Burunche’s Blog

1 Peter 1:10 – 12 “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who foretold the grace to come to you, searched and investigated carefully, trying to determine the time and setting to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they foretold the things now announced by those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.”

When I was in medical school, I had to decide which specialty I would study. I chose surgery because I like seeing results promptly. I specialized in pediatric surgery because most pediatric problems are congenital and when you have repaired a congenital anomaly, you have given that child a life. It’s very satisfying when a grateful patient comes back completely healed. But I don’t think I would make a very good prophet. Why? Because prophets frequently are speaking things that will not come to pass for generations. A true prophet must seek God’s face and must truly hear from the Lord before saying anything.

These days, there are lots of self – styled prophets who will make all kinds of pronouncements. The Bible says that the test of a prophet is whether or not the prophecy comes true. Based on that test, many individuals calling themselves prophets need to be silent. But there is such a thing as true prophecy.

The Old Testament contains many books of prophecy and the exciting thing is that many of those prophecies have already been fulfilled. There were over 300 prophecies regarding the Messiah that were fulfilled in Jesus’ life, and it is these prophecies to which Peter is referring. Most of these prophecies were given several hundred years before Jesus was born. And God allowed these prophets to understand that He was giving them these prophecies for future generations, not just for the prophets themselves.

One Christian friend from my mother’s generation told me that she only believed the Bible when Israel became a nation and Jews from all over the world began flocking there. When my friend saw the Biblical prophecies being fulfilled before her very eyes, she felt this was evidence that could not be denied or ignored.

There are prophecies in the Bible that are hard to understand. Some of the prophecies in Ezekiel and Daniel and the Book of Revelations have led to arguments for years. But we also must trust that the same God who gave these prophecies also will give us wisdom to understand the prophecies that apply to us.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for the faithfulness of your prophets! Thank you that they were willing to pay the price of obedience and to listen to your voice and record your prophecies for the rest of us. Lord, help us to listen to you and to obey your word. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

1Peter 1:6 – 9 “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy, now that you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

It has been said that “Character is what you are when nobody is looking.” Most of us can look good for a little while and we may make a great impression as long as we are not under pressure. But bring a little stress and we don’t look nearly so outstanding. In Peter’s day, it was common to go to the market and see a goldsmith working gold. Raw gold contains lots of impurities, and these impurities can only be eliminated by heating the gold to the melting point and skimming off the impurities. The same thing is true with silver. And even after gold or silver have been refined, they can still be destroyed if the fire is hot enough.

Several years ago, my husband’s grandmother gave us some pure silver forks that had been passed down in her family. We left those forks with our daughter while we went overseas. Unfortunately, our daughter’s house was completely destroyed by fire, and the silver was never found. That raging fire had totally consumed the silver.

Faith that remains untested is not faith but merely wishful thinking. Unless our faith has been tried, nobody really knows if we are merely mouthing platitudes or if we are willing to act on what we say.

There are all kinds of trials of faith. We have one friend who has been in ICU for three weeks. Not only has our friend’s faith been tried, but his entire family has been forced to endure tremendous stress. But our friend continues to pray and to praise God, as do his other family members.

What good is faith? Why should we believe? If there were no reward for faith, it would be worthless; however, faith in Christ Jesus has a definite goal: eternal salvation. None of us can earn our way into heaven. Each of us has sinned and has fallen short of the glory of God. But if we will pray to God, confessing that we are sinners and ask God to save us, He will. We then must trust that the blood sacrifice Jesus completed on Calvary has the power to save us from our sins. Faith in the redeeming power of that sacrifice gives us the energy and the hope to continue to trust God and to praise Him and worship Him, even in the darkest of times. When we trust in God, He will give us the grace and the courage and the strength to withstand the pressures that assail us.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and that nothing I do will help me earn my way into heaven. Please forgive my sin. I thank you that you died for me and that because you have defeated death, you have the power to grant eternal life when I believe in you. Help me to trust you completely and to follow hard after you all the days of my life. Amen.

1 Peter 1: 3 – 5

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Nobody could understand it! These people should have left town immediately. Certainly, their neighbors did everything they could to drive them away. The couple lived in a small village in what is now Democratic Republic of Congo, and they were the only Christians in the place. John and his wife had moved in at the bidding of the Holy Spirit, but they had had nothing but problems ever since they had arrived. As soon as the neighbors learned that John and Victoria were Christians, they began harassing them. The neighbors stole their goats and chickens and allowed their cows and pigs to enter their garden, despite a carefully woven fence. When nothing else would drive this couple away, the neighbors set fire to their house while they were at the farm, killing their small son who was asleep inside the house. Despite all of these persecutions, John and Victoria continued to be kind and to worship Jesus, singing and praying frequently throughout the day and night.

