Only one verse today?  Well…read more if you like, but I just love this one verse from the second chapter of Moses’ book of Deuteronomy.  This is in the midst of Moses’ first sermon in this wonderful book, the section dealing with all that God has done for His people Israel.  To find out about the struggles and journey of Israel out of Egypt, you need to go back and read at least the book of Exodus. Now I’ve given you more of an assignment!  And you know how angry and upset and difficult God’s people were when they needed to trust Him and believe that He would be there for them and provide for their needs when it seemed all so impossible and futile.  And poor Pastor Moses heard all about it and even lost it himself.  They were a tough bunch.  Always harking back to ‘the good old days’ not of their memory but of their imagination!  They remembered all that food they enjoyed ‘for free’ . Free?  They were slaves needing to be fed so they could work and work and work with no freedom at all. None whatsoever.   In the desert they griped, they complained, they even plotted to murder Moses and his brother Aaron.  Then when given promises by the Lord of their own land, they sent in spies only to believe the majority report that they’re  giants and we’re not!  Just forget it…maybe we can head back to Egypt.  At least we knew what we had there.  Didn’t need faith.  We had Pharaoh and those gods of everywhere and every thing.   So, God says that it’s time to cool their heels in the desert of Israel.  Forty long years.  Lots of time to mull things over…and over. 

Good thing that’s a history of ancient peoples. Right?  Or is it?  Sounds like me at times in my life.  Sounds familiar, sad-to-say.  Any body else out there?  Or am I the only one!   Fear more than faith.  Silent when should have spoken up and out.  On and on…I’ve been in my own desert where the Lord has given me ‘time out’ to think things over.  To let Him work in my life in a new way.  Felt like punishment but was more of His mercy and grace and discipline.  If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you know how much He loves you.  He loves us just as we are but loves us so much not to leave us that way.  That’s where the desert comes in.  And that’s where this verse, Deuteronomy 2:7 comes in.  I love it.  Hear the Word of God–‘The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands.  He has watched over your journey through the vast desert.  These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.’  They should have had nothing but punishment if I were the Lord.  Let them have it.  They deserve nothing from me.  Thank God I’m not God!  He stayed with His rebellious people the whole time.  Giving them clouds by day to shade them from the desert heat, and fire by night to give them light, protection and some warmth.  Their sandals never wore out (mine just did after 3 months wear!), there was food everyday and twice as much for Sabbath use. Just as He said– they ‘have not lacked anything’.  During the next 24 hours (and beyond?) thank God for ALL He has done for you; even  and especially during those tough times in life.  After all, when you’re in Jesus, you’re in.  And in to stay. Not lacking anything!  Amen to that.  Right? 

I want to talk just a bit more about prayer.  Needless-to-say, prayer will always be a strong topic in our Christian life and certainly with our blog.  How could it not be?  I don’t know who said it,  that he did not believe in the power of prayer, but rather in the One who has the power to answer our prayers. Can’t remember who said it,  but it’s  so true. Prayer’s power is in our powerful God and in Him alone.  A lot of us use prayer like some magic incantation,a magic wand of words.  Using certain words to get things from God, said in just the right way or just the right words or just the right number of times.  That’s not prayer in my mind…more like magic or superstition.  But I catch myself falling into patterns of prayer once in a while.  Or thinking that if I had just prayed enough, or with more fervency, then God would have answered my prayer.  Years ago I remember seeing a book entitled ‘Prayer: How to Get Things from God’.  Terrible book insinuating that God was more like  a big, old cosmic meany that you had to trick to get Him to hand over the goodies to you. ‘ Say the magic word and…’  Prayer as a means to an end.  That’s barely prayer at all, as I see it.  Prayer is spending time with the God who loves us and cheers for us and is for us and who loves to bless us  when everything seems to be the contrary.  There’s a great verse in the Old Testament book of Daniel that you should read now…’As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given…'(Daniel 9:23). Now read those verses just before this one and you’ll discover that Daniel was praying for his own sins and that of the people of Israel. So, God sends the angel Gabriel to encourage Daniel that God answers the prayers of His people ‘as soon as you began to pray’.  Could it be any clearer?   As quickly as we pray, God is at work for us.  Think about that today.   As soon as we pray an answer was given.  As soon as…keep on praying.  Keep on trusting in the Lord who is acting on your behalf, on my behalf, right this very moment.  Doesn’t that sound good?  More than just sounding good, it is the truth we can believe in and hold onto.  Pray…and then keep praying, believing in the One who has all the power, the power to answer our prayers…

