"BE STILL, AND KNOW..."

Six years ago yesterday.  On August 29 2007, I was discharged from the Rehabilitation Hospital 52 days after I awoke to having a brain hemorrhage.  To be honest, I didn't realize the day had slipped up on me until I was eating lunch with a friend and he remarked how far I had come since he came to see me in Rehab.  

When I pause for recollection, I still  get a bit misty eyed.  To hear my friend tell, from an objective point of view, how far I have come is quite humbling.  I have shared before my doctors records entry from September 2007.  "However, he has had a remarkable recovery that could only be described as a miracle from GOD".  To hear my friend confirm that point of view is quite sobering. 

When my journey is revisited by someone else, it brings a different perspective into my view.  Yesterday my friend was commenting on how remarkable the difference was between then and now.  To say that "I am blessed" does not seem to do justice to what GOD has done in my life.   

Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."  GOD knew EXACTLY how long I would be ill, and how long my recovery has taken.  As I begin year number seven of my recovery, I pledge to "Be still, and KNOW" that HE is GOD and is still on HIS throne!  

"GOD IS LOVE!"

1 Corinthians 13:13    (KJV)

"And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."

To begin with, the word CHARITY is translated LOVE in most commentaries.  As a matter if fact, the whole 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians is know as the LOVE chapter.  And the Apostle Paul made no pretense about "loving your brother"!  

1 John 4:8 says "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for GOD IS LOVE."  I find it puzzling that some people will be well versed in the "laws" of GOD, or the prophecy of GOD, or scripture memorization, or anything else, and not have a genuine love for their fellow man.  Even their supposed Christian brothers are not free from critiques. 

One commentary offered this about LOVE:

"What makes love so amazing? For starters, it is what motivated the Father to send His only Son to die for us. Without love, there would have been no redemption for mankind. Not only would we be without love, but without the redemption that was precipitated by love, there would also be no faith, and no hope. You see, nothing else matters, without love. It is foundational for every other good thing in our lives."

I will do my best to make certain that everything I do is bathed in LOVE!  After all, if GOD IS LOVE, it can't be bad to be wrapped in HIM!  

 

"DRY GROUND!"

Exodus 14:14-16    (KJV)

"The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.  And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on DRY GROUND  through the midst of the sea."

The children of Israel were fleeing from the Egyptians.  The Egyptians had experienced a change of heart (v.8) and were coming after them.  The children of Israel (v.10) saw the Egyptians coming after them and they were "sore afraid"!  

But in verse 15, GOD told Moses to tell the Israelites to proceed forward.  In plain "red neck terms", HE said "Don't cry to ME!  Get to crossing the RED SEA!" (Big Ray Version!) HE was willing to do HIS part by dividing the Red Sea, but the children of Israel had to do their part by trusting in HIM!   

Sometimes I want the path made clear and perfect before I start on my journey.  Like the children of Israel, I want everything to be just perfect, all of the details worked out.  But, I believe GOD may be telling me,  "Don't cry to ME!  Get to crossing the RED SEA!"  

GOD even prepared the way for the Israelites!   Verse 16 says that "Israel shall go on DRY GROUND  through the midst of the sea."  One would have thought the bottom of the Red Sea would have sediment and mud, but GOD provided a "DRY GROUND" portion for safe passage!   GOD did (and does) things for HIS children that boggles the mind sometimes! 

GOD was big enough to save my soul.  GOD was big enough to bring me through a brain hemorrhage.  GOD is big enough to stop me if I am headed down the wrong trail, and set me feet in HIS path.  I TRUST HIM!  

"In WHOM I will trust"

Psalms 18:1-3      (KJV)

"I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.  The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies."

Even when I am feeling down and the pressures of daily life are mounting, my heart remembers that I am a child of GOD, and there is nothing that can change that.  King David had his enemies, Saul being one of them.  Saul was "power-drunk", even though he started out honoring GOD.  1 Samuel 10:9 says "GOD gave him another heart"!  But, he let leadership overpower him.  

GOD is in control.   No matter if you have a Saul in your life, or there are other difficulties haunting you.  When challenges come our way, AND THEY ARE SURE TO COME OUR WAY, trust that GOD has been there all along and HE has everything under control.  Verse two sums things up pretty well......"My GOD, my strength, in WHOM I will trust"!  

"Servant of YAHWEH!"

1 Kings 18:36-39    (KJV)

"And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, HE is the God; the LORD, HE is the God."