Then came the flood. While most people in town were afraid of deep water and could not swim, John was an expert swimmer who had grown up beside a large river. James and his family had led the persecution against John and Victoria when many others would have stopped. Now James stood helpless on one side of a swollen stream while his wife and children were stranded on a small island calling for help. “Tie a rope around my waist and anchor it to that big tree,” John ordered James. Wearing the safety rope, John managed to ford the stream and bring everyone to safety.

“Why have you helped us?” James begged with tears streaming down his face. “We have done nothing but hurt you ever since you came. We have managed to destroy everything you owned, including your only son.”

“It’s simple,” John replied. “Our hope is not in this world; our hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is Him whom we worship and follow. We have a living Hope. You continue to serve idols that can do nothing.”

“I want what you have,” responded James. “How can I have that kind of hope?” And that day, James and his family began to follow Jesus.

Today, many people around the world are without hope. One year ago, they had flourishing businesses; today the COVID – 19 pandemic has destroyed those businesses. Others have been caught up in the maelstrom of social change, unwilling participants in demonstrations by outsiders who have demolished their neighborhoods. Still others have conquered COVID, only to realize that rehabilitation may take months or years. What hope do these people have?

The Apostle Peter was no stranger to suffering. By the time Peter was writing this epistle, he had been in prison and had likely been beaten and had been forced to move from place to place. Eventually, Peter would be crucified for his faith. What is Peter telling us?

“By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” When we accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of our lives, we are born again spiritually and now have real hope. Many hope in possessions or fame or businesses or political connections, but all of those can fall apart in an instant.

”…and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” At one time, inheriting houses or lands could be a great blessing. Now inheritance taxes can eat up so much money that the inheritance becomes a burden. But God gives us an eternal inheritance that will never pass away.

We always have a choice: will we serve the one true living God, or will we serve something or someone else and less? Only God the Father can give us true hope and a living inheritance as we trust in what Jesus Christ has done for us. Today we must choose carefully, for we are choosing for eternity.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for your precious promises. Lord, help us to truly believe in you and in your Son Jesus Christ. Thank you that when we do believe, you guarantee us that we will have a heavenly inheritance that can never be taken away from us. Thank you for giving us hope. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

1 Peter 1:1- 2 “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the exiles of the Dispersiona throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.”

“Grace and peace” – So many of the epistles begin with those words that we might be tempted to think that this was just some kind of social convention in letter – writing. Nothing could be farther from the truth!

Simon Peter wrote this letter to the churches in the northern part of Asia Minor. Peter may well have been in Rome at the time and possibly wrote this letter about 63 A.D., shortly before his death. Why did Peter feel the need to wish grace and peace in abundance for these believers? The Amplified Version explains that “it was during the decade of the sixties that the Roman Government under Nero shifted its attitude from toleration to persecution in Rome.

According to tradition, both Peter and Paul suffered martyrdom in Rome in the latter part of the sixties.” In the meantime, believers in other parts of the Roman Empire were facing persecution from their pagan environment. Many towns were demanding that merchants sacrifice to the local gods before they were allowed to conduct business. Such restrictions would have worked an extreme hardship on dedicated Christians. The last emotion that these people were likely to feel was to feel peaceful!

Peter takes the opportunity to remind his readers that they have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God; in other words, God had a plan for these people before they were ever born. And the plan of God included being made holy by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ, receiving the covering of the shed blood of Jesus for forgiveness of their sins. Peter wants his readers to look above their earthly problems to their eternal call and destiny.

Peter might have started out as a fisherman, but by this point, he had been a church leader for nearly 30 years. Peter was a keen observer and nobody had to tell him that the church was heading into an era of persecution. In the letters we call 1 Peter and 2 Peter, the dominant theme is suffering. In both letters, Peter points to Jesus as the perfect example of grace in the midst of persecution. In Christian belief, grace is considered to be the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blesings.

Why should these simple phrases matter to us? Today Christianity is under attack. Voices of chaos and anarchy are screaming from all sides. Churches in Europe are being burned. Christians in various parts of the world are being martyred – Nigeria, Sudan, India, Iran, just to name a few. People are complaining that social media groups are eliminating prayer group posts. In America, the threat of COVID has been used to drastically curtail worship services. Some state governors have gone far beyond this restrictions and have attempted to ban on-line worship services.

