Walls of might, a mere facade
For they pale to the might of God
Pharaoh trusted chariots and steeds
Even after witnessing God’s great deeds
Yet, the king did not relent
And to its ruin his army sent
But all the deities of Egypt’s land
Could not preserve a single man
And so they perished in the sea
Allowing Israel’s children to go free
Padre
Exodus 14:26-28
Is trepidation really a thing;
The fear of things, as yet unseen?
Do we let these worries haunt us;
And control or minds until they’ve got us?
Are we of hope so unsure;
That we concede defeat rather than endure?
There is an anchor in which we can trust
Who promises good things to us
And if we in Him we put our trust
All our fears He shall bust
Padre
Thank you Brother James for your message of overcoming doubt and fear today.
Consider the lilies of the field
They grow – yet they do not plough or till
God has prepared the place for them
And He does too for us – knowing our wheres and whens
Worrying about tomorrow is a fool’s errand
For it is yet hidden from us around the bend
So trust in the guidance from your heart
And let anxious anticipation from your mind depart
Padre
The flowers and the birds of Matthew 6:25-34 have been purposely conflated but Jesus’ meaning remains the same. Tomorrow is in the Lord’s hands.
We seem beset – in these days
By torrents and floods trying to wash us away
Prices rising, social strife,
Domestic issues for both man and wife
There is fighting far away
New conflicts arise most every day
And yet here we are
We make our stand
The flow does not move us
And never can
For in the Lord we stand firm
And He will never from us turn
Padre
Inspired by: “If the Lord had not been on our side” – Psalm 124
The path before us uncertain
It is hidden by time’s curtain
Wars and their rumour fall on our ears
And we pray and do our best to hold back tears
What the future holds no person knows
As grand plans collapse and guilt is exposed
But I must trust that all is in hand
By the grace of our Creator,
Who the world does command
It will all work together for the good
For those that trust Him as we should
Padre
Tell me a secret
A little one if you will
Take me into your confidence
Let me you trust fulfil
Tell me a secret
Let us truly our lives share
Let us intimate be
Let me in if you dare
————
Padre
Some placed faith in things made by hand
As Joshua and the Israel’s children entered the land
Behind walls made of stone
They thought, “surely I’m safe at home”
But God, not idols or masonry deep
Would the victory win and keep
And with a mighty stomp and shout
Jericho fell without a doubt
Padre
Jerub-Baal, Midian to defeat
Was told his army he must decrease
He sent away all who in heart did faint
But the numbers were still to large
He was to show even more restraint
And so he cut his forces to the core
A mere three hundred – not one more
And with this tiny band
It was God’s victory that was at hand
We too may face opposition strong
But if you feel alone – you are so wrong
For if the Lord is with you
And takes up the fight
You shall prevail through His might
Reflections on Judges 7
Padre
Pastor Vince called on us to remember to wait on God this week. He drew his messages from Isaiah 40: 27f:
Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
The passage notes a real human weakness: Dispair. We get into hard times and we begin to immediately think we are all alone or abandoned by God. We therefore try to come up with solutions ourselves, often with tragic consequesnces. The passage reminds us, however, that “the Lord is everlasting,” . . . and that He doesn’t tire or weary in His care for us.
It goes on to tell us that “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” We don’t need to act in impetuous ways, as He is our sustainer. We need to pause, and wait on God!
No matter how dire the situation may seem, He is there for us. Better still, we can handle it as He is in control. First Corinthians 10: 13 reads – “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” God is faithful, and He will not let things go beyond what we can handle, especially when we seek the strength in Him.
In fact, returning to the Isaiah passage we “will soar on wings like eagles; . . . will run and not grow weary, [and] walk and not be faint.” By waiting on God to move in us, we will be revived – note the running and walking reference, but Brother Vince noted as well the part on soaring. We despite what our perils may be, or who might be our advisary will have a eagle or God’s-eye view. He is above all evil, He masters even Satan himself, He looks down on all and had a true perspective. We too, and note this, will soar. Eagles when they soar don’t flap. They glide as they are lifted up! We too will be lifted. God will raise us abover the situations, and we with our eagle-eyed view will be able to see the dangers and have a true prespective that they are mere dots below the power of God. We just need to wait on God, and leave it in His hands.
Padre
Come with me and we will sail away
Into spaces unknown
Though squalls and waves assail
With each other we shall not face it alone
Life raises challenges and trials each day
As the world we traverse and roam
But I have your back
And you have mine
As if it were your own
Padre
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