On May 13th 2007 my son was killed in Hadithia, Iraq. The last 3 years have been wrought with intermittent periods of loss, longing mixed in with great joy and sometimes great sorrow. I will admit I did not always handle those feelings with grace and I questioned God on more than one occasion. How do you respond in time of need or great misery?
“O Lord, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you.” Psalm 141:1
In the verse above, King David illustrates one approach. When under duress, he went into the presence of God and called to Him. David had an intimate relationship with God and it was a regular occurrence for him to petition God. Continued »
During an evening walk recently I mentioned to my wife that sometimes I felt like God was putting me in my place, that he was spanking me for being disobedient in the past and scolding me for my lack of wisdom. The subject of my concern was an opportunity, clearly presented to me only because Gods wants me involved in some way, but the final outcome is a big unknown to me and frankly a bit scary.
I was voicing my concern that a few very large roadblocks were still clearly looming, obstacles of my own making that will only be overcome with His help. Lynn was firmly correcting me, with that 30 year of marriage type of love only a life partner can pull off, and telling me God does not scold his children. She said I should continue to pray and ask God for the wisdom and guidance I need. Continued »
I have a confession to make. I am more comfortable praying alone, just me and God. I know that is not a good habit for a Christian to get into but I’m self conscience when asked to pray out loud with a group. I don’t know if it is my lack of biblical knowledge or a simple self esteem problem that makes me uncomfortable but it is something that I must work on.
I know that God hears all prayers but I have noticed that group prayers even just three or four men together seem to have more power. I listen to other more mature Christian men and I marvel at how easy it is for them. I hope that I will get better at praying soon because the Lord knows I have a lot I should be praying about and a few friends helping can’t hurt.
Numerous times we read of Nehemiah praying alone – seeking guidance and direction. He prayed for God’s forgiveness for the people of Israel who had strayed so far from Him. Later, Nehemiah also prayed for protection as he and his fellow Israelites strove to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. Continued »
“Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.” Isaiah 55:6
One recent Saturday afternoon I answered a knock at the door to find a couple young Mormon boys who introduced themselves as Elder John and Elder Samuel; that always cracks me up when a 19 year old introduces himself as an elder, especially when they are talking to someone who is clearly their elder, But I digress.
Usually I will take the time to speak with the Mormon and Jehovah witness and other assorted religious recruiters who come through the neighborhood. I try to gauge their understanding of scripture and maybe gently lead them in a different direction. But today I was in the middle of a project in the back yard, which to their credit these young missionaries quickly volunteered to help complete, and I dismissed them without a second thought and went about my chore.
A couple of days later I saw an article in the local newspaper where a young boy had been hit by a car while crossing the street on his bike against a red light. The report went on to tell how angry his parents were; that with his whole life in front of him he had been run down and that he “could have” been killed. It also reported how angry they were with the driver, who by the way stopped, called 911, and stayed to help the lad while waiting for the police to arrive. Continued »