At this point in time, if our belief in Christ is merely a social convention, we will crumple under persecution. Belief that does not withstand persecution is no belief.

In Revelations 2:10 Jesus tells the church in Smyrna, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

It takes the Grace of God to withstand persecution. But with that Grace, God also sends His Holy Spirit Peace, a peace so deep that nobody can understand it. Grace is not given so that we can hide somewhere; grace is given so that we can speak out boldly for the truth. And we can ask for God’s grace. God does not play favorites; the same grace that God gave to Peter and Paul as they were martyred is available to all of us, if we will only ask.

PRAYER: Father God, we admit that we don’t want to undergo persecution! We would like to live quiet peaceful lives. Lord, help us to love you so much that we will follow hard after you all the days of our lives. We thank you that you do give Grace and Peace and that you sprinkle all who believe with the Blood of Jesus. Thank you for loving us! Thank you for saving us from our sins. Help us to be channels of your love and grace and peace to others. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

James 5:19 – 20 “My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”

Galatians 6:1 – 2 “Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

In Cornwall, on the west coast of England, there are places where there are high cliffs hundreds of feet above the ocean. Call the man John. John was walking along one of the cliff paths with his dog when a dense fog suddenly moved in, blotting out the landscape. John was not worried because he had walked that path many times before; however, now his faithful dog began growling and snapping at him. Perplexed, John began to move forward again, and again the dog growled and snapped. Suddenly, the fog cleared for an instant. John was horrified to realize that rather than being on the path he thought he knew so well, he had veered and was now at the very brink of the cliff. One more step would have caused John to fall to his death. Only the quick actions of John’s dog barking warnings had saved John.

There are times when we might feel very much like that dog! We can see someone standing at a crossroads and taking a decision that might lead to disaster. What do we do? If we say anything, our friend might become offended and sever all ties with us. On the other hand, if we don’t say anything, our friend may follow a course that will lead to ruin.

Several years ago, riverboat gambling came into northwestern Illinois. One farm couple decided to visit “the boat” just to see what it was all about. What a tragic mistake! That night, that couple began gambling and before the night was over, they had lost their farm that had been in their family for generations. They had lost their entire livelihood, all because they chose to “just see what the gambling was all about.” If only someone had been able to advise them and stop them!

The question is this: how much do you really care about your friends? Do you actually love them, or are they merely convenient companions when you don’t want to be alone? Love is a verb; it is not just a noun. True love acts; it does not sit back while a loved one plunges into oblivion.

We have some friends who faced a horrible decision. One of their adopted sons had gotten messed up in drugs and was refusing to quit using drugs, even when he was living at their home. Finally, they were forced to demonstrate “tough love.” In the middle of a cold Illinois January, they had to order their son to leave their home. Their son lived in his car on the street for three weeks, but he finally realized that he could make better choices and became drug – free.

How is someone to be brought back? Galatians 6 advises us that we must restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness, realizing that we are just as vulnerable to temptation as our friend whom we are helping. But we must realize that our temptations might be different from those faced by our friends. While our friends might be struggling with addiction to gambling or on – line pronography, we might be addicted to gossip, to judging, to self – righteousness. Remember, God does not grade on a curve! All sins are abhorrent to a pure and holy God. If we are busy feeling that we are holier than the next person, we have already sinned. That is why we should be gentle in restoration, realizing that we might be the next ones in need of help. It has been rightly said that the ground is level at the foot of the cross. All of us have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

PRAYER: Father God, thank you that you are merciful and loving and gracious. If not for your mercy in sending Jesus to die for our sins, none of us would have any hope. Lord, help us to restore others gently and lovingly, realizing that we might be the next candidates for restoration. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

James 5:16 – 18 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.”

I ran across a term the other day – “virtue shaming.” Evidently now one is not allowed to behave in a virtuous manner because it will cause others who are misbehaving to feel guilty. Ironically, the same people who wish to misbehave generally expect that everyone else will behave properly. For example, the person stealing from his workplace will be outraged if someone pads a bill he is expected to pay; yet, what is the difference? Both parties are cheating! Those who claim not to believe in moral absolutes are generally incensed when others fail to behave in a moral manner.

