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A love letter from your Father in Heaven

 

I Saw It Coming

by Rocky Chambers

 

I saw it coming
When people say this they generally mean one of two things
The realized the conclusion of a sequence of events at the start of the sequence
Or they foresaw an event before hand

The first is a statement of faith in the sequence of events
For example, seeing a car skidding towards you and concluding it will hit you
You saw it coming, and believed no other result was possible
The second is much more subtle and very profound

It often starts as a vague sense, either an uneasiness or a comfort
Mind you this is not a feeling or an emotion
But rather it is fear, anxiety, and worry
Or it is that peace that transcends all understanding

Consider two Biblical examples in opposite directions
Job said, "the thing I feared most has come upon me"
This is an amazing statement of faith, of negative faith
Fear (in this sense of the word) is faith that something bad will happen
On the other hand David said, "who is this Philistine who defies the living God?  I shall smite him."
David wasn't gripped by fear as was the rest of Israel
Instead he had anchored himself to something else, God's promise, God's word

That sense of foreboding you get can be good or bad
And depending on what you let dwell in your heart it will bring different results
Men who have strong positive faith produce positive results
You can even see this in the natural with people who believe they will succeed and do
They believed it in their hearts and spoke it
They 'saw it coming'

Some people try to speak it, but you can hear the doubt in their voice
That is because there is doubt in their heart
"Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks"
Often we need help getting rid of doubt

So what should we do when we see something coming that makes us anxious?
"Cast the care of it over to God"
"Anyone who trusts in Him will not be put to shame"
"Cast those thoughts down and make them obedient to Christ"
Stop thinking what could go wrong
But rather meditate on what God can do, on what God has done

Psalm 103 - "Praise the Lord oh, my soul, and forget not all of His benefits"
God's not out to get you, He's our benefactor
"The Lord is my shepherd, my help in times of trouble, my refuge, my provider, my source"

Now, what do you see coming?
Trouble or God?

And if you can't see Him coming
Get into the word, and stay in prayer until you do!
Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God
Put your faith in Him and He'll come



Rocky Chambers

"God honors the faithful
diligently seek Him"

Love is My Hope

Oh Lord, my Lord where are you
My heart seeks an answer
My ears strain for your voice
But the silence is deafening

With salty tears I cry out in sobs
You know the ache of my heart
How it's desire goes unmet
Speak to me now and help me face my pain

Encourage me and I will take heart
Lift me up and I will be strengthened
Touch me and I will find peace again
Speak to me Lord I am listening

The desires of my heart are beyond my reach
Bring them to me or remove then from my heart
For I am in misery and anguish
I need the strength of your grace in my time of weakness

I am broken hearted and my spirit is contrite
Yet you will not allow me to be crushed
Still my hopes are far away from me
I am heart sick

My plans have come to naught and have failed me
I have yielded myself to your word
I surrender the desires of my heart to you
Now I wait to see what you will do with them

The weight of this is great
How can I bear it
My heart is heavy with sadness
Where is my delight

I know one word from you can change everything
So I wait
And I trust
For you will deal with me according to your unfailing love

Love knows the desire of my heart
Love sees my distress
Love is my hope
I wait


Rocky Chambers

"For the joy set before us
we shall endure"



Signs

There is a difference between seeking a sign for proof and seeking a sign for confirmation or direction.  This scripture answers those who seek signs for proof, as evidence of who Jesus is.

Mat 12:39 (NIV)  He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

Those who do not believe will not receive the sign anyway.

John 2:18-19 (NIV)  Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" {19} Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."

They scoffed at Him. 

Those who believe signs for confirmation are answered by this scripture.

Mark 16:20 (KJV)  And they went forth, and preached every where the Lord working with and confirming the word with signs following.

God WILL confirm His word to you with signs.  And that word is often a direction, an answer, or an instruction.

John 4:48-54 (NIV)  "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe." {49} The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies." {50} Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live." The man took Jesus at his word and departed. {51} While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. {52} When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, "The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour." {53} Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live." So he and all his household believed. {54} This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee.

This passage illustrates a sign as confirmation.  The man took Jesus at His word, and the sign confirmed it.

Jesus answers another time when asked, ‘what sign will you give’, by telling them He is the bread of life.  But those who sought a sign as proof did not understand, only those who do believe see Jesus as providing our daily bread.  What we need each day.

To me this is the most important sign of all.  In life we face choices every minute of everyday.  Perhaps you might look back at some of the choices you made and say, “if I had known then what I know now I sure would have made a different choice”.  Had you known the results of your choices you would certainly have changed some of them.

Well Jesus does know.  I believe that if we pay attention He is placing road signs along the way for us.  Trying to direct us.  Sometimes the sign might be a bright light.  That’s what happened to Paul isn’t it?  Sometimes it might be just a gentle nudge or an uneasy feeling.  Sometimes a word spoken at the right moment.

Face it folks, we’re lost and confused by all that goes on.  And we certainly don’t know enough to always make informed decisions.  Only God knows enough.  That’s not to say I can’t decide when to do my laundry, or which way to go home.  But it might be that God will send an angel to keep you from putting your car in gear and going through a light when it turns green because he sees this car speeding around the corner that is going to hit you and kill you.  That actually happened to me.  It was a sign of His mercy.  And I'll gladly testify of other signs He has placed in my way.

It’s not wicked to ask God for direction, protection or help.  But if you demand a sign for proof, well then yes, you must be wicked because you obviously don’t believe who He is.  God will help those who are seeking the way.  Which leads me to believe Paul was pondering Stephen’s sermon and had asked God if Stephen was right and he (Paul) was wrong.  I believe Paul had asked, ‘am I justly persecuting these people”.  Boy did he get an answer he’ll never forget.

Signs are not evil.  They give direction.

Psa 25:8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

There are signs everywhere to help you when you are lost.  Ask and you shall see.


Rocky Chambers

"Seeing the hand of God in motion
is the sacrament of the moment"