Trusting God

Watching the 24 hour news cycle can be rather daunting at times. The competition drives the reporters to sensationalize current events. I am not diminishing that there is pain and suffering in our world today. We should never grow callous to the cries of others. One reporter was talking about the issues of our day and saying that this is one of the darkest moments in our history. I almost laughed out loud. Yes, we are divided and I pray we can find unity to solve our problems but we are blessed in so many ways. Take one hundred years ago. The “war to end all wars” had concluded with over 116 thousand killed and more than 200,000 wounded Americans. The numbers for other nations were staggering. During the war the worst flu pandemic in the history broke out. Over 500 million were infected worldwide and estimates of 50 to 100 million died, primarily healthy younger adults. Walking through Oakwood Cemetery one day I noticed in the older section many markers with 1918 or 1919 as the death year, many infants and young. Imagine the fear gripping Kosciusko County in those days! During World War I, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed on May 11, 1918: “‘It being the duty peculiarly incumbent in a time of war humbly and devoutly to acknowledge our dependence on Almighty God and to implore His aid and protection...I, Woodrow Wilson...proclaim...a Day of Public Humiliation, Prayer and Fasting, and do exhort my fellow-citizens...to pray Almighty God that He may forgive our sins.” Though public assembly was discouraged a few months later to reduce infection, calls for prayer to Almighty God spread across the globe. At the end of the pandemic 3-5 % of the world’s population had died. Today is not the darkest moment in our history. The murkiness of our day is that as a Nation we continue to push God out of our public life. A century ago the United States heeded the Word of God, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me." - Psalm 50:15. In these days it would behoove us to look to the God we proclaim we trust and ask Him to forgive us of our sins. Live not knowing what the future holds, but always seeking and thanking the One who holds the future.

Joy Comes In The Morning

There is a “club” that exists in Kosciusko County and everywhere. It doesn’t have regular meetings because many times its members hide in pain. They stay in the shadows and don’t talk about their loved one who is far away from them and God. Alcohol, drugs, pornography to name a few prey on their weaknesses. Their loved ones watch as they spiral into the abyss of despair and destruction. Hope seems to go out the window. Relationships are destroyed by neglect and abuse. I am a member of this lonely hearts society. I wake in the middle of the night at times calling out their name to my Heavenly Father. Why don’t they change? Why like a dog do they continue to return to the vomit their sin draws them to? Why? It seems at times when we pray the sky is built of brass and our prayers bounce off of its surface not getting to Heaven. Romans 12:12 says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” In the story of the Prodigal Son I sense that the Father often went out and looked down the lane to see if his wayward son was coming home. One day a creature wearing rags and smelling like pigs humbly walked toward him. He ran toward him not caring about the stench or asking about the mistakes he had made. Only hugs and tears were given. That father had hope, though there were many sleepless nights. He had patience though many times afflicted with doubt. Prayers were lifted above and they went past the brass. They always do. Please be encouraged that God hears our cries. He can lead us through the worst of affliction. Even when your loved one is down, they are never out because God sends messages and help their way through you and others. Keep loving and do not give up hope because Jesus can reach and heal the darkest soul through His love and mercy. Find someone to share your burden with and don’t tough it out alone. Hold on...joy comes in the morning...

War To End All Wars

It was called the “war to end all wars”. 100 years ago this week World War I was coming to an end. Finally on the “11th month, 11th day and 11th hour” of 1918 the Armistice was signed and celebrations erupted that peace finally had come. But that war was really the foreshadowing of the horror of the 20th Century. According to Matthew White’s estimate in “Worldwide Statistics of Casualties, Massacres, Disasters and Atrocities” it is estimated that a total of about 123 million people worldwide died in all the wars of the 20th Century. Imperialism, Nazism, Communism, Socialism to name a few made that hundred years the bloodiest in history. Western Democracy bore the brunt of turning back these ideologies that threatened life, liberty and goodwill to all mankind. I am old enough to remember some of the Doughboys who fought “over there”. Two I recall were gentle souls who had been to hell and back. One Veteran who lived around the corner from us had been gassed in the trenches. He shook like he had Parkinson’s Disease and struggled to take care of himself. The other was homeless and suffered from what we would now call PTSD. Our church set up a room for him in the basement and he lived there as the “custodian”. Our parents communicated to us that if these men needed anything we were to help without question. Later they were taken care of at the Iowa Veterans Home until they died. Once in a message our Pastor read Matthew 24:6, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.” I looked over at the “custodian” and he had his head bowed with tears moistening his eyes. He understood that the war he fought in was not the last as America at that time was calling its young people to Vietnam and thousands had died in World War II and Korea. As a follower of Christ we hope for that day when He returns and there is an end to conflict and bloodshed. Until then we owe a great debt of gratitude to Americans who serve in our Armed Forces around the world because war is not going away until Jesus returns. This Sunday, November 11th is Veterans Day. Please take a moment of silence to remember the sacrifice that has been given for Liberty over these 10 decades. At 11 AM the bell in the Kosciusko County Courthouse dome will be rung 21 times to remember. If there are other bells we encourage them to be rung too. Let us pray for peace and renew our trust in the God who has preserved us all these years. To those who currently serve in our Armed Forces and to our Veterans, both living and who have received their promotion to eternity...thank you...