I love the Old Testament.  I love reading it, studying it and when I was preaching, speaking from it.  And here’s a book that you may want to read in its entirety for the next month or so…the fifth book of the Pentateuch, Deuteronomy.    It was, of course, written by Moses, and contains three of his sermons.  The first part is a reminder of all that God has done for His people.  The second part of Deuteronomy reminds us of principles for Godly living, with the conclusion a call to commitment to the One, true God, the God of Israel.  In recent blogs we were talking about prayer.  Talking honestly with the Lord who so loves to hear from us.  He loves you and me as His own dear children.  And He loves it when we take time with Him…in prayer.It’s so special when Sue and I talk with our kids and grandkids.  Just to hear their voices and find out what’s going on in their lives.  You know what I mean.  But here we’re praying, talking with God. Prayer.     All kinds of prayer at all times of the day  and night for all kinds of needs with thanksgiving woven throughout the fabric of our lives.  Don’t worry about the specific words you use.  Just be yourself.  What could be better than just you and Him being together, sharing the good and difficult times with our Lord.  Knowing He cares for us, like when Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd who gives His life for the sheep.  He could give nothing more than all He had just for you and me who come to His feet in humble faith and trust and hope.  Now read Deuteronomy 4: 7 and get ready for some earth-shattering truth from God’s Word:  “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to Him?”  Read that again…now, slowly.  Isn’t that just amazing…we have a God like none other as there is no other, and He draws near to us ‘whenever we pray to Him.’  Whenever…that’s right now, that’s always and 24/7, 365 (even in leap year!)…whenever–open to us, wanting to hear us, wanting to answer our prayers even before we think to ask.  Isn’t that amazing?  Any reason not to pray about what’s on your heart right now?  Let’s talk more about prayer next time!

A Christian counselor told me years ago that counselors would be out of business if all of us human-types  would just take this section of Philippians to heart and put it into practice. He’d have to put up a ‘going out of business’ sign!  Nothing wrong with seeing a counselor–I have at times of challenge and crisis in my life and it was most helpful, especially a skilled and gifted Christian counselor.  My master’s  from Princeton was in the area of counseling, so I have a feel for this important part of life and ministry.  But my counselor friend was so right…read these verses again and again, and start to let them sink way down deep into your spiritual psyche until you feel lifted by the Lord.  Rejoice…gentleness…less anxiety and worry…more prayers of all types, at all times of the day and night.  I mentioned about the fears that flood me at night when I wake up and can’t go back to sleep.  Am I alone in this?  Probably not.  Unfortunately so!  Have known many other believers  with the ‘night terrors’.  How these come to each  so plagued would be different.    For me, it began when I was 2 years old and contracted polio before moving to a new home many miles away.  Was then put into the Sister Kenny Polio Rehab Center at the Margaret Hague Hospital in Jersey City for a period of time…seeing no  one from my family, no familiar face, no hugs and kisses from my parents for maybe weeks or months.  Like they were gone.  Or dead?  What would a 2 year old conclude from such an experience of utter loss.  But I can remember the dark of night, the shades being pulled down, the metal cribs we were in and clanked shut when we were to go to  sleep, being dropped into a whirlpool (and people wonder why I’m still afraid of water)of very hot water, exercising and exercising my bad legs.  Well, I do thank the Lord that I am just fine today…but the night, the dark of night.  Waking, not knowing where I am and starting to panic.  That was 64 years ago now. No, it was just last night.  Time flies, but this is not fun.What to do?   Something  that works effectively for me is to be honest with what I’m going through and to share it all with the Lord. All of it…not blaming others like God or wallowing in self-pity but talking with Him. Simply sharing with the One who loves me so very much.   Like Paul said, ‘…but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God…’ (Phil.  4:6).  I imagine when Paul says ‘everything’, he means EVERYTHING!  Anything you need to openly talk with the Lord about? Like He doesn’t know about it?   Good medicine from the Good Physician Jesus. Prayers of all kinds.   More next time!

