Bobservations Column
by Pastor Bob Lawrenz
We have all heard the story of the man trapped on his rooftop during the springtime flood of a nearby river. As the waters were cresting the highway, a Rescue Squad came by to help him evacuate. “No, I’ll trust the Lord,” the man said. The waters rose still higher and a neighbor in a boat came up to him as he was hanging out the second floor window of his now flooded house. “No thanks, I am trusting the Lord to save me,” he said to his neighbor, as the neighbor shook his head and navigated away. The waters continued to rise, and he was now stranded on his home’s roof. A police helicopter spotted him and offered to pull him to safety as they hovered over him. “The Lord is going to save me, I’ll wait for Him,” and the man waved them off.
The flood waters rose further still and were filled with mud, trees, and debris. The surging water was eventually too much and house collapsed under the man, and he drowned. Standing before the Lord, the man’s disappointment was evident. “I waited for you to save me from those floodwaters; why didn’t you come?” the man asked God.
And God answered the man, “What more did you want? I sent you a Rescue Squad, a boat, and a helicopter. And you refused all that I had done for you.”
People often overlook the obvious when it comes to God’s salvation. Many of the unsaved think, “It can’t possibly be that easy.” They minimize God’s mercy and grace, and think something so easy may not be worth it. Or perhaps you have prayed long and hard about something, and didn’t see the answer when it was right in front of you the whole time?
Has Jesus ever answered a prayer for you in an unexpected way? We might be expecting a miraculous, earth shattering, bell ringing, sky rockets bursting type answer from Him, but in His mercy and His humility, He does not turn answers to prayer into spectacles.
Such is Asaph’s message to us today. God speaks in parables and “dark sayings” to those that have a mind, and a heart to understand what Jesus wants to teach us. Have you an ear for God’s teachings and His Word?
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me;…”
~ John 10:27 ~
Bobservations Column
by Pastor Bob Lawrenz
That Jesus answers prayers is a foregone conclusion to Believers. It is one of the great blessings that make us cherish our relationship with the Lord. We might sometimes doubt it, but all it takes is a review of our weekly prayer lists, and we can attest to God answering dozens of prayers over the years.
We have also heard it said from the lips of professing Believers, “God never answers my prayers.” What a sad statement! To think that our loving Father in Heaven would withhold anything good from His children should give us pause for some heart searching. But those same professors will quote to us, “He shall give thee the desires of thine heart,” from Psalm 37:4.
Wow! It sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? It sounds like we might rely on God for anything that our little ole heart desires! I did notice, however, that none of us have perfect health; none of us have our loving families surrounding us, functioning to perfection; many among us are widowed; no one here seems to have a job earning them six figures a year; and I didn’t even see any Mercedes Benzes in the church parking lot this morning.
Is God’s Word untrue? Is our precious Lord Jesus trying to put one over on us? No. It’s neither of those things. God’s Word is always true… So, then what did we miss?
“He shall give thee the desires of thine heart” is preceded by the first half of the verse: “Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” When we delight in the Lord, then will we find ourselves wanting more of Him. Jesus has left His Holy Spirit to dwell with us: “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, the He may abide with you forever.” John 14:16. Make Jesus your delight, and your heart’s desires shall be granted.
“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? ” Luke 11:13
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” Luke 12:34
Bobservations Column
by Pastor Bob Lawrenz
In Psalm 74, Asaph was crying out wondering why Israel had seemingly been abandoned by Jehovah God; in Psalm 75 he was singing thanks unto our God. And today as we study Psalm 76, we find the progress he is making as his heart processes all that has happened, all that God has done, and all that God has yet promised to do.
From worry and doubt, men and women of faith follow this same pattern in processing the emotion of despair. And unless we deal spiritually with the fleshly emotion, it’s easy to respond in a fleshly way. Believers know in heart that God is at the center of every situation of their lives. He is there in blessings, in protection, and in all provision for us. He is even there in the admonishing. When we finally throw our arms up in the air and stop fighting, the Lord blesses us. Victory comes in “the giving up,” as we cease struggling with God.
It is then that we will see a bit through God’s eyes; we’ll see the spiritual battle going on as God fights for us to correct whatever needs to be corrected. Our enemies become His (like they were all along) and God proceeds to victory.
There is something about being a Believer that is both comforting and troubling. Comfort comes in knowing our end, and having a relationship with the living Jesus. But it’s troubling to see Believers trying to fight God’s battles in our strength. Do we not see the futility in using human strength for spiritual battles? What an exercise in frustration!
Spiritual warfare is all around us, and Paul warns us of it in Ephesians 6. With all Satan’s experience though, he still uses the same tactics he used on Eve in the Garden of Eden. As he lied to her; as he twisted God’s word; as he told her half-truths, so also does he begin with us. Be discerning. Compare everything you hear with God’s Word. Nothing says we have to listen to Satan’s lies.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth…” Ephesians 6:14a
The truth is always our first and best defense. And Jesus teaches us that He is THE way, THE truth, and THE life. Call upon Him, cling to Him, trust in Him.
