Unexpected Calamity…

Morning!

Raises his cup of coffee

There was an attempt to assassinate President Trump yesterday.

Ecclesiastes 8: 1-8

“Who is like a wise man?  And who knows the interpretation of a thing?  A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the sternness of his face is changed.  I say, ‘Keep the king’s commandment for the sake of your oath to God.  Do not be hasty to go from His presence.  Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for He does whatever pleases Him.  Where the word of a king is, there is power; and who may say to him ‘What are you doing?’  He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful; And a wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment, because for every matter there is a time and judgment, though the misery of man increases greatly, for he does not know what will happen; so who can tell him when it will occur?  No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, And no one has power in the day of death.  There is no release from that war, and wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it.”

Christianity is a religion of action.  The Way, The Truth and the Life.  We are to be hearers of the Word and then doers of the Work in Jesus Name.  One of the things we are supposed to do is pray.  We are to pray constantly and without cease and this is a good thing because we are taught by James…

James 5: 16

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

Effective: (adjective)

- Producing a decided, decisive, or desired effect

- Being in effect: operative.

- Actual

- Ready for service or action.

Fervent: (adjective)

- Very hot: Glowing.

- Exhibiting or marked by great intensity of feeling: Zealous.

The effective and fervent communication with God that we are to be teaching ourselves to do regularly, that is our strength.  That is our action.  And why wouldn’t it be the first place where we start in times of crisis?

There is a history in the Bible of happenings being used as metaphors.  Metaphors for Israel and their relationship to God.  Ezekiel the prophet was told to lay on his side for over a year and it was to symbolize him taking on the sins of Israel, the number of days he was to lay down was tied to the number of days of sin.  He was told also to make a miniature model of the city and lay siege to it as a sign.  Hosea was told by the LORD to take a wife of harlotry to symbolize the sins of Israel.  What happened in the prophet’s life mirrored what was happening to the people.

I think the assassination attempt was an effective symbol for the struggles our people are going through.

Two Scriptures have jumped out at me this morning.

1 Timothy 2: 1-4

“I exhort, therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

God gives great freedom to both the wicked and the good.  With that freedom comes responsibility.  There are things we are meant to do and there are things that we are not meant to do.  The more freedom that God gives us the more is the expectation we use that freedom not as a cloak of sin and wrong doing, but instead to continue in the perfect law of liberty as if we are going to be judged by our doings.

When was the last time we honestly supplicated for our leaders?

Supplicate: (verb)

- To ask humbly and earnestly of.

- To ask for earnestly and humbly.

We have not because we ask not and when we ask we ask to spend it on what?

What is the challenge then?  What should our response look like?

Romans 12: 17-21

“Repay no one evil for evil.  Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.  If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.  Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says The LORD.  Therefore ‘If your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

We are to be careful that when we pray we do not pray to be seen of men, for those who do such have the fullness of their reward.  We are not to sound a trumpet, we’re not to riot or to bring about loud accusations.  We are to continue doing what is Right in the Eyes of God which are in every place beholding the evil and the good.

Our God is longsuffering.

Ecclesiastes 7: 13-14

“Consider the Work of God, for who can make straight what He has made crooked?  In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, so that man can find out nothing that will come after him.”

Perhaps today we can suffer through the indignation and offense that has been committed in prayer proving we are a peculiar people, a royal priesthood, a first fruits of His Workmanship so that the glory of what happens will be the Glory of God and Jesus and not the glory of man and what he does.

Proverbs 24: 17-22

“Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the LORD see it and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him.  Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the wicked; for there will be no prospect for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.  My son, fear the LORD and the king; do not associate with those given to change; for their calamity will rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin those two can bring?”

I think that’s a good place to start today.

Happy waiting!

:)