I Said No, God Said Yes

I Said No, God Said Yes

Just a few days ago, I was being informed by a new found friend in Jackson ,MS of the circumstances surrounding my brother's medical emergency. He shared that their church sponsored 3K walk/run had begun around 7:00 a.m. He had reminded my brother that he'd pick up his bag from the back of his truck upon his return. My brother, in his usual joking manner, matter-of-factly responded "I'LL BE GONE." This statement rang out loudly to me. And I quickly thought just as loudly, "NO, GOD."

When I thought NO, God said YES. He had already beckoned my brother home. Just as we ended this conversation, a doctor with the same last name as my brother informed me that their best efforts to revive him all failed. While I had thought, NO, don't go; God said YES, come. When this friend returned, my brother's last words to him rang true. And that was the end of that story. Before the call was ended, God reminded me of His Word found in . . .

Isaiah 57:1-2. The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.

Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.

I could only say, "thank you Father for saying YES when I thought NO. Thank you for delivering my brother from a weakened, quite possibly debilitating state. Thank you for your miracle working healing power at work. Thank you for his life here. And thank you, Father God, for eternal life."

Help God Remember

Help God remember.  God is all knowing.  He is omniscient.  He knows everything.  He knows the end from the beginning.  He knows the new born babe even before birth.  He knows the number of hairs on your head.  He knows your next thought before you think it.  He knows your answer before you get the question.  So why do you have to help God remember?  Is that your question?  If yes, read on.

Through the words of the prophet Isaiah (see 43:26), we are invited to put God in remembrance of His Word.  The invitation in one translation (NIV) is to review the past and argue the matter together.  God is His Word.  He knows the Word.  Could it be that He wants you to know the Word? Could it be that you need to let Him know that you know the Word?  Could it be that He wants a conversation with you?  Could it be that He wants more than the usual one way communication wherein you ask and tell? 

So how does that work?  Consider -- God, you say that you will keep me in perfect peace as I keep my mind stayed on you (see Isaiah 26:3).  I am not in perfect peace.  So God, remember your promise to me of perfect peace.  Did I hear you say that I must pay attention to the condition?  Okay God, I will keep my mind stayed on you. If I don't have perfect peace tomorrow, I'm going to remind you again God.  Did you say that you look forward to hearing from me again tomorrow? Okay, tomorrow. And thank you God for perfect peace. Amen

Speak the Truth

Some time ago, I heard a televangelist say "speak the truth until the facts line up with it." Those words resonated deep down inside of me as I realized how profound and full of meaning the statement was. Speak the truth until the facts line up with it. Speak the truth until the facts line up with it.   I remembered that truth and facts are two different things.  I was reminded that the only real truth is God's Word (see John 17:17). I was also reminded that Jesus the Christ is the living Word, that He is the truth (see John 14:6).  I remembered that the Spirit is the truth (see 1 John 5:6). And I recalled that the facts are not the truth. They are not God's Word.

Let me explain.  You have been diagnosed with a health issue, say diabetes ... high blood pressure ... lower back pain ... insomnia ... heart disease ... cancer ... etc.  These are all real conditions.  As concerns the Word of God however, are these health issues the truth? Or are they the facts of the matter?  You are unemployed with no income.  Fact or truth?  Your expenses consistently exceed your income.  Fact or truth? You have more month than you have money.  Fact or truth? Your husband is filing for a divorce?  Fact or truth?  Your middle son is on drugs? Fact or truth? If the Word of God is the truth, are any of these statements the truth?  If not the truth, can they be the facts of the matter?

 So, what is the truth regarding your life's issues?  Will you choose to speak the truth or the facts of the matter?

What is Truth

What is truth? What is the truth?  Asked this very question by a college professor many years ago, I found myself unable to answer.  In a very small class of 10-12 doctoral students, no one could satisfactorily answer the question.  At least, that kept me from feeling really bad and singly uninformed.  The professor's assignment was for us to spend the following week seeking the question's answer. Upon return to class, we would write our responses in a blue book.  That I proceeded to do.  I literally looked 'high and low' starting with the best dictionary I could get my hands on, spent hours poring over books in the library, checked out the major philosophers, and more.  The dictionary definitions were so unhelpful: "fact, reality; real or actual, accurate or exact, opposite of false, fact or reality."

Somehow, I stumbled onto a verse of Scripture, John 8:32 (KJV) -- "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." ‎Repeating the verse, pondering its meaning, asking myself the question, so what is this truth? Looked in the bible's index or concordance and found two other helpful verses that helped me know and understand the answer to the question. One of the verses was where Jesus says "I am the truth" (see John 14:6), and the other was where Jesus prays to the Father saying "your word is the truth" (see John 17:17 ).  This is what I expounded on the following week during the blue book quiz, and received an A++.

I learned that if I could meet that class requirement of reading 16-17 books in one semester while taking 3 other classes, working a full-time job, and commuting four times a week to Tuscaloosa, I could read God's Word, the truth.

Given your situation or circumstance today, what is the truth regarding it? Are you seeking freedom from some issue of life; what is the truth regarding that issue?