Midweek Message - Restful and Peaceful

Psalm 4:8 In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. (NIV)

     The other day I heard a simple short prayer to ask of God each night. It comes from the Cistercian monastery tradition which the monks recite just before their nighttime prayers end. It goes like this:

     “O Lord, grant me a restful night and a peaceful day.”

    It’s a beautiful prayer and one which I need every single day, especially during these turbulent and trying times. The words quietly remind me that God watches over us all through the night when we sleep and also seeks to support us during each moment of the day. Getting enough sleep is a problem for most people, so perhaps praying this short prayer will enable us to place our hearts and minds, bodies and souls into God’s hands until we wake in the morning.

     I think that the writer of the fourth psalm also experienced this blessing. His nightly surrender into the arms of God enabled him to let go of his daily worries and troubles, in order to be comforted and strengthened by God each night.

     So, whatever you’re facing today, I hope that God grants you peace and when it comes to lying down tonight, may your sleep be restful and your dreams be full of bliss.

 God bless you all.

 

Midweek Message: Cartoon Capers

Proverbs 28:19           He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

Years ago, I used to watch a TV show called “My World and Welcome to It,” starring William Windom, one of my favorite American actors. Windom played a cartoonist called John Monroe and the storylines of each episode were crafted around short stories written by American humorist and cartoonist James Thurber. In fact, it was James Thurber’s cartoons that peaked my interest in drawing.

In the show, John Monroe often resorted to fantasy and created cartoons in his head to deal with the issues and problems he was facing. It was a fascinating way to bring solutions to his family’s difficulties and everything was usually neatly resolved by the end of the 30-minute show. It was pure escapism and moralistic entertainment, but it was only comedic drama and could not be counted upon as a real way of dealing with personal issues or family problems. 

The gift of imagination that God has given each of us can be a blessing or a disappointment. We can fantasize about being successful, rich, and famous; we can even draw on paper or make cartoons in our heads about experiencing health, wealth, and power, but unless we do something about achieving those goals, they are just mere fantasies and unfulfilled dreams that disappear into thin air.

It's the same with our faith. Every day, we are given a new opportunity to do something better with our lives and make something beautiful for God. The potential is there and the dreams for doing good are in our hearts and on our minds, but do we have the resolve to follow through and fulfill them? As Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers once said: “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.” 

So, the challenge for us today is this: will we work more with our faith and share Christ’s love, or just dream and fantasize about it?

Prayer:              Lord Jesus, You fully know what our life’s potential is. There are things that You would have us accomplish this week for Your Kingdom. Help us to focus on what we need to do to fulfill the tasks of faith You constantly set before us. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Pastor John

 

Sabbath Psalms - Burdens and Cares

Psalm 55:22 Cast your cares on the Lord and God will sustain you;

The Lord will never let the righteous be shaken. (NIV)

Everybody I know has a care, worry, anxiety, or burden that they carry each day. Being human, we experience a lot of stress trying to endure these critical times. Sometimes our cares are about family or friends who are ill, injured, or having issues. Other times, our burdens are for the world we live in, because of wars, famines, and natural disasters.

Today’s highlighted Bible verse reminds people of faith that God helps us to endure each day, each crisis, and each critical time. We are not left on our own or abandoned to the whims of capricious leaders or unexpected events. God’s purpose for the world cannot be thwarted; God’s justice in the world will prevail. As the old saying goes, “Kingdoms may rise and leaders may fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

Whatever you are currently experiencing or going through, please know that God is mindful of what’s happening and can still be relied upon in the midst of your troubles, worries, and problems. As the wise psalmist wrote long ago, “Cast your cares on God and the Lord will sustain you.”

Point to ponder: What burdens am I carrying right now? Am I willing to share them and fully hand them over to God?

Prayer: Lord God, You know everything about us – our weaknesses and worries, our concerns and circumstances, our anxieties and issues. Help us to place them, as well as ourselves, into Your loving hands. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.