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Tuesday, September 8, 2026

TRUST GOD IN THE DARK

 

Tuesday, September 8, 2026

 

TRUST GOD IN THE DARK

 

Gen 28:10-16

10 And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran.

11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.

12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

13 And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord  God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.

 

Matt 14:23

23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

 

          What your faith is in the darkness, when you are alone, is all that it truly is. All the rest is just posturing and window dressing. It is those quiet and private thoughts that pass between you and your God that is the true measure of your trust. Merriam – Webster defines “trust” as: “assured reliance on the character, strength, or truth of someone or something; confident hope.”

 

          How confident is your hope? It is a horrible question! It is like the bonus question at the end of a major exam. If we get it right, we pass but if not, we fail – even if we answer all the other questions correctly. Personal and not corporate trust is all the trust we truly own. There is a jab among preachers that serves as a way marker for our faith. We will say to one another: “Do you really believe that – or are you just preaching?” How strong is your faith when trouble wakes you in the night; when the outcome of many endeavors is in question? 

 

Hab 3:17-18

17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

 

Dear Invisible God, let me build a relationship with you that will survive the cold sweats of those dark and alone times of doubt. AMEN

 

Monday, September 7, 2026

WORKING WITH GOD!

 

LABOR DAY

Monday, September 7, 2026

 

WORKING WITH GOD!

 

Ps 127:1

127 Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

 

          This psalm is likely to have been written for the building of the second temple under Nehemiah. You may recall that Nehemiah had many challenges and opposition to his building efforts. First there was, as he said, “much rubbish” (Nehemiah 4:10). The walls of the city had been broken down, and the gates were burned with fire. Later, after his initial success, there was Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the Ammonite. It grieved them exceedingly that there had come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel (Neh 2:10).

 

          Solomon warned that any work done without God’s blessing and cooperation is doomed to failure and ruin. Jesus, in John 6, warned against working only for things (meat) that will perish. He suggested working for those things that are eternal. This indicates a God-focused labor.

 

          Today, when labor is curtailed, let us renew our understanding of and commitment to God-focused labor.

 

 Col 3:17

17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

 

Lord, we pause today to remember that the success of all our labor is dependent upon you. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands. AMEN

 

Saturday, September 5, 2026

PLEASE TELL ME AGAIN!

 

Saturday, September 5, 2026

 

PLEASE TELL ME AGAIN!


Ps 119:33-38

33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.

34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.

35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.

36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.

37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.

38 Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.

 

          We are emotionally forgetful! We constantly require reassurance regarding our relationships. A marriage soon falls into disrepair if either party fails to reassure the other of their love and devotion. So, it is with our relationship with God. We are always asking God to tell us again how much He loves us.

 

          We are functionally confused! We need constant instruction and practice to become proficient at doing the will of God. The text this morning is clear when it gives voice to our heart. “Just tell me what to do and I will do it, Lord.” God keeps Himself invisible and He is non-verbal, so we are constantly needing to be told over and over again by reading His Word. Moreover, modern circumstances do not always fit comfortably into Bible language.

 

          We are directionally challenged! We are like sheep who go astray and soon lose sight of the proper path. Without the Shepherd’s rod, staff and voice we become lost. We require constant contact and correction.

 

          We are stubborn and self-reliant! We need to be taught that the best plan is always His plan. We have some wonderful ideas and schemes, but they may not be His plans. We need to be reminded repeatedly.

 

Dear Lord, please tell me again how much you love me. Sometimes I forget. Please tell me that everything will be alright. My circumstances keep trying to make you a liar. Please show me the right way. All my ideas seem stale and doomed to failure. Please, Lord, tell me again. AMEN