Burunche’s Blog

Psalm 106:1-2 Hallelujah! Thank you, Lord! How good you are! Your love for us continues on forever. Who can ever list the glorious miracles of God? Who can ever praise him half enough?

3 Happiness comes to those who are fair to others and are always just and good.

4 Remember me too, O Lord, while you are blessing and saving your people. 5 Let me share in your chosen ones’ prosperity and rejoice in all their joys, and receive the glory you give to them.

When God does miracles, we should be willing to thank Him and trust in His goodness….but many of us forget. For a bunch of people who had strong oral traditions, the ancient Israelites were sure champion forgetters!

6 Both we and our fathers have sinned so much. 7 They weren’t impressed by the wonder of your miracles in Egypt and soon forgot your many acts of kindness to them. Instead they rebelled against you at the Red Sea. 8 Even so you saved them—to defend the honor of your name and demonstrate your power to all the world. 9 You commanded the Red Sea to divide, forming a dry road across its bottom. Yes, as dry as any desert! 10 Thus you rescued them from their enemies. 11 Then the water returned and covered the road and drowned their foes; not one survived. 12 Then at last his people believed him. Then they finally sang his praise.

Pharaoh’s army was defeated and the Israelites celebrated, but the euphoria only lasted a short time.

13 Yet how quickly they forgot again! They wouldn’t wait for him to act 14 but demanded better food, testing God’s patience to the breaking point. 15 So he gave them their demands but sent them leanness in their souls. 16 They were envious of Moses, yes, and Aaron too, the man anointed by God as his priest. 17 Because of this, the earth opened and swallowed Dathan, Abiram, and his friends; 18 and fire fell from heaven to consume these wicked men. 19-20 For they preferred a statue of an ox that eats grass to the glorious presence of God himself. 21-22 Thus they despised their Savior who had done such mighty miracles in Egypt and at the Red Sea. 23 So the Lord declared he would destroy them. But Moses, his chosen one, stepped into the breach between the people and their God and begged him to turn from his wrath and not destroy them.

24 They refused to enter the Promised Land, for they wouldn’t believe his solemn oath to care for them. 25 Instead, they pouted in their tents and mourned and despised his command. 26 Therefore he swore that he would kill them in the wilderness 27 and send their children away to distant lands as exiles. 28 Then our fathers joined the worshipers of Baal at Peor and even offered sacrifices to the dead![d] 29 With all these things they angered him—and so a plague broke out upon them 30 and continued until Phinehas executed those whose sins had caused the plague to start. 31 (For this good deed Phinehas will be remembered forever.)

32 At Meribah, too, Israel angered God, causing Moses serious trouble, 33 for he became angry and spoke foolishly.

34 Nor did Israel destroy the nations in the land as God had told them to, 35 but mingled in among the heathen and learned their evil ways, 36 sacrificing to their idols, and were led away from God. 37-38 They even sacrificed their little children to the demons—the idols of Canaan—shedding innocent blood and polluting the land with murder. 39 Their evil deeds defiled them, for their love of idols was adultery in the sight of God. 40 That is why Jehovah’s anger burned against his people, and he abhorred them. 41-42 That is why he let the heathen nations crush them. They were ruled by those who hated them and oppressed by their enemies.

43 Again and again he delivered them from their slavery, but they continued to rebel against him and were finally destroyed by their sin. 44 Yet, even so, he listened to their cries and heeded their distress; 45 he remembered his promises to them and relented because of his great love, 46 and caused even their enemies who captured them to pity them.

47 O Lord God, save us! Regather us from the nations so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you.

48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, “Amen!” Hallelujah!

The saddest statement in this entire psalm is verse 13. “Yet how quickly they forgot again! They wouldn’t wait for him to act.” Coming out of idolatrous Egypt where people routinely tried to control events by manipulating deities, the Israelites tried to treat the One True Living God as just another pagan deity. Rather than honoring God by waiting on Him to act, they demanded God perform at their whims rather than allowing His timing to unfold. Even though the Israelites had just walked through the Red Sea on dry land and had then watched one of the most powerful armies in the world be wiped out, they still refused to honor God or to trust Him. And this pattern continued for centuries.

People have always been impatient, and today things are becoming worse. So many of us are used to satellite TV, phone apps, and instant sources of news and information that our attention spans have shortened to seconds rather than to minutes. Forty years ago, when we were leading Children’s Church, we found we needed to change activities about every ten minutes to keep the kids’ attention. These days, adults have equally short attention spans, a major problem when God asks us to wait on Him and His timing.