It seems most want to be used by GOD in some magnificent, majestic way.  Many people would dream of being Elijah calling fire down from Heaven to consume the offerings on the altar.  

But, in the glamour of seeing GOD do such a might work, we might overlook the obedience of Obadiah.  Obadiah is a Biblical theophorical name, meaning "servant of Yahweh" or "worshipper of Yahweh", according to Wikipedia.  Verse three of chapter 10 in 1 Kings  reveals that Obadiah "feared the LORD greatly"!   Yet, it took Elijah a great amount if convincing to convince him to go to Ahab and tell Ahab that Elijah wanted an audience.  Obadiah feared that Ahab would kill him.  

GOD does not "need" for us to be obedient for HIS will to be accomplished.   HE uses trials and difficulties to "grow us" into a more perfect vessel for HIS purpose.  HE knows the future and HE wants us to trust HIM with our past, present, and future.  

It is my desire to be used of GOD to fulfill HIS plan and purpose for my life.  Whether I be a messenger (as Obadiah) or a someone used to display a miracle.  Whatever HE has in store for me, I pray that like Obadiah in verse three,  it will be known that I LOVE THE LORD GREATLY!  

"LIFE 'LESS' ABUNDANTLY"!

John 10:10-11   (KJV)

"The thief (enemy) cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I AM come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I AM the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his LIFE for the sheep."

There seems to be an effort to portray "EVIL" as something not so bad, while "GOOD" as something that is not so good!  Let's be clear, GOD IS GOOD (James 1:17), and anything not from GOD is from evil.  GOD can, and does, use the evil to being about good for HIS GLORY!  

The enemy is responsible for all the hurt and destruction in this world.  In Genesis 50:20, Joseph speaks and says "But as for you, ye thought EVIL against me; BUT GOD meant it unto GOOD, to bring to pass, as it is this day, TO SAVE much people alive."  

GOD is interested in doing good.  The enemy uses many disguises in an attempt to "deceive" people into not trusting GOD.  When you boil it all down, we either TRUST GOD, or we trust the enemy.   Hebrews 11:6 says "But without faith it is impossible to please him"!  

The choice is clear!   We can believe in a HOLY GOD, or place our trust in ourselves or any other false god in existence that has been hatched by the enemy.  I will not lend any credibility to any false religion by naming them.  In Romans 8:31, the Apostle Paul tells us "If God be for us, who can be against us?"  

GOD has not changed.   We have to decide if we want to conform to HIS image!  Or are we satisfied with "LIFE 'LESS' ABUNDANTLY"?

"HARD TO BE HUMBLE!"

Luke 14:7-11   (KJV)

"And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;  And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.  But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

Today, I attended a celebration of life of a man who had passed into his eternal reward on Wednesday.  The eulogy was based on the scripture above.  The talk, I am sure was superb, but the word that I continued to ruminate over, was  the term HUMBLE!

Being humble is not something that there is a "How To" manual to instruct you in.  You don't just wake up one morning and decide that you are going to start being humble in your actions.  Sometimes, GOD has to allow you to be put into certain circumstances to show you just how much you "need" help from others.......just to survive.  

When I experienced the brain hemorrhage six years ago, there became many "humbling" moments in my life.  First off, I couldn't form sentences, then I couldn't walk.  When I awoke from the COMA, I couldn't do many things.  But the most humiliating thing I remember happened in the Rehabilitation Hospital.  I was still "hemiplegic", meaning I had no movement on the right side of my body.  

One of the first few nights in Rehab,  I decided I needed to go to the restroom.   In my mind, all I had to do was walk to the restroom a few feet away and relieve myself. My mind wasn't sharp enough to remember I still could not walk!!!

Around midnight that evening, I partially fell out of the bed and caused more trouble than "who would have thunk it"!!   When nurses found me, my legs were still in bed, but the rest of my body was hanging off the bed and in the floor!  

I thought about that Rehab experience today during the eulogy.   In v.11 JESUS instructs us "For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted"!   I had nurses from all over the hospital in my room trying to tend to me!   My wife was notified via a phone call.  That night, everyone was doing for me like I was a KING!   And I thought I was so lowly because I could not walk!   

I am the most BLESSED MAN alive today, as all of my physical abilities have been restored to me.  There are a lot of things during the 52 day hospital stay I do not remember.  I am told I should be glad!   But I am thankful GOD allowed me to remember how HE can remove all inhibitions, and HE doesn't need our approval!   Being "HUMBLE" is a gift that sometimes hard to accept, but the lesson is hard to forget!