We human beings have a congenital problem: we are born with the ability to sin. Sinning is simple; anybody can do it. But we are also born to worship. Everyone worships something or somebody. There are those who worship themselves. There are those who worship a sport team. There are those who worship a celebrity. There are even Christians who don’t really worship God so much as they worship a particular evangelist. But all of us are going to worship, and the object of our worship determines our moral character. If we worship a pure and holy God, then we will feel ashamed when we do not behave in a pure and holy manner.

At the same time we are sinning, we also have the ability to feel guilty. The question is, what do we do with this guilt? How can we get rid of guilt? Running away from guilt doesn’t help because we carry it inside us. We can distract ourselves with hobbies or work or alcohol or gambling or drugs or social media or movies or books or travel or shopping; but sooner or later, that guilt will still be there. And that’s where confession comes in.

James advises us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another? Why should we confess our sins OUT LOUD to SOMEBODY ELSE?? Well, for one thing, if we are keeping something inside ourselves, we can always make excuses and give ourselves a free pass. “Well, I was stressed out!” “Well, he shouldn’t have spoken to me the way that he did!” ”If she had only listened to me the first time, I would not have gotten angry!” “That @##$%^ idiot! Where did he learn to drive?” But the minute that we begin voicing our shortcomings, we find that they are much worse than we had imagined.

Why confess our sins to another person? We need feedback from someone else who is gracious enough and wise enough to listen. Confession is not a one – way street; frequently the confessors become the confessees. Confession demands humility, and only a humble person can really pray effectively for another.

Notice that you must be careful about your choice of a person to whom you will confess. This person must be a person of prayer, a person of patience, and a person who has lived long enough and who has seen enough that he or she will not rush to judgement. The idea behind confession as described in James is that once you have confessed your sin, the other person is to pray to God, interceding on your behalf and asking God to forgive you, but not accusing. Satan has been described as ”the Accuser of the brethren,” but many times there are Christians who are more than willing to fill that role as well! You might find that once your friend has prayed for you, he or she will then ask you to pray for him or her.

Is confession for everybody? Absolutely! Nobody should struggle to carry a load of guilt. David the Psalmist expressed this well in Psalm 32: 2 -6

“Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man whose iniquity the LORD does not count against him, in whose spirit there is no deceit.

When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long.

For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was drained as in the summer heat.

Selah

Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity.

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin.

Selah

Therefore let all the godly pray to You while You may be found.

Surely when great waters rise, they will not come near.”

PRAYER: Father God, today many of us are carrying guilt that is eating us alive! Lord, help us to confess our sins to you and to another trusted person. Thank you that you have promised that if we confess our sins, you are faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Thank you for your love and your mercy and your grace. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen..

James 5:13 – 15 “Is any one of you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.”

The patient’s condition was truly horrific! This nice lady from some small town in West Virginia had been suffering with uterine cancer for years. The doctors had done all the operations, had given all the cancer drugs, and had administered all the radiation treatments that they possibly could, and nothing had worked! When the patient lay flat on the bed, the lumps of tumor distended her abdominal wall. One leg was three times the size of the other due to blood clots, and we had even had to perform an appendectomy. Now the patient was preparing to be discharged. The biggest problem was pain; the swollen leg was incredibly painful and no amount of medicine helped.

When I visited this lady for the last time before discharge, I asked if I could pray for her. Anointing her with the hospital lotion, I begged God to heal her, but particularly to take away her pain. That afternoon the lady left for home, and I forgot all about her.

Two years later, I was making pre-op rounds one afternoon and entered the room for a patient who was to have a small incisional hernia repaired the next day. As soon as I entered, the patient asked me, “You don’t recognize me, do you?” I admitted that no, I did not recognize her. This was my lady with the horrible cancer from two years earlier! There were no tumors. Both legs were the same size and looked normal. Questioning the patient, I learned that she had become cancer – free shortly after returning to her home. Now she was coming because she had developed a small weak spot in the abdominal wall at the site of her appendectomy. This lady felt wonderful and all tests indicated that her cancer was gone, never to return. What had happened?

While I am certain that I was not the only person praying for this patient, I am equally certain that God chose to heal her miraculously. Since that time, I have seen other people who have been healed miraculously. The big question that bothers most of us is “God, why THIS person and not some other person?” Or if you are the person in need of healing, you might ask “Why are you not healing me?”

