Things That Make You Pause

So, a person I have an appointment with one day makes the comment, "It's a dying town..." The next day, I call a realtor in that town and she will not be available the following morning. She has a funeral to attend. A few minutes later, I have to pause. You can spin your own interpretation of that sequence of events. I'll just keep my big mouth shut. I am glad that the pause did not occur to me while on the phone. Actually, it was the mad temptation to giggle that I am glad did not occur to me at that precise moment.

I am worried that in some ways I tend to take off without consulting God first. The speed of events in this world can seem to overwhelm. Decisions must sometimes be made without time to sit for an hour or two with the Word of God and a prayer. What then causes me to pause and hear a statement in my poor confused brain: 'I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' I may not be able to slow down the mad charge of this world, but I have never been in control of much. God is in control. The speed of this world is not catching our Lord by surprise. In fact, Daniel prophesied that a time would come when people would rush about. I think we are at that point, or at least very close to it.

We put a lot of effort into saving for a rainy day, stocking the pantry for a blizzard, or in every way preparing for disaster. In spite of our best efforts, disaster strikes and we are left with little or nothing. We tend to blame ourselves, "Next time, I will be better prepared!" However, the Lord is not put off by our little preparations when trusting in Him alone is what we need to learn. Our storehouses will be taken down if we come to trust in them in place of having faith in God first. Jesus called the prosperous man foolish who trusted in his harvest and grain bins. It is easy to look at the numerals of a large retirement account and say, "I'm good, trust in me." The Lord would have us to learn why He is named 'Providence' by many in the words of the founding fathers of America.

We sometimes do well in our own strength, until that strength comes to an end, and then we remember to cry out to the Lord. Remember first to thank God for the strength He has given. Call for help when you begin the task; the Lord may not send help until your strength is exhausted. In your weakness is my glory and strength, the Lord reminds us. We are not saved in our strength, but in that area where we are weak - the temptation to sin. All of us have a sin that seems open to easy attack by the Adversary. Paul may have called that his thorn when he spoke of asking three times to have it removed. God did not remove it, but used it for His own glory. Trust in the wisdom of God.

Bucky