Midweek Update #4

In Psalm 34:8, the psalmist says, "Taste and see that the LORD is good." Tonight we are continuing to talk about prayer.  Tonight's topic is GOD IS WILLING.  We will base our study on a story found in Luke 18:2-5.  In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men.  And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, "Grant me justice against my adversary."  For some time he refused.  But finally he said to himself, "Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!"  According to Jesus, this story is not an allegory, where elements in the story stand for truths outside the story.  Instead it is a parable--a short story with a puzzling aspect that forces listeners to think.  This particular parable is a study in opposites.  Take a look at the contrasts.

First, we are not like the widow.  In fact, we are totally opposite to her.  She was poor, powerless, forgotten and abandoned.  She had no relationship with the judge. For him, she was just one more item on his to-do list.  But we are not abandoned; we are God's adopted sons and daughters, Jesus' brothers and sisters.  We are in God's family, and we matter to Him.  So don't tiptoe into God's presence, trying to find the secret of attracting His attention.  Just say, "Hello, Father" and know that He loves to hear your voice.

Second, our loving heavenly Father is nothing like the judge in Jesus' story!  The judge was crooked, unrighteous, unfair, disrespectful, uncaring, and preoccupied with personal matters.  By contrast, our God is righteous and just, holy and tender, responsive and sympathetic.

The psalmist says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8).  Don't think you have to figure out a way to wrench a blessing from Him, somehow to trick Him into giving up what He would rather keep for Himself.  God's Word teaches that God loves to bestow blessings to His children.  It's His nature; it's who He is - a giving God, a blessing God, an encouraging God, a nurturing God, an empowering God, a loving God.  God has all kinds of favors and blessings and resources and power that He wants to pour into our lives.  Just take a father's feeling for his children and multiply it exponentially, and you'll know how your heavenly Father feels about you.  No one's voice sounds sweeter to God than yours.  Nothing in the cosmos would keep Him from directing His full attention to your requests.   Is there anything holding you back from making them known to Him right now?  Come tonight and we will study about this more.

Hey, the World Series begins tonight in San Francisco at 6:30 p.m.   Will Jackie be at church tonight?  That is the question.  Knowing Jackie, he will be at church tonight. I know he loves the Lord more than baseball.  And we will need to help Lucie fill sacks for the outreach on Sunday.  Also, I want to meet briefly with the deacons and elders tonight.

Time change is not until Sunday, Nov. 7th, at 2 a.m. when we gain an hour of sleep and move our clocks back one hour. Here is how it works:  The phrase "Spring forward, Fall back" helps people remember how Daylight Saving Time affects their clocks. At 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March, we set our clocks forward and one hour ahead of Standard Time ("Spring forward"). We "Fall back" at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November by setting our clock back one hour and thus returning to Standard Time and gaining one hour of sleep. 

Well, it is less than a month until Nov. 20th which is the Pastor's and Leah's wedding day and only about 58 more shopping days until Christmas.

Hope to see ya all tonight and if not, then on Sunday, that is, if the Lord is willing.  Hey the ball game should be here at Ranger's Ballpark on Sunday.

See ya soon.  Pastor Larry