Isaiah 40:27-31
1. Sometimes it feels like God does not see or know what’s going on with me.
Jacob and Israel made two statements about this:
1. “My way is hidden from the LORD.”
2. “The justice due me escapes
the notice of my God.”
2. God answers with Several Reminders:
“Do you not know?” “Have you not heard?”
A. He reminds us of His Name
1. The Everlasting God
2. The LORD
3. The Creator of the ends of the earth
B. He reminds us of His strength
1. He does not become weary
2. He does not become tired
3. His understanding is inscrutable
**Inscrutable means not readily investigated,
interpreted, or understood: mysterious
4. He gives strength to the weary
and power to him who lacks might
C. He gives a bit of comparison
THOUGH:
1. Youths grow weary and tired
(not just older people)
2. Vigorous Young Men stumble badly
YET THOSE WHO WAIT FOR THE LORD:
3. Will gain new strength
4. Will mount up with wings like eagles
5. Will run and not get tired
6. Will walk and not become weary
3. What is the key to overcoming the uncertainty of life?
WAITING ON AND FOR GOD!!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
A Time of Renewing My Trust in God
It is a strange paradox in life for a man. In the midst of responsibility at work one has a longing for vacation. When one is out of work there is a longing to be back at it. Such is the case for me these days. It hasn’t been a long time since I’ve worked full-time (finished up at Fort Myers Christian School on June 3rd), but the lack of funds for family needs and the lack of some exciting project to do has been disheartening. It is accentuated by the fact that I left FMCS without any assurances of employment in the fall, and have few prospects for summer employment.
For the last 11 years I have served Word of Life Church and Tamiami Fellowship as a minister of the word. It has never been a full-time job, but does require weekly prayer, bulletins, sermons, confirmation class, occasional visitation, and other administrative duties. All in all, it has been a continuing joy and responsibility. That has been a constant during these years of bi-vocational ministry. Prior to that time, I served Living Faith Church in Cape Coral full-time, and had been in full-time parish ministry since graduating from seminar (1984-1997). Besides Word of Life, my other “job” has been a variety of things from teaching, construction, cable installation, umpiring, lawn care, landscaping, working in a print shop, or other odds and ends. God has been good to provide for our needs in many different ways and through numerous means of employment. I have to publicly say thanks to several friends who were willing to hire me to assist with tasks in which they needed help. That has been a blessing financially, plus I have felt the satisfaction of beginning to learn how to do more things. Since resigning from Living Faith Church in 1997, I feel like I’ve learned plenty of practical skills that probably would have been missed because I would have been too busy doing other responsibilities. One thing for sure, the building addition to our home we tackled in 2002-2003 would never have been attempted had I not been introduced to the building trade.
Back to this summer: Our family spent two or so weeks in Ohio on vacation, and we were able to help with some projects at houses up there. My father-in-law had me preach and teach the Bible Class for him the two Sundays I was there. That was nice, but these were not enough to keep us busy the whole time. Several times I felt antsy to do something, but I guess it’s all right to just “be on vacation.”
We returned from Ohio last Tuesday, and since that time we’ve gotten a few things done. There’s plenty more work, just not the kind you really like to do (like going through my old files and weeding out old, outdated stuff). A couple of other projects are on our “to do” list, but will again be postponed because of a lack of funds to underwrite it. So there’s an unexplainable uneasiness in my heart. I hope it’s not a sign of worry. I don’t want to be a worrier, but rather a warrior.
So what is God trying to teach me in all this? Surely this time of waiting is a wonderful opportunity to cry out to God and look to Him to provide for our daily needs. I must remind myself of a couple of passages of scripture:
First, Isaiah 40:31, “But those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.”
Second, Philippians 4:6,7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
For the last 11 years I have served Word of Life Church and Tamiami Fellowship as a minister of the word. It has never been a full-time job, but does require weekly prayer, bulletins, sermons, confirmation class, occasional visitation, and other administrative duties. All in all, it has been a continuing joy and responsibility. That has been a constant during these years of bi-vocational ministry. Prior to that time, I served Living Faith Church in Cape Coral full-time, and had been in full-time parish ministry since graduating from seminar (1984-1997). Besides Word of Life, my other “job” has been a variety of things from teaching, construction, cable installation, umpiring, lawn care, landscaping, working in a print shop, or other odds and ends. God has been good to provide for our needs in many different ways and through numerous means of employment. I have to publicly say thanks to several friends who were willing to hire me to assist with tasks in which they needed help. That has been a blessing financially, plus I have felt the satisfaction of beginning to learn how to do more things. Since resigning from Living Faith Church in 1997, I feel like I’ve learned plenty of practical skills that probably would have been missed because I would have been too busy doing other responsibilities. One thing for sure, the building addition to our home we tackled in 2002-2003 would never have been attempted had I not been introduced to the building trade.
Back to this summer: Our family spent two or so weeks in Ohio on vacation, and we were able to help with some projects at houses up there. My father-in-law had me preach and teach the Bible Class for him the two Sundays I was there. That was nice, but these were not enough to keep us busy the whole time. Several times I felt antsy to do something, but I guess it’s all right to just “be on vacation.”
We returned from Ohio last Tuesday, and since that time we’ve gotten a few things done. There’s plenty more work, just not the kind you really like to do (like going through my old files and weeding out old, outdated stuff). A couple of other projects are on our “to do” list, but will again be postponed because of a lack of funds to underwrite it. So there’s an unexplainable uneasiness in my heart. I hope it’s not a sign of worry. I don’t want to be a worrier, but rather a warrior.
So what is God trying to teach me in all this? Surely this time of waiting is a wonderful opportunity to cry out to God and look to Him to provide for our daily needs. I must remind myself of a couple of passages of scripture:
First, Isaiah 40:31, “But those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.”
Second, Philippians 4:6,7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)