Anyone who has a farming or gardening background knows that crops and plants have their own time tables. One retired pastor in my home town used to plant his potatoes on Good Friday, no matter what the weather was like that day. Even if it was snowing, you could see Pastor Lundeen out there digging in the garden. And Pastor Lundeen always raised bumper crops of potatoes. Soil temperature, rainfall, and other meteorologic events all help influence crop development. Those raising livestock must time breeding, particularly in cold climates. I vividly remember having to deliver twin lambs in an unheated building in the middle of a bitter January winter night and then helping my brother carry the ewe and the lambs through snow drifts until we could settle them in our basement where they could stay warm. (That particular night, we had the sheep in the basement, along with a baby calf. There was a box of baby pigs sitting near a heat register in the kitchen, and a box of baby chicks I had brought home as part of a school biology project. My brother was sleeping on a sofa in the dining room and he reported that now he knew how Noah must have felt. Incidentally, my brother eventually became a veterinarian.)

Why should we wait on the Lord? Simple. Results. When we wait for God’s timing, things work. When we insist on pushing ahead, we only mess things up and then must play catch up. When I was little, I planted radishes; however, as soon as the radish tops appeared, I began pulling them up. It took time for me to realize that I had to wait for the rest of the radish to develop.

Wait on the Lord! His timing is perfect and He is never too early or too late. Even when we begin to panic, God is still working and we only have to trust Him.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to remain patience, no matter how worried we might become. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Proverbs 3:11-12 Young man, do not resent it when God chastens and corrects you, for his punishment is proof of his love. Just as a father punishes a son he delights in to make him better, so the Lord corrects you.

13-15 The man who knows right from wrong and has good judgment and common sense is happier than the man who is immensely rich! For such wisdom is far more valuable than precious jewels. Nothing else compares with it. 16-17 Wisdom gives: a long, good life, riches, honor, pleasure, peace. 18 Wisdom is a tree of life to those who eat her fruit; happy is the man who keeps on eating it.

19 The Lord’s wisdom founded the earth; his understanding established all the universe and space. 20 The deep fountains of the earth were broken open by his knowledge, and the skies poured down rain.

21 Have two goals: wisdom—that is, knowing and doing right—and common sense. Don’t let them slip away, 22 for they fill you with living energy and bring you honor and respect. 23 They keep you safe from defeat and disaster and from stumbling off the trail. 24-26 With them on guard you can sleep without fear; you need not be afraid of disaster or the plots of wicked men, for the Lord is with you; he protects you.

27-28 Don’t withhold repayment of your debts. Don’t say “some other time,” if you can pay now. 29 Don’t plot against your neighbor; he is trusting you. 30 Don’t get into needless fights. 31 Don’t envy violent men. Don’t copy their ways. 32 For such men are an abomination to the Lord, but he gives his friendship to the godly.

33 The curse of God is on the wicked, but his blessing is on the upright. 34 The Lord mocks at mockers, but helps the humble. 35 The wise are promoted to honor, but fools are promoted to shame!

Young man, do not resent it when God chastens and corrects you, for his punishment is proof of his love. Just as a father punishes a son he delights in to make him better, so the Lord corrects you. The story is told of General Robert E. Lee, the Commander of the Confederate Army during the U.S. Civil War, known in the South as “the war of Northern aggression.” After the war, General Lee headed the Washington and Lee University. Lee was a magnificent leader and a dedicated Christian. One day, a widowed lady brought her young son to Lee, seeking his advice on the best way to rear him. Lee’s answer was brief but unforgettable: “Teach him to deny himself.”

Proverbs 13:24 tells us, “If you refuse to discipline your son, it proves you don’t love him; for if you love him, you will be prompt to punish him.” Spoiler alert-God has standards and He refuses to back down from them! Not only that, but when we try to back down from God’s standards, we too will suffer. These days, employers are complaining about young workers with no sense of obligation to dress appropriately, report on time, work for a full day, or to work whole-heartedly. The answer is simple: when these people were kids, nobody set any standards for behavior and then required them to live up to those standards.

Farm families have received scathing criticism on Facebook for demanding their children work and do hard difficult tasks consistently. But watch a video from two young brothers who have earned money for their first small tractor, and you get a different picture of the situation. These boys are proud, for they know they have achieved something tangible. In farming communities, this achievement is recognized as a step toward adulthood.

13-15 The man who knows right from wrong and has good judgment and common sense is happier than the man who is immensely rich! For such wisdom is far more valuable than precious jewels. Nothing else compares with it. 16-17 Wisdom gives: a long, good life, riches, honor, pleasure, peace. 18 Wisdom is a tree of life to those who eat her fruit; happy is the man who keeps on eating it. In an effort to be kind, some parents are failing to teach their children the difference between right and wrong, blinding them morally and severely crippling them for life.

