An Encouraging Word

Words of Encouragement

At our church service this morning, our pastor's sermon was titled "A Place of Refuge" and was based on the text of Exodus 10:21-23.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt - darkness that can be felt." So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.

[NIV © Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society]

Our pastor, Steve Schell, used this verse as analogy to the spiritual and moral darkness we see around us today - it's darkness that can be felt. Terrorism, war, moral depravity and relativity, irresponsibility defended as "rights" and "freedom" - all of these are endemic to our society, and indeed, our whole world.

Pastor Steve then talked about how we should react to this, based on what God has promised to Christians:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.
"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

[Psalm 46:1-11 NIV © Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society]

How should we live? With boldness, wisdom and hope! God has said that He is our refuge and strength. What else do we need?

Pastor Steve's message of encouragement was exactly what I needed to hear today. All of the stress of life has been getting to me lately. Mrs. Pete has had complications from her surgery (it appears she's getting past all of that now, finally - thank God). I've been really busy at work. There's the usual constant drip of bad news from the world. All of these things have led me to feel a bit sad and depressed now and then lately. I very much needed some encouragement, so I was so thankful for our pastor's message today.

Does that happen to you often? If you attend a church regularly, I suspect that the message your pastor, minister or priest delivers often speaks exactly to the needs of your heart at that moment. That happens to me quite frequently, and I believe it should be that way. I think God leads us into the church family most appropriate for us - the place where we are best able to learn, grow, and serve Him. It's an aspect of God's love for us that He guides us to situations, places and people that help us grow and that we can also help. Read Romans 8:28, among many other verses, for support of this idea. Our church family should be a place of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, kindness, and so on. It should be a refuge - an ever-present help in trouble.

Jesus says in Matthew 7:24,25, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundations on the rock."

If you feel discouraged, as I've been lately, I pray that God will reach you with a message of encouragement and that you will build your house on the rock, so that you will not fall, despite what the world throws your way. Seek refuge in God and in your church family for strength and support. It has made all the difference to me lately.

Where Seldom Is Heard An Encouraging Word

A Quick Update (3/22/2004): I don't typically update posts, but in this particular case I felt I had to. I was reading Dean's World (one of the very best blogs) this evening, when I came across this post by Rosemary Esmay (QoAE). It features a link to this memorial of the attacks of September 11, 2001. I wept when I saw it - and I don't do that often. It just makes me wonder what the "people" at the anti-war/anti-everything protests think when they see a memorial like this or think seriously about what happened on that tragic day. Does it affect them at all? Do they care about the 3000+ lives lost  and the thousands more who lost loved ones. Do they care about the children that lost parents; the wives and husbands that lost their life partners? They claim to care about Iraqis. Do they care about their own fellow Americans?

After seeing the memorial, I am more disgusted than ever with the anti-war/anti-Bush crowd. If people don't support President Bush, honestly, based on his record, that's fine. But to use the tragedy of 9/11 and the War on Terror as political leverage is just despicable. We had to respond, and respond boldly. The status quo in the Middle East was unacceptable, and the terrorists proved that containment is no longer a viable option. The Middle East must be transformed and reformed, or America and the civilized world will never be safe. Afghanistan was the first domino to fall. Iraq was the second. Libya has taken itself out of play (the best result we could have hoped for). There's plenty more to do, but if we fall back on old, failed policies of treating terrorism as a law enforcement problem, we will fail. The sacrifices of so many will have been in vain.

Some of the reason I've been discouraged is all the negative news I've been hearing: the bombings in Madrid, soldiers and civilians being killed in Iraq, the partisanship, misrepresentations (if not outright lying), and political maneuvering in the presidential campaign (I won't say who's primarily at fault, other than to say that I don't think it's George W. Bush), and the constant yammerings of the anti-war leftists. Why can't the leftists accept that we did a good thing by ridding Iraq of Saddam Hussein? To me, it's obvious to anyone with even half a brain, but I'm not sure these people have even that much. Here's an example (thanks to Little Green Footballs and LGF reader "zombie"). You can't make this stuff up.

This "person" at the anti-war rally in San Francisco yesterday seems to think that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were a good thing. This just makes my blood boil. I'd like to see this guy walk down the streets of New York holding that sign. I suspect he'd be dead or severely injured within minutes. What a complete and utter clown - no, that's an insult to clowns. I can think of a number of words to describe what I think of him, none of which I'm willing to write here. Jesus tells us to love our enemies. This is an example of just how radical and difficult that command is. If you are prone to anger or discouragement, I'd advise against looking at the photos of the anti-war rallies. If you're interested, though, in seeing just how depraved and ridiculous the fringe left is, take a look. You'll be shocked and amazed, but probably not amused.

These are the people that are way left of the majority of Democrats, but the Democratic Party counts on them for support. Will John Kerry (who, by the way, served in Vietnam) and the mainstream Democrats repudiate that? Or this next one?

These two are apparently supporting American and allied soldiers, Iraqi civilians, and foreign aid workers being killed by "resistance fighters" in Iraq (a leftist code phrase for "terrorists"). What utter depravity and stupidity. To them, the deaths of soldiers, civilians and foreign aid workers is just part of some sort of "resistance." That real people actually die because of this "resistance" either escapes them, or they just don't care. I wonder what they'd think about Larry and Jean Elliot, the parents of blogger Scott Elliot of ElectionProjection. They were missionaries in Iraq, helping reconstruct that country, when they were gunned down, along with two other aid workers, by unknown assailants. The Elliots, and their coworkers, were true martyrs. They died while lovingly and selflessly serving God and the Iraqi people, completely unlike the worthless Palestinian and other Islamist suicide/homicide bombers that have killed hundreds of innocent men, women and children. They aren't martyrs, they're murderers. Nothing more - and leftist cretins like those in the picture above support them.

Well, Democrats, are these the people you want on your side? I want to know, because I don't find these people in the least admirable or amusing. As far as I'm concerned, they are traitors to our country - openly supporting the murder of American soldiers and civilians. If the Democratic Party welcomes people like this, I'll never vote for a Democrat for office again under any circumstances.

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