February 2, 2023 — “Waiting On The Lord – G-d’s People Were Weary”

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31

“They were discouraged and overwhelmed because they had been defeated by another nation and taken from their homes and now were living as strangers and exiles in a foreign land – Babylon. Yet they also knew, they had heard, that God still had a purpose for them as a people. And that God had promised to bring them back to their home – Jerusalem.

But in their weariness and despair they wondered: Can God’s promise really be true? Is God really able to come through on it? They were enslaved by the most powerful empire of their day and they were at the mercy of its king. How in the world would they ever be able to leave and return home

Considering all this they were tempted give up, “to faint” as our text says. In the ordeal they were facing, as v. 30 says, “even youths shall faint and be weary and young men shall fall exhausted.” Even the strongest among them were overwhelmed. And so the prophet speaks God’s word to them.” (williamshiggins.net)

The tag line for the company Nike(TM) has been (for many years) the phrase “Just Do It”. For our society, too many people live their lives with the motto “Do it now”. In fact many people believe that when they pray to G-d they expect G-d will either answer now, or grant their prayer now. But I am here to say that the Lord is neither under our control nor our schedule. We may expect the Lord to “do something now”, but the Lord usually has another time schedule in mind. When we pray, we are not supposed to give the Lord a long laundry list of things we want done and a schedule of when to do them. Yet, so often, this is what our prayers to G-d turn out to be. “Lord, I need this and this and this, and Lord I need them now.” That is not a prayer, my friends – that sounds more like extortion.

A relationship with G-d is one that should include patience and trust. As the text from Isaiah reminds us, “those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” As such, when we pray to the Lord, instead of saying “Lord I need you to do this now”, why not try, “Lord let your will be done, in your time, and in your wisdom.”

Let us pray: Dear G-d, this society constantly tells me I should have what I want when I want it. Give me the courage to ask, and the patience to wait – for you know what I need when I need it. Amen. 

Pastor Dave

February 1, 2023 – “How Much Do We Sacrifice?”

“I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something— now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has—not according to what one does not have.” 2 Corinthians 8:8-12

“Readiness speaks of how large a man’s heart is, his heart attitude, not how large his bank account is! God always looks at the heart (quality), not the amount (quantity)! In context Paul is clearly referring to the collection Titus was to oversee (2Co 8:4–7). Obviously God does not expect one to give what he does not have! Give out of what you have, not out of what you do not have. When a person gives according to what he has, such giving is acceptable or well-pleasing to the Lord (2Co 5:9+).(Precept Austin)

Most mainline churches today are struggling – struggling for people, struggling for money, and struggling for relevancy in their communities. We are facing a nation, and dare I say a world that is becoming more and more secular. Many persons spend willingly and even lavishly on themselves, and if they do belong to a church, they give sparingly and reluctantly to G-d. They spend more for their goods than they goods they give to charities and their neighbors in need. Some spend more for candy than they give to the poor, the homeless, and the hurting. Some spend more for gasoline than they give to all causes.

Giving to G-d does not need to be painful – but it can be proportional. Just as it is beneficial to eat proportionally, and to exercise proportionally, and to rest proportionally, it is also beneficial to see your way to give to G-d in the proportion of what G-d has given to you – and I am not just talking about money. We waste just as much talent and time on ourselves as we do money on ourselves. G-d simply asks that we consider G-d and our neighbor in need when it comes to portioning out all that we have – time, talent, and of course, our treasure.

Let us pray: Dear G-d, you are the Lord of abundance. Help me to count my blessings every day, to recognize the abundance you have given to me, and to share out of the love I have for you. Amen.

Pastor Dave