21 Have two goals: wisdom—that is, knowing and doing right—and common sense. Don’t let them slip away, 22 for they fill you with living energy and bring you honor and respect. 23 They keep you safe from defeat and disaster and from stumbling off the trail. 24-26 With them on guard you can sleep without fear; you need not be afraid of disaster or the plots of wicked men, for the Lord is with you; he protects you.

Face it, there is no amount of money that buys total security. God is the only One who can keep us secure. When we live according to God’s plans, God will care for us. When we insist on trying to run our own lives, we are like someone trying to drive a vehicle in which the steering has failed.

29 Don’t plot against your neighbor; he is trusting you. 30 Don’t get into needless fights. 31 Don’t envy violent men. Don’t copy their ways. 32 For such men are an abomination to the Lord, but he gives his friendship to the godly.

33 The curse of God is on the wicked, but his blessing is on the upright. 34 The Lord mocks at mockers, but helps the humble. 35 The wise are promoted to honor, but fools are promoted to shame!

Want God to laugh? Just tell Him your plans. God is the One who knows everything, and God is the only safe Guide for your life. Micah 6:8 tells us, “No, he has told you what he wants, and this is all it is: to be fair, just, merciful, and to walk humbly with your God.”

Can you argue with this? Certainly. God doesn’t force anybody to choose His Will. But why fight with perfection? Why not humble yourself and allow God to guide you. The path to heaven is humility, not arrogance.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives, pursuing Your perfect Will for our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Proverbs 3:1-2 My son, never forget the things I’ve taught you. If you want a long and satisfying life, closely follow my instructions. 3 Never tire of loyalty and kindness. Hold these virtues tightly. Write them deep within your heart. 4-5 If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself. 6 In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.

7-8 Don’t be conceited, sure of your own wisdom. Instead, trust and reverence the Lord, and turn your back on evil; when you do that, then you will be given renewed health and vitality.

9-10 Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income, and he will fill your barns with wheat and barley and overflow your wine vats with the finest wines

If you are fond of considering yourself as being self-made, this proverb will surely offend you. Generations ago, people spoke of someone as “having pulled himself up by his own boot straps.” At a time when men’s boots had straps on each side of the top to aid in pulling them on, this phrase served to indicate that this man had accomplished everything on his own without any outside help.

If you read Proverbs 3 closely, you realize that the concept of a self-made man, or woman, is a myth. God is the One who gives us abilities and who opens doors for us. When we try to go in a way God does not approve, He cannot only lock but barricade those doors so that they become impenetrable.

Where do we take inspiration and direction? These days, many people are being taught to rely on AI, artificial intelligence. But who programs the AI in the first place? How do you know that someone might not be using AI to brainwash you into thinking in a particular direction? Do you trust AI more than you trust the God who has created you?

These days, four things drive me to prayer for my beloved country: data centers, solar farms, the ongoing fires in many parts of the country, and the dismantlement of the U.S. National Park system. God has gifted America with some of the finest, richest farm land ever created. Now farms are being gobbled up to build solar farms and data centers. Data centers are sucking enormous amounts of water as they raise the ambient temperature of the surrounding environment. How much does that temperature rise contribute to global warming? The wind generators we hoped would help solve energy problems have not lived up to their promises, and that land is also out of production. For years, mining companies have slavered at the thoughts of the “untapped” resources in our national parks. Now laws previously protecting those magnificent assets are being set aside. This is not good stewardship!

7-8 Don’t be conceited, sure of your own wisdom. Instead, trust and reverence the Lord, and turn your back on evil; when you do that, then you will be given renewed health and vitality.

Traditionally in Africa, the elderly have been respected as repositories of wisdom. But as increasing numbers of people swarm into cities, many elders in the villages find themselves marginalized by their children in urban centers who have no use for wisdom but only for what they get from social media. While some of the traditional medical practices might be outmoded or even dangerous, much of the traditional wisdom is still sound and worth consideration. God is the One who has commanded children to love and respect their parents, and the Bible reinforces this idea in many places. When we fail to honor our parents, we are in effect dishonoring ourselves as well, for we carry their DNA. Remember that the measure you give out is the measure you will receive. As you are ignoring the elderly, you yourself are aging.

How do we know what is evil? God has shown us both good and evil in His Word, the Bible. When we study God’s Word and ask Him for enlightenment, He will surely open our eyes.