Several years ago, Edith Schaeffer wrote a book entitled “Suffering.” In that book, Edith contended that no matter how God chooses to deal with our suffering, His sovereign power will be displayed. Some people are healed; this demonstrates that God’s grace is sufficient for miraculous healing. Some people are not healed; Edith Schaeffer’s own husband, Pastor Francis Schaeffer, eventually died with Lymphoma. But Edith emphasized that those who were not healed suddenly and miraculously were given the grace to go through whatever trials they encountered as a result of their sickness. This perseverance was also God’s gift and a further demonstration of His unlimited grace.

In the course of my medical career, I have prayed for thousands of patients of all ages. Some patients have been healed through surgery. Some patients have been healed through medicine. Some patients have died, but I must content myself that my Heavenly Father is greater and wiser than I am and that He alone knows the needs of each patient and each family member.

The wise writer of a hymn expressed things well:

Day by day and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best–
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

PRAYER: Father God, today many of us need healing from all kinds of things! Some of us are dealing with emotional wounds. Some are dealing with physical illnesses. Some are dealing with wounds from family members. Lord, we beg you to bring healing, comfort, peace, and grace to each of these wounded people. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

James 5: 12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear, not by heaven or earth or by any other oath. Simply let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, so that you will not fall under judgment.

Exodus 20:7 You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.

If you are a parent, you hope that your children will respect you. There are few things more painful for a parent than to find that their child has been saying terrible things about them. God is the ultimate Parent, and it grieves Him when we have no respect for His Name.

These days “OMG” has become a favorite text shorthand to express surprise. But why use this phrase? “OMG” stands for “Oh, my God!” This phrase is being used by people who have no experience of God, no use for God, and no respect for God. So, if you don’t really believe in God, is it still OK to use “OMG?” Well……no.

God is the sovereign Ruler of the universe, the Creator. Whether or not we believe in God is immaterial to His existence; God always has existed and always will exist. But the question is this: if we don’t believe in God, why are we referring to Him? And if we DO believe in God, why are we misusing His Name?

As the Sovereign Lord, Creator and Ruler of the Universe, God deserves our respect and our worship. Yesterday we briefly told the story of Job, describing Job’s suffering. But in Job 38 – 41, God answers Job and describes in great detail all the ways that He, God, keeps everything going throughout the world and even throughout the universe.

Job 38:1- 7 “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Who is this who obscures My counsel by words without knowledge? Now brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall inform Me! Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its foundations set, or who laid its cornerstone, while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”

Were God to show up and begin questioning any of us, we would fare worse than Job! Job’s ony mistake was questioning God, but God Himself verified that Job was righteous. None of us can truly make that claim. We must respect the Name of the Lord and not mishandle it or reduce it to the same level as a smiley face emoji! God has not canceled the commandment regarding the use of His Name.

“Simply let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, so that you will not fall under judgment.” God wants us to be people of our word. We have all listened as announcers doing commercials on radio or TV talk at great length in an attempt to convince us of the worth of a product. If something is really good, we will know it. And if something is not good, there is no point in trying to overwhelm listeners with phrases. Most people realize that the more exaggerated the claims, the less likely the product is to be effective.

Today, let us give God the reverence He deserves. Let us eliminate “OMG” or the phrase it represents from our vocabularies!

PRAYER: Father God, forgive us for misusing your Name and failing to give you the respect you deserve! Clean up our speech! Help us to be careful about everything we say, so that we are honoring you and not treating you as if you did not exist. Help us to be people of integrity, so that others will be able to trust what we say. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

James 5: 10 – 11 “Brothers, as an example of patience in affliction, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. “

In the Bible, Job is the book that comes just before the book of Psalms. Some people believe that the story might be at least 4,000 years old. When Job’s story starts out, Job is a very wealthy man who also fears and worships God. Satan and God even have a discussion about Job, and Satan claims that if God will strip Job of his wealth, his family, his reputation, and his health, that Job will turn his back on God. In the course of time, Job loses everything, including all his children, his wealth, and his health. Job’s wife even encourages him to “curse God and die.” (Job 2:9)

To make things even worse, several of Job’s friends show up. In the beginning, it appears that these men sympathize with Job, but it soon becomes evident that they are certain Job must be harboring secret sins. One after the other, these erstwhile friends bring increasingly worse guesses as to the sins Job must have committed to bring on such punishment. These accusations are so scathing that for years, those who are supposed to comfort but who only condemn have been referred to as “Job’s comforters.”

