December 27


Feeling the Pain


“He was so broken up about the baby being sick,” they said.

2 Samuel 12:18 (NLT)



Right or wrong, there were times King David absolutely agonized over his kids. Here he was in anguish, and today … so was I.

I not sure I like being so human. I can’t believe I reacted the way I did. I mean I’m a grown man, right? Isn’t that what an unfeeling world says to us, “Shape up. Get a hold of yourself, man!” But my son was hurting.

There he was on the couch covered from head to foot with itching red spots while a different virus hit his digestive tract. The hard-hitting cramps agonizing tears, moans and whimpers. He had become a modern-day Job right before my eyes. And I couldn’t take it.

The emotion hit me doubly hard because I was powerless to do anything. All I could offer was my presence and perhaps a small whisper of encouragement. And prayer. Eventually, we both regained our composure and the pain at least lessened.

Now I think back on this and have a new sense of God’s heart when I suffer. He is, after all, our Heavenly Father. He is compassionate. He is touched. He is pained. He wants better things for all of us … and … He is there … right beside us….


Lord, thank You for using my son’s hardship to open my eyes to Your great heart. Help me know this heart of Yours and share Your love. Amen.

December 26

In the Storm and After


They … were at their wits end. “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. What a blessing was that stillness as he brought them safely into harbor! Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for all his wonderful deeds to them.

Psalm 107:27-31 (NLT)


Be still and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10 (NKJV)



This morning, this is what I need. This is what I want—to know God, to know He is in control!

Sometimes the nights drag. Concern, doubts, fears launch an unrelenting attack. They rush and engulf me like some monster tsunami. And their devastating force brings a powerful melancholy … and it sits.

Now, I am learning to do the only thing that helps. I listen for the warnings. I hear the alarms and climb His holy hill. I cling to the Rock, my Rock, Jesus Christ, who gives me His assurance (Psalm 4:8).

He set me an example in the wilderness. He unsheathed the word. He stood His ground. He was a rock … and He still is. He is my Rock.

This morning the storm has passed. All that remains is the slow and steady tide and the constant pounding of a quiet surf. My Rock held me secure and now I know. I close my eyes and know the warm, eternal truth: He is God!


Father, thank You for Your care. You promise to be there for me—in the storm, in the battle and in the peace and calm. You are God, and there is none other. Bless me in this knowledge. Amen.

December 25


Revelations


Who has believed our message? To whom shall the Lord reveal his saving power?

Isaiah 53:1 (NLT)


That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them.

Luke 2:8-9 (NLT)


They ran to the village and there was the baby, lying in a manger.

Luke 2:16 (NLT)

To whom did God’s angel bring the news of His glorious salvation? Who got to be among the first to see God’s miracle child? Who were these guys and what does this tell us about the way God operates?

These were very humble people. Lowly shepherds who faced hardship and danger but who were also known for their diligence and hard work. Simple folk, not the cream of the crop, but rather, on the low and slow edge of society.

They were nothing and yet they possessed so much more than so many kings and priests and religious people. They believed. And their faith was active! They ran to see the miracle of God! And in the end, they received so much more from the hand of God than those in the higher stations of life. They accepted God’s invitation and were blessed. Hmmm….

Well, what about me? How should I live if I want to hear the voice of God, understand His directions and see His wondrous acts? And you? How should you live? Our answers make all the difference in this life. It’s the difference between the mundane and the miraculous.


Father, humble our hearts that we might hear Your message, that we might see Your work. Amen.

December 24

The Weak Speaker


The Spirit helps us in our weakness….

Romans 8:26 (NIV)


What had I gotten myself into?

I had agreed to preach—again. I said I’d take the Saturday night sermon so our pastor could travel out-of-town to watch his all-star son play basketball. It was well intentioned, a nice gesture and I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do. I even had a topic … sort of. What I didn’t count on was the virus.

The bug I’d battled a week or so earlier came roaring back with a vengeance. I was exhausted and at times bedridden. What could I do?

Well, I did the only thing I could do; I asked for prayer. And I waited. Not a lot seemed to happen though. I finally felt a little better on Saturday morning and made the final rush to pull my thoughts and words into a collective, understandable whole. I gave it my best shot, as weak as it was, and had to trust God for the rest.

That night, I mounted the platform just a bit unsure but then chased those thoughts away with a prayer. I think it was then the Spirit took charge as I launched into the topic he had given me, Rising Above the Challenges that Rock Our World: Lessons from Jonah.

So, how did it go? It went great! God answered the prayers of faithful friends; the Spirit helped me in my weakness; and His word seemed to speak to people’s hearts.

To hear the message go to www.eastmontchurch.com and look under audio. I hope you will be as blessed as I was.


Loving God, thank You for Your strength, and thank You for stretching me … far beyond my dreams! Amen.