9-10 Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income, and he will fill your barns with wheat and barley and overflow your wine vats with the finest wines

We must hold everything God gives us lightly, for at any moment He might ask us to share with someone else. We cannot give out when our hands are closed tightly, but neither can we receive anything either. When we leave our hands open, blessings will flow. When we become grasping and greedy, the blessings will stop. And God is not about to beat your hands open; you must open them yourself.

Due to economic downturns, many of our hospital patients find settling small bills or even feeding themselves difficult. We channel hundreds of dollars a month through several trusted staff members to help patients and their families, not only to settle bills but also to ensure that they won’t starve when they return to their villages. We are not wealthy; however, God continues to move others to donate so that we can be channels of His Love. If we were to hang onto this money, not only would many people suffer but God would also cause the sources of funding to dry up for us and re-direct the money to someone else who would handle it properly.  

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding” has been one of the Scriptures believers have relied on for centuries. AI or DI (Divine Information.) The choice is simple, for when you trust in the Lord, you are blessed. Does this mean I am totally opposed to AI? Not necessarily; however, I remain skeptical and watchful. Any system that encourages you to stop thinking for yourself and stop praying for guidance is headed in the wrong direction. Use AI? Possibly? But trust in the LORD with all your heart!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You and not artificial systems. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 52:1 Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The goodness of God endures continually.
2 Your tongue devises destruction,
Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
3 You love evil more than good,
Lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah
4 You love all devouring words,
You deceitful tongue.

5 God shall likewise destroy you forever; He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place,
And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
6 The righteous also shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying,
7 “Here is the man who did not make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.”

8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.
9 I will praise You forever, because You have done it; and in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good.

We are preparing to attend a memorial service for Madam Doris Hokett, a missionary who died while still serving at the age of 86. Doris and her husband Arthur served together from 1966-2011. They preached in Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Niger, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Botswana, South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, India, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Haiti, El Salvador, Holland, England, Switzerland, plus the United States. (This might not even be a complete list, for Doris was forever evangelizing.) Together, Arthur and Doris prayed for the sick, and saw many people healed by the power of Jesus. Together, they raised funds for building 48 churches. Once Arthur died, Doris continued the ministry alone, speaking in all those countries and raising funds to build another 104 churches for the Assemblies of God, Ghana and another 3 churches for Fountaingate Chapel.

Doris traveled throughout all these countries carrying a portable Christian bookstore with her. Pastors in remote areas without access to Christian books and videos were thrilled to patronize Doris, and those funds helped build all those churches. We knew Doris did not feel well when earlier this year, she canceled three weeks of speaking engagements, something she had never done before.

Doris always told us that retirement wasn’t in the Bible and that she wanted to burn out rather than to rust out. God granted that wish and Doris continued to minister until the very day she died. Truly, Doris remained “a green olive tree in the house of God.”

Now all of us can praise God for His faithfulness, His goodness, and His mercy in preserving Doris Hokett and all those who have helped her.

I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.
9 I will praise You forever, because You have done it; and in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good.

The example of Doris Hokett graphically demonstrates that God can preserve those actively working for Him. We can all take encouragement from that sterling example. May God help all of us so that we will all be “green olive trees in the house of God!”

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to continue to trust You and to serve You our entire lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 11 In the Lord I put my trust;
how can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”?
2 For look! The wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow on the string, that they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?

4 The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
5 The Lord tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.
6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals; fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup.

7 For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.

1 In the Lord I put my trust; how can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”?
2 For look! The wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow on the string, that they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?

We didn’t know which way to turn. We had served with one mission group for twenty years. But now the founder and head had died, and we weren’t sure what would happen next. What if the mission advisory board chose to close the mission? What could we do? Just when we were beginning to completely despair, a missionary friend told us about a new mission group, one dedicated solely to medical missions rather than more traditional groups that would include health workers in a patronizing fashion. Within a few months we joined the new group, maintaining our relationship with our original mission group as well.

4 The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
5 The Lord tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.
6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals; fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup.

7 For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.

What did we learn from this experience? The swift acceptance from the new group validated our calling as medical missionaries. We gained new friends who believed in us and who clearly understood the stresses of our particular position and who were prepared to help. Blessedly, our original mission group was able to survive and continues to operate to the present. Rather than losing the only mission group channeling support to us, we now had more opportunities open to us.

Why does the Lord test the righteous? God doesn’t test us to hurt us but to clarify what’s real in our lives and help us to see how He can move when all appears hopeless. God hates wickedness and violence for the sake of violence because such people have turned their backs on Him and have become totally dark. Darkness and light cannot exist in the same place at the same time.

6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals; fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup. Does God really send coals, fire and brimstone and burning winds? There are all kinds of ways God can deal with the wicked, but generally, God does not attack the wicked but leaves them to the results of their own deeds. Wickedness carries the seeds of its own destruction. Satan will use people until he has no more use for them and then he will discard them.