I was thinking about those ‘little foxes that ruin’ from  the Old Testament Song of Solomon chapter 2 from our last blog entry.  Things that rob us of our joy and our purpose in the Lord.  Can’t you think of just so many things in life that are ‘little foxes that ruin’?  Let me get personal here.  One of the times that fear really rolls over me, when worries rear their ugly heads, is in the middle of the night or in the very early morning hours .  I wake up way before its time to get up, and  then I begin to worry, stew and over-all have a miserable time; you can just  forget going back to sleep!  I’m sorry to say that I’m probably not alone in this problem.  ‘Now I lay me down to sleep’ only to  wake up to worry and anxiety.   For the last couple years I’ve tried something that actually helps. Not completely but its in the right direction at least.   I still wake up…still start to worry…but now I begin to pray.  To praise the Lord for all He is, for Jesus, for the Holy Spirit, for His love, His salvation, and all the wonderful things I can think of about Him.  Not counting sheep but thanking  the Shepherd for whatever comes into my weary mind.  Then I begin to pray for our family, our friends, our church family ( who just honored me with the title of “Pastor Emeritus” for which I am so grateful and humbled), our country and world, mission groups that we care about and support financially and just so many things on my heart and mind.  Pray, talk with your Lord…Jesus said to’ come unto me …and I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11:28).  I believe Him.  I take Him at His word even in the wee hours of the night and morning.  How about you?  Wake up tonight?  Can’t go back to sleep because you’re churning with worry…try prayer.  Better than a sleeping pill.  It’s free… and see if you don’t get at least some peace after all.  Try it…keep praying.  Keep the habit of prayer.  You’ll like it!

You’re probably too young to remember a very famous singer of the 1940’s and ’50’s…Kitty Kallen.  She was very popular and is still alive at the young age of 91!  Her big hit was ‘Little Things Mean a Lot’. The first time I heard her sing the song was at my sister’s home in Florida where her husband played it on his 8- track tape machine!   I can still hum it in my mind as it was quite a catchy tune and words.  I hummed that song as I read that verse from Solomon’s love poem in the Old Testament we call the Song of Solomon.  He writes, ‘catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.’  Little things can mean a lot and little things can ruin even more!  I’m sure you’ve noticed how it doesn’t take much to put the ‘kibosh’ (as we would say in my all Jewish neighborhood in New Jersey where I was raised) on any good time or any good thing in our lives.  Someone looks at us funny.  They talk to each other and we wonder what they’re saying about us.  We get up on the wrong side of the bed with a blazing headache.  No one says a word about the sermon I worked so hard on!  It’s the little things…can you think of something right now that’s ruining what should be  good times  in your life.  I can.  What to do?  Pray to the Lord to catch them and not let them go and run wild and run roughshod.  To corral them and pen them in and up. After all,  we’ve got these proverbial vineyards and they’re in full bloom, so protect them…close them off from invaders like those little foxes.  Put up a fence.  Be on guard.  Watch over them.  Be vigilant.  Put in a gate and only let in what will edify and encourage.  After all, there are plenty of little foxes just waiting to pounce and ruin what is so good in the Lord, from His generous hands,  just to trust Him, to trust in Jesus.  “Little things…”

My wife Sue and I are here on Seabrook Island, South Carolina for 2 months.  Now that April has begun ( no April Fool’s Jokes here please!), we just love all the flowers blooming, the redbud trees with their bright, vibrant purplish/red colors, the flowering pear trees with tri-color blooms to amaze us, and of course the azaleas just bursting forth with colors of reds and whites and pinks and purples.  Even though the winter was very cold here in the Southeast, yet everything is as it should be, all is as intended by the Master Designer, the Master Gardener, God Almighty Himself.  No matter  if it’s early or late, all God’s creation seems to average out just as He planned…have you noticed that?  I have.  Shouldn’t surprise us in the least…”He’s got the whole world in His hands…”  Today, I was noticing this one verse from Matthew 21.  Jesus has just told a disturbing parable about the horrible end of people, even those religious ones in high places, who reject God, who mistreat His Word and His prophets, who take lightly the Bible and just disregard it out-of-hand,  who re-interpret it for their own convenience and pleasures.  Jesus says that God’s Kingdom will no longer be theirs but ‘given to a people who will produce its fruit’.  Think about that for a moment today.  The Kingdom of God is given…it’s a gift…not earned but given.  Nothing you can buy… but given.  No browney-points or favoritism but just given by God as a gift.  Given…to those who will bear fruit.  Huh!  To those who simply do what they were created to do, to be who they were meant to be.  If you are planted as wheat in God’s good earth, then produce wheat.  If you’re an apple tree planted in God’s good soil, then produce apples in abundance.  Don’t try to be what you’re not.  Doesn’t mean not to work hard, or take risks in life or fear failure or never change.  No.  None of those things.  Just pray to the Lord to show you who He made you to be and then go for it!  Produce fruit…be productive for the Lord.  What a better place this world would be.  Agree?