Scripture
“My Father is still working, and I am working also.”
~John 5:17(CSB)
Quote
God is the Freight Train and those who oppose Him or the barking dog. A barking dog does not stop a freight train.
~Ya’akov
I started in Isaiah yesterday, then went to Jeremiah, then to the Lamentations of Jeremiah and then to John 5 and I found them all to be related. I cannot remember reading the Lamentations [in recent history] without being moved. Jeremiah had a very hard life. Job had hard times but Jeremiah had a hard life. He may have had a few good years under the reign of Josiah but for the most part, Jeremiah’s life was filled with misery and pain. He was an unappreciated prophet. He was persecuted by those in authority and despised and scorned by the general public. He was publically humiliated and imprisoned more than once. By his own admission, he was subject to fits of depression. He talked about giving up the ministry and retreating from public life but he had a fire in his bones and he could not give up. I want you to read something Jeremiah wrote in Lamentations two.
The Lord has done what He planned;
He has accomplished His decree,
which He ordained in days of old.
He has demolished without compassion,
Letting the enemy gloat over you
and exalting the horn of your adversaries. — Lamentations 2:17 (CSB)
In its historical context, Jeremiah is talking about the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem but reread it and think about the CROSS. At the cross, God carried out His plan that was ordained from days of old. At the cross, He allowed the enemy to gloat. He intentionly allowed the enemy to exalt or display his power. Now let me ask you a question: Did anyone at the cross, other than Jesus, know what was going on? The correct answer is ‘NO’! No one other than Jesus understood what God was doing that day. It was a dark hour for all the followers of Jesus. The demons were dancing in the darkness, celebrating the death of God’s Son. As Dr. Jack Taylor once said, “The poor fools thought they had won.” The disciples of Jesus thought the enemy had triumphanted. None of Christ followers saw this horrible ordeal as a victory but in reality, it was and now you and I celebrate this victory everyday.
What is the moral of the story? We, like Jeremiah will face some difficult times. Like dirt and secretion, unpleasant things happen; it is a part of life. Listen to Jeremiah’s confessions: {You is the LORD}
- You have driven me away and forced me to walk in darkness instead of light.
- You have laid siege against me, encircling me with bitterness and hardship.
- You have blocked my prayers.
- You have strung your bow and set me as your target.
- You have made me a laughingstock.
- You have deprived me of peace.
- So I thought, “My future is lost, as well as my hope from the LORD.”
- I have become depressed….
But notice the transition in verse 21…Yet I call to mind, and therefor I hope:
Because of the Lord’s faithful love
we do not perish,
for His mercies never end.
They are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness!
I say, “The Lord is my portion,
therefore I will put my hope in Him.” — Lamentations 3:22-24 (CSB)
For those of us who believe in Jesus, there is a light at the end of every tunnel. We may stumble in the darkness but in our heart we know that God is at work and He has the power to make things work out for our good and His glory. Just keep this in mind: you and I have had some hard times but we have never endured a siege like Jeremiah or a Crucifixion like the disciples. If God was able, and He was, to bring good out of those horrible situations; you know He can bring good out of difficult circumstances. No one can stop HIM from carrying out His plans. His kingdom will come and His will, will be done.
- I was driving to the Madison Hospital yesterday about 2:20 and I could see a rain about one mile ahead on County Line Road. Sure enough, I drove under the cloud, turned my wipers on and then drove back into the sun on the other side. I went in made my visit and started home: at the same place, I drove under the cloud, turned my wipers on but before I got to James Clements, the rain had stopped. Very unusual. I got home about 5:30. I guess around 6:00 or a little after June shouted from the kitchen, “It is raining.” I just sat there. “Aren’t you going out and watch the rain?” she said, and I mumbled, “I’m afraid I will jinx it.” But I walked out never dreaming it would come a down pour. By the time I got to the tractor shed it was coming down hard and it did that for over 30 minutes. Here is the unusual thing: I could see bright sky in both directions [North and South]. I have never seen it rain for that long [1 1/2 inches] with bright sky on both sides. Hey folks, it is too wet to plow at 1120. Hallelujah!
- I listened to some talk radio yesterday: first time in months. We have a pretty good slate of games this week. A&M verses Clemson on Thursday night I think and I also want to see LSU and Miami. I don’t think ErvIn Meyer is going to survive. Spousal abuse; it is the unpardonable sin for this politically correct age. Pitino has a baby killed and nothing was said, a man slaps his wife and he is dog meat. I’m not defending spousal abuse but what hypocrites: we are straining gnats and swallowing camels. June beats me up every morning.
- I had butter nut squash for lunch yesterday. We bought one from the Amish. A man there told us how to cook it. I thought it was good but Big Mama wasn’t too impressed. Taste a lot like a sweet potato.