The entire universe tilts on the axis of free will. God has created us with the ability to make choices, whether good or bad. Proverbs 14:12 says “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” AndEcclesiastes 12:13-14 tells us, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.”

Feel as if the foundations of your world are crumbling? No worries! Trust the Lord of the Universe who can redeem any situation.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You no matter what happens. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 39 I said, “I will guard my ways,
Lest I sin with my tongue;
I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle,
While the wicked are before me.”
2 I was mute with silence,
I held my peace even from good;
And my sorrow was stirred up.

It was one of the most trying experiences of my career. I thought I was only a part of a delegation at the chief’s palace to support a hospital leader who had been accused of something. Instead, I found myself a target in five public meetings. Suddenly, community leaders were accusing me of causing problems in the very institution my husband and I had worked in and supported through donations for twenty-five years. I was given no opportunity to defend myself, and the charges were both specious and ridiculous. As I sat in those meetings, I consciously strove to force my body into a relaxed posture and to smile, giving the impression that these scathing remarks weren’t touching me. Only after the meetings finished did I return home, relax, and begin asking the Lord what was happening. Eventually, I realized that these attacks were part of an orchestrated campaign to remove as many forthright and honest leaders in the hospital as possible. Blessedly, God preserved us and continues to do so.

3 My heart was hot within me;
While I was musing, the fire burned.
Then I spoke with my tongue:

4 “Lord, make me to know my end,
And what is the measure of my days,
That I may know how frail I am.

5 Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my age is as nothing before You;
Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah

There’s nothing like repeatedly facing false accusations and lies spewed forth by the very people you have served for decades to cause your heart to burn. And I have never had any doubts as to my frailty. “Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’ into the future.” Years ago, the Steve Miller band popularized a song with this chorus. The shocking thing about aging is how fast time rushes away from you. One day, you are young and strong, certain that you will continue to walk into a bright future for the rest of your life. The next day, forty years have passed and your joints remind you of their existence each time you get up from a chair. Sure, you’re “vapor;” you’re just NOISY vapor!

6 Surely every man walks about like a shadow;
Surely they busy themselves in vain;
He heaps up riches,
And does not know who will gather them.

7 “And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in You.

Face it, folks, our only secure hope is the Lord. When Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme collapsed in 2008, it sent shock waves throughout the world. Many small investors had trusted Madoff’s company with their retirement savings, and the fall of his empire forced many retirees back into the work force simply to survive. Since the collapse of Madoff’s investment house and his 2009 guilty plea, the Madoff Victim Fund has paid more than $4 billion to nearly 41,000 victims in 127 countries. While the final payoffs were made in 2024, the dimensions of the social havoc already incurred were incalculable.

8 Deliver me from all my transgressions;
Do not make me the reproach of the foolish.
9 I was mute, I did not open my mouth,
Because it was You who did it.
10 Remove Your plague from me;
I am consumed by the blow of Your hand.
11 When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity,
You make his beauty melt away like a moth;
Surely every man is vapor. Selah

Decades ago, I read a book entitled “Will Jesus Return Before My Body Parts Go South.” At the time, I thought that was merely a clever title. Now I know that gravity is not the friend of the elderly, and that yes, eventually every bit of my body is likely to go south unless I keep exercising. Take those selfies quickly if you are addicted to admiring your own face!

12 “Hear my prayer, O Lord,
And give ear to my cry;
Do not be silent at my tears;
For I am a stranger with You,
A sojourner, as all my fathers were.
13 Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength,
Before I go away and am no more.”

This psalmist can’t seem to make up his mind. First, he begs God to remember him and to help him. Then as he is begging for help, he also begs God to “remove Your gaze from me,” as if God is the Source of his troubles. While it’s true that we might be struck speechless and weak in the presence of God’s pure holiness, it’s equally true that God knows how weak we are and He can give us the strength to continue His work. When Isaiah saw the Lord in the temple, he was stricken with the knowledge of his own unworthiness until God sent a cherub with a flaming coal to cleanse his lips and his heart. But that was the start of a new and magnificent ministry for Isaiah. We are far better off feeling helpless and weak in God’s presence than we are feeling as if we can handle everything ourselves, for considering ourselves to be self-made people is a delusion that can bring disaster.

May God help us to wait on Him, knowing that He is far more than sufficient to handle all our problems. We are far safer being weaker in the presence of God than we are by feeling strong in ourselves.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You and wait for Your provision, Your strength, and Your enabling. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

APRIL 24, 2026-WAITING FOR PENTECOST #15 GOD REMAINS OUR REFUGE-WAIT FOR HIM!

