The Bible gives a number of accounts of people that undertook some miraculous feats. Noah built an ark in a land that did not known rain. Abraham followed God to a land he had not seen. Moses left a cushy position only to be rejected by his people and sent running for his life. He returned to be the leader of an unthankful nation. Daniel slept with lions. The three children of Israel walked in fire.

The list could go on and on of people who made their home, their habitat in faith. Like the squirrels in high trees they learned to live in the realm of faith. These saints of old learned to love the state that God had placed them. Their motto was “…we walk by faith, not by sight” (2Co 5:7).

So, why is it that we are so fearful to live by faith? Why do our actions always require a safety net? Why are there fewer servants answering the call to duty?

Perhaps we could take a lesson from the squirrels.  The squirrels know that there are many more dangers on the ground than in the air.  As children of the King, we experience far more danger when we refuse to live by faith than we do by stepping out by faith.

So, get your trapeze act together!  Make your life a life of faith and learn to trust the Lord. Share  Follow @pastorbarr

If you enjoy Wit & Wisdom, you will love For His Glory: A Kaleidoscope of Wisdom. 

For His Glory: A Kaleidoscope of Wisdom is a collection of meaningful and powerful reflections from real life experiences coupled with practical biblical wisdom. Going beyond the normal inspirational book, For His Glory unveils a kaleidoscope of commonsense precepts that challenges the reader to discover the wonders of living for God's glory. Eye-opening, life changing and easy to understand, For His Glory will enrich your life. 

Flying Through the Dark

On July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy, Jr. flew his Piper Saratoga into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) ruled the crash was caused by: "the pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during a descent over water at night, which was a result of spatial disorientation."* In other words, he became confused and flew the Piper into the water.

Experienced pilots have told me that it is easy to become disoriented especially over water on a hazy night with no visual horizon.  In conditions like those, the pilot must rely on his instruments and not his senses. 

This is also true for the believer in Christ. When navigating through the dark periods of life, the Christian must trust the Word of God to guide her or him. We cannot rely on our perceptions, especially our emotions. Things may not always appear as they really are. The promised horizon may not be visible – you may not be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel! God’s word and God’s promises are true and there is a light of hope at the end of the darkest trial. We must trust His Word. The true foundation for our faith is the Word of God.

If you enjoy the inspiration and encouragement found in Wit & Wisdom, they you will love Pastor Jim's book, For His Glory: A Kaleidoscope of Wisdom. Take a peek inside. Also available in Kindle at a discounted price.

David’s Statement of Faith

I said unto the LORD, Thou art my God: hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD. Psalm 140:6  

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David was no stranger to danger. The plea of David in Psalm 140 reveals he is once again in a place where the odds appear to be against him. He calls on the Lord to intercede in his behalf; and he can do so because his LORD is his God.

Three simple truths are to be discovered in this simple statement of faith.

• David looks to Yahweh [LORD]. The God who is and God who redeems!  Yahweh is the name of God that is often translated LORD in small capital letters. The name Yahweh declares God to be the God that exists and is used to highlight his redemption capabilities.  We too should remember that we can call on the LORD, the redeemer. We can and do look to Him for deliverance.

• David declares God to be his personal God. David had more than simple head knowledge of God. He had a personal relationship with God. In times of troubles, we need to have a personal relationship with our God.

• David did not doubt that God hears his request and will answer his request. Verse six is a statement of his faith. We too must approach our Lord with the confidence that God hears our prayers and answers our prayers. “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (1Jo 5:14). Follow @pastorbarr 

Life-Experience: The Hiccup Curse!

By Pastor Jim Barr Follow @pastorbarr

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For the last six days, I have had the hiccups.  I am not talking about the ordinary and annoying kind. I am talking about the rapid-fire kind that chokes you, makes you sick, and disables you. They have moved in and no doctor, nor hospital, nor high-priced pill, nor shot, nor any of the seventeen different home remedies have been able to convince them to leave me.  Needless, this is a “Life-Experience” I that would rather skip and one that I pray will end shortly.

Like all experiences, good or bad, there can be some powerful lessons taught by the Spirit through the Word in times like these. For example, I learned that you can pray long and hard while holding your breath while seeking immediate relief before you pass out.  The lesson I learned from these breathtaking experiences is that you better put “nevertheless not my will but your will be done” on the end of every prayer.
 

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I also learned that willing something to be so doesn’t make it so. Occasionally, we believe that if we will something hard enough that somehow that translates into super faith and God must act. God does not move according to our will; but rather we move towards his will.  Faith is an important element that is required in every prayer; but we must remember, we are placing our faith in God – the God who holds the perfect will for our life and only gives good gifts to His children. Real faith, super faith, trusts in the only God that knows what is best for you. Our will doesn’t move mountains. God is the mover of mountains and He does so only when it is for the best.  I must and I do place my faith in Him.

The curse of the disabling hiccups has also taught me humility.  Think on this for a moment, you walk into a clinic seeking urgent medical attention and the check-in nurse ask you, “And what seems to be your problem today?” First, you want to knock her in the head because you have been hiccupping all the way to the room; and then she wants you to confess, the reason you are there is because of the hiccups. “I ha—ve—th—hic—hic—ups,” you reply. She then gives you that school nursery look and says with all amazement, “The hiccups???” You replay the same scene at the ER three or four times and get the same you-have-got-to-be-kidding look. You know humbleness.

I would like to finish this little self-indulgent piece with a particular cornerstone of wisdom that I have learned; but since I am up at one o’clock in the morning writing this between hiccups, I can only share this current wisdom lesson in this affair so fat: God can be trusted and He never leaves you.

Maybe someday when the hiccups are but a bad memory, I will write more about this simple truth and all that went on in my mind and my heart. For now it is enough to simple say God can be trusted – even when the thorn remains in your side  ̶  and He never leaves your side.

The Apostle Paul Said:
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:7-9 ESV)