Job, meanwhile, attempts to defend himself; these accusations are false and ridiculous! Job would never even consider doing any of the things his friends have been mentioning. But Job has a problem: he wants a face – to – face encounter with God so that he can get God to explain why he (Job) is suffering unjustly. Job feels that God OWES him an explanation! In the end, Job gets his wish; in fact, when God shows up, Job realizes that God is truly sovereign and that he is only a man. Finally, Job says, “My ears had heard of You, but now my eyes have seen You. Therefore I retract my words, and I repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:5- 6)

The story has a happy ending. God rebukes Job’s non – friends who had said such terrible things and orders them to ask Job to intercede for them. God honors Job because no matter how bad things got, Job always spoke about God accurately and always honored God, even in the depths of his suffering. After Job prays for his friends, God doubles Job’s former wealth and gives him 7 sons and 3 gorgeous daughters. All of Job’s family members, who have been noticeable by their absence during Job’s ordeal, suddenly turn up and give him rich gifts. And the story ends by saying that Job lived a long and happy life and saw his children and their children down to the fourth generation.

Sixty – eight years ago, we had a family tragedy. One of my aunts woke up paralyzed from the neck down with polio and remained that way for twelve years until she died. At the time, my cousins were 12, 9, and 6. Suddenly this family was forced to cope with enormous challenges and my uncle and his children suffered right along with my aunt. One thing all of my cousins agreed on was that their father behaved like an angel. Rather than give in to self – pity, my uncle rallied the family and was their mainstay, giving encouragement when he himself was probably in the depths of despair. Even today nearly sixty years after my uncle’s death, his children still remember the wonderful example of cheerfulness in the face of suffering set by their father. The example set by my uncle continues to bless his children today.

Today we have families who are struggling with the threat of COVID or its aftermaths. Nobody asks for these tragedies! But in the midst of suffering, God is still there, still full of compassion and mercy. And God can and will bless, even in the midst of suffering.

PRAYER: Father God, we do not understand why suffering is necessary, but we thank you that in the midst of suffering, you are there. We thank you that there is no valley so deep, no river so wide, no night so dark, that you are not with us. We lift up all those who are suffering with any health problem and ask that you comfort them, strengthen them, encourage them, and keep them in your tender care. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

James 5:7 – 9 “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains. You too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near. Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door!”

Johnny, age 6, and Timmy, age 5, were having a fight. Their mother heard the noise and came to investigate. Both boys were instigators; what one couldn’t think of, the other one did. And they were forever teasing each other and pestering each other. The only time the boys were quiet was when they were asleep! So the boys’ mother asked Johnny, “What happened?” “He hit me and I didn’t do nothin’!”Johnny replied. “Timmy, what happened?” Timmy’s reply was the same, “He hit me and I didn’t do nothin’!” Finally, the boys’ mother in exasperation asked both boys, “OK. You say you didn’t do nothin’. HOW MUCH “NOTHIN” DID YOU DO?”

Here in northeastern Ghana, farming season is underway with a vengeance! Families are spending every possible moment out on their farms because we have a short growing season. When the rains come, the farmers must quickly plow, plant, and keep handling their crops; mistakes can lead to families having nothing to eat during the lean season. But as much as farmers want a good harvest, they must be patient. Different crops take different amounts of time to mature, and the process cannot be hurried. No matter how anxious a farmer is, he or she must exercise patience.

Here James is encouraging us that just as farmers must wait for the turn of the seasons and for favorable weather, so we as believers need to be patient with one another and wait on God’s timing. One friend used to have a sign in his office: Lord, I want patience, and I want it right now! We wince as we read those words because we know that there is nothing instant about patience! And we must be patient with one another as believers.

There is an Ashanti proverb that says, “Just because you hear the sound of fufu being pounded does not mean that you know what kind of soup they will take with it.” Soup ingredients can be costly, depending on the kind of soup you are making. Fufu, the starchy staple food made from yam, cassava, or plantain, is the cheap part of the meal. The quality of soup depends on the family income. You can’t make any judgments about how well the family is doing unless you know the quality of their soup.

Many times we rush to judge others without waiting to see what is actually happening in their situations. We are very quick to judge others and slap labels on them! At the same time, we are offended if someone judges and labels us. God hates labels! And James warns us that we need to be as patient with one another as are the farmers waiting for their crops to mature. Like Johnny and Timmy, we want to portray ourselves as being innocent, “I didn’t do nothin’!” But God is the only one qualified to judge.

PRAYER: Father God, please help us to be patient with others and refuse to judge them, realizing that you are the only One who knows the human heart and only you are fully qualified to judge. Forgive us for labeling people. Help us to love as you love. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.