Psalm 46:   God is our refuge and strength, a tested help in times of trouble. 2 And so we need not fear even if the world blows up and the mountains crumble into the sea. 3 Let the oceans roar and foam; let the mountains tremble!

4 There is a river of joy flowing through the city of our God—the sacred home of the God above all gods. 5 God himself is living in that city; therefore it stands unmoved despite the turmoil everywhere. He will not delay his help. 6 The nations rant and rave in anger—but when God speaks, the earth melts in submission and kingdoms totter into ruin.

7 The Commander of the armies of heaven is here among us. He, the God of Jacob, has come to rescue us.

8 Come, see the glorious things that our God does, how he brings ruin upon the world 9 and causes wars to end throughout the earth, breaking and burning every weapon. 10 “Stand silent! Know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation in the world!”

11 The Commander of the heavenly armies is here among us! He, the God of Jacob, has come to rescue us!

It’s not a scene I will forget readily. I had only been in our small village clinic a few months when the head of the church health services ordered me to stop paying a government health worker because she was failing to complete her tasks. As I prepared to preach at the morning devotions on the clinic verandah that morning, the female worker suddenly accosted me, screaming at me and attempting to intimidate me. Unbeknownst to her, she had picked on the wrong woman. I had trained previously in martial arts, and as this woman was screaming at me, I was sizing her up, considering what I might have to do in case she chose to attack me. Rather than moving away, I began moving closer, shocking the lady so much that she stopped screaming and left. (I never touched her.)

Meanwhile, patients and staff stood aghast looking at me. Obviously, I needed to preach a strong message of God’s protection, so I turned to Psalm 46.

God is our refuge and strength, a tested help in times of trouble. 2 And so we need not fear even if the world blows up and the mountains crumble into the sea. 3 Let the oceans roar and foam; let the mountains tremble!

February 21, 2026, our Children’s Ward and NICU burned completely, forcing us to evacuate dozens of patients whom we then had to move to another ward. That day we certainly had to trust God as our refuge and strength as we watched expensive equipment, beds, linens, and all kinds of other supplies go up in smoke. Nearly two months on, we are continuing to struggle to create a new NICU, but God is helping us care for our patients.

4 There is a river of joy flowing through the city of our God—the sacred home of the God above all gods. 5 God himself is living in that city; therefore it stands unmoved despite the turmoil everywhere. He will not delay his help. 

 As we struggle to care for patients in a crowded setting, we continue to take joy in the recovery of those for whom we are caring. We trust that God will help at the right time.

6 The nations rant and rave in anger—but when God speaks, the earth melts in submission and kingdoms totter into ruin.

7 The Commander of the armies of heaven is here among us. He, the God of Jacob, has come to rescue us.

8 Come, see the glorious things that our God does, how he brings ruin upon the world 9 and causes wars to end throughout the earth, breaking and burning every weapon. 10 “Stand silent! Know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation in the world!”

11 The Commander of the heavenly armies is here among us! He, the God of Jacob, has come to rescue us!

As we continue to work, we are trusting that the Commander of the heavenly armies truly is here with us and that He has come to rescue us!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You even when things look grim. In the mighty and precious Name of King

Psalm 123

1 I lift up my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heaven.

2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are on the LORD our God until He shows us mercy.

3 Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy, for we have endured much contempt.

4 We have endured much scorn from the arrogant, much contempt from the proud.

One of our favorite TV shows on satellite TV is “Air Crash Investigations.” This program depicts air disasters throughout the world, both those in which passengers and crew survive and those that end in catastrophe. Although some of the disasters stem from failures of equipment, terrible weather, or unexpected interference from birds or other aircraft, many of the problems stem from a failure of pilots to completely understand how to trouble shoot malfunctions on their airplanes, failure to pay attention to others in the cockpit or failure to follow instructions from air traffic controllers.

These days, responsible airlines make sure their pilots train in simulators that allow operators to face every kind of emergency possible. In addition, there has been a cultural shift in the relationships between pilots and first officers. In the past, pilots have tended to believe that they had God-like powers and that their first officers should remain quiet and respectful, no matter what. Sadly, when cockpit voice recordings are played, investigators learn that many situations could have been salvaged had the first officer voiced his/her opinions more forcefully and had the captain listened respectfully to the first officer. At other times, pilots and copilots fail to follow instructions from control towers.

In this psalm, the psalmist compares waiting for the Lord to the behavior of servants and maid servants with their masters and mistresses. Traditionally, servants found themselves in a very precarious position, particularly if the master or mistress was an imperious bully. Servants who lost their places in a household might find themselves out on the street with no income, no resources, and no place to live. A vicious master or mistress could spoil a servant’s reputation so that nobody else would employ that servant, leaving the servant and their family to starve. Servants had no option other than enduring contempt from arrogant and proud masters and mistresses, not to mention guests who might also abuse the servants. If the master or mistress ordered a servant to jump, the servant had better begin jumping and ask “how high?” on the way up.

Blessedly, the Lord is merciful; however, obedience is still paramount. During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus advised his listeners, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’

Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

Air crashes occur because pilots and first officers fail to communicate properly or prepare sufficiently to operate the particular aircraft they are operating. Additionally, pilots must attend carefully to all weather reports and maps, particularly to information from air traffic controllers. For us to wait on the Lord, we must study His Word and try to obey His Will for our lives, just as those servants would obey their masters and mistresses. If we don’t want to crash and burn, we must keep our eyes on God!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to keep our eyes on You, no matter our circumstances. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 69:18-19 Come, Lord, and rescue me. Ransom me from all my enemies. You know how they talk about me, and how they so shamefully dishonor me. You see them all and know what each has said.

20 Their contempt has broken my heart; my spirit is heavy within me. If even one would show some pity, if even one would comfort me! 21 For food they gave me gall; for my awful thirst they offered vinegar. 

Few things are more disheartening than accidentally overhearing people you thought were friends conspiring behind your back, “shamefully dishonoring” you.

When we first arrived in our current location 33 years ago, we swiftly realized that our supervisors hadn’t done us any favors. The health services head should have brought me to the Regional Director of Health Services along with copies of my training documents and my license so that the RDHS could assure himself of my legitimacy. Instead, I had to play catch-up, presenting myself, something that should not have happened. This failure to introduce me to all the relevant authorities left me open to vicious rumors and criticisms. My legitimacy remained in question until I upgraded our small health center into a district hospital in the middle of a tribal war, establishing blood transfusions, operations, and proper inpatient treatment. Meanwhile, my husband helped repair equipment at the local vocational school, as well as reviving their aging tractor.

What did we learn from this experience? You can outlast any lies if you just keep breathing oxygen long enough; in other words, remain faithful, remain consistent, and don’t pay attention to the doubters.

22 Let their joys turn to ashes and their peace disappear; 23 let darkness, blindness, and great feebleness be theirs. 24 Pour out your fury upon them; consume them with the fierceness of your anger. 25 Let their homes be desolate and abandoned. 26 For they persecute the one you have smitten and scoff at the pain of the one you have pierced. 27 Pile their sins high and do not overlook them. 28 Let these men be blotted from the list of the living; do not give them the joys of life with the righteous.

WOOF! Just in case you thought the psalmist was about to meekly turn the other cheek, think again! The psalmist feels that God has already smitten and pierced him/her; therefore, God is the One who should deal with these vicious critics. As far as the psalmist is concerned, God can wipe these people off the face of the earth.

29 But rescue me, O God, from my poverty and pain. 30 Then I will praise God with my singing! My thanks will be his praise— 31 that will please him more than sacrificing a bullock or an ox. 32 The humble shall see their God at work for them. No wonder they will be so glad! All who seek for God shall live in joy. 33 For Jehovah hears the cries of his needy ones and does not look the other way.

Throughout the Bible, God repeatedly emphasizes that obedience is much more important than any amount of animal sacrifices. It’s quite possible to furnish perfect expensive animals while continuing to have a wicked rebellious heart. God know our hearts and He knows when someone is faking it. Here the psalmist is offering praise and thanksgiving, offerings that demand true-heartedness and authenticity.

34 Praise him, all heaven and earth! Praise him, all the seas and everything in them! 35 For God will save Jerusalem; he rebuilds the cities of Judah. His people shall live in them and not be dispossessed. 36 Their children shall inherit the land; all who love his name shall live there safely.

When our hearts are right with God, He can bless us. Eventually, God does save Jerusalem and rebuild the cities of Judah. But Israel remains under attack, so this part of the psalm has yet to be fulfilled completely.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, thank You that You are the One who justifies us and preserves our reputations. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 69:1-4 Save me, O my God. The floods have risen. Deeper and deeper I sink in the mire; the waters rise around me. I have wept until I am exhausted; my throat is dry and hoarse; my eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to act. I cannot even count all those who hate me without cause. They are influential men, these who plot to kill me though I am innocent. They demand that I be punished for what I didn’t do.

“And remember, folks, if it rains steady for more than 30 minutes, go out and check your branch, and if the water’s rising, GET OUT!!!!” It was 1978, and I had recently moved to complete my general surgery residency in Charleston, West Virginia. I was listening to the radio as I prepared to leave for work. Charleston is located on the Kanawha River and surrounded by short steep mountains with valleys known as “hollers” (hollows) and streams up each of those hollers that are referred to as “branches.” The general arrangement of holler geography is a road, a stream, and a flat strip of land on which people have built cabins. Sometimes the cabins are on the same side of the stream as the road, and sometimes cabin dwellers must cross the branch on small bridges to reach their homes. The problem for West Virginians is rapid run-off when torrential rainstorms hit. Those rapidly-flowing streams drain large forested areas, resulting in flash floods. In November 1985, rainstorms raised river levels by nearly 10 inches in six hours. Massive flooding occurred, resulting in losses of 3500 homes, 180 businesses, 46 lives, and damages amounting to $570 million. Even large towns in river valleys found themselves inundated.

Although we think of water-driven floods, there are other kinds as well. Sometimes we might find ourselves in the way of “influential men” who view us as simply obstructions to be eliminated as expeditiously as possible. As I am writing these words, I am praying for the reversal of the horrific decision to allow copper mining into the Boundary Waters wildlife area in Minnesota and the push of data groups and solar groups to ruin prime farm land for their own profit. Farmers in other parts of the world would be overjoyed to possess the land unfeeling profiteers desire to ruin.

5 O God, you know so well how stupid I am, and you know all my sins. 6 O Lord God of the armies of heaven, don’t let me be a stumbling block to those who trust in you. O God of Israel, don’t let me cause them to be confused, 7 though I am mocked and cursed and shamed for your sake. 

Sometimes we can say or do wrong things from the very best of motives. We do need to pray that God will not allow us to become a stumbling block or a source of confusion to those who trust Him.

8 Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me! 9 My zeal for God and his work burns hot within me. And because I advocate your cause, your enemies insult me even as they insult you. 10 How they scoff and mock me when I mourn and fast before the Lord! 11 How they talk about me when I wear sackcloth to show my humiliation and sorrow for my sins! 12 I am the talk of the town and the song of the drunkards. 13 But I keep right on praying to you, Lord. For now is the time—you are bending down to hear! You are ready with a plentiful supply of love and kindness. Now answer my prayer and rescue me as you promised. 14 Pull me out of this mire. Don’t let me sink in. Rescue me from those who hate me, and from these deep waters I am in.

15 Don’t let the floods overwhelm me or the ocean swallow me; save me from the pit that threatens me. 16 O Jehovah, answer my prayers, for your loving-kindness is wonderful; your mercy is so plentiful, so tender and so kind. 17 Don’t hide from me, for I am in deep trouble. Quick! Come and save me. 

“Why are you going to the mission field? Can’t you find enough good deeds to do right here?” It was 1988, and my 93-year-old grandmother was questioning our calling as missionaries. As far as Grandma was concerned, I was now a fully-trained, board-certified general and pediatric surgeon and I should be making enormous sums of money. Sure, Grandma was willing to go listen to missionary talks at church from strangers, but this was her only granddaughter and the rules should be different for Grandma’s family.

Throughout the centuries, unbelievers have mocked believers for humbling themselves before God, never realizing that God is worthy of far more humility than any of us can express. Obviously, the psalmist’s family contains many doubters who are more than ready to criticize any sacrifices of time or comfort the psalmist is making. Harold Hill, a Christian author and speaker of an earlier generation, has stated that “It isn’t a sacrifice of praise until you have to push it out through clenched teeth.”

One of the worst parts of enduring physical, financial, or spiritual floods is the loneliness. While the National Guard or the Cajun Navy might send out small boats to pick you off the rooftop in a flash flood, you’re likely to have to go through other kinds of floods without any help apart from God. Many times, people who do not understand your situation may even feel qualified to castigate you, criticizing every single thing you have done and blaming you for problems that you did not create in the first place. In the story of Job, Job’s wife even advises Job to curse God and die. We never hear any further mention of Mrs. Job, so one wonders if God quietly eliminated her.

When we’re caught in problems of any kind, the one Person on whom we can rely is God. Hebrews 13:5-6 tells us, “Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never, never fail you nor forsake you.” That is why we can say without any doubt or fear, “The Lord is my Helper, and I am not afraid of anything that mere man can do to me.”

Caught in a flood? You can echo the prayer in verses 16-17. O Jehovah, answer my prayers, for your loving-kindness is wonderful; your mercy is so plentiful, so tender and so kind. Don’t hide from me, for I am in deep trouble. Quick! Come and save me. \

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You, no matter the trials we are enduring. We bless Your Name, for You are a prayer-answering God. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.