"Small Potatoes"

"Mortals make elaborate plans but God has the last word." Proverbs 16:1 MSG
When I read this it brought to mind that early Friday morning when the Jewish High Priest and his band of "yes-men" dragged Jesus to the palace of the governor. They had spent all night brow-beating and threatening Jesus and finally unanimously voted that he must die. I seriously doubt Pilate was happy to receive this bunch of pompous hypocrites who demanded that he pass the death sentence on Jesus. Pilate was suspicious of their intent and attempted to question Jesus privately. Puzzled by Jesus' steadfast refusal to directly answer his questions, Pilate said, "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"
I kinda feel sorry for the guy because he knew he was being "played" and tried to free Jesus, but there was nothing else he could do when they accused Jesus of competing with Caesar. So, Pilate had an agenda, the Jewish priests had an agenda and both seemed to have achieved their own plans when Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified.
Jesus' response to Pilate is to me the greatest statement of faith in the Bible. He told him, "You have no power over me at all unless it has been given to you by my Father". That statement is exactly what Solomon said at Proverbs 16:1.
There is nothing wrong in making plans. Doing so is a wise thing to do as long as we recognize that ultimately "God has the last word."
James taught this principle to his brothers and sisters in the earliest days of the church. His words still ring true today - "...if the Lord wills, we will live and do this and that." James 4:15
The Psalmist sang - "Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him." Ps 115:3
In fact, every Bible writer makes the very same affirmation in one way or another.
Making my plans can achieve goals that I never would have if I just drifted along day-to-day with no direction or purpose. But just like Pilate and the Jewish leaders who demanded Jesus' death, my plans are always small potatoes when viewed in the ultimate context - God always has the last word. He will do whatever he wills regardless of political rulers, spiritual tyrants, circumstances or popular opinion.
I take great comfort in that knowledge - all of us should.

HAPPY FROM THE INSIDE OUT

How tragic, how utterly sad and depressing life must be for the millions of good men and women who live along the Gulf Coast. To have to wake up every morning and deal with the horrible mess that has now made their once pristine beaches a place to watch your step and hold your nose, must make life seem almost pointless. For many, they now have had their income stream destroyed by a disaster over which they had no control. Others are having to cope with the loss of someone they loved and depended on to provide for their family. Now, their life has been radically altered, forever.
Then there are all the politicians, television and radio people with their cameras and microphones and their constant stupid questions, and all the experts speculating on this and that, each one with an opinion about who is to blame. But most of all are the normally hard working people who have depended on those waters for sustenance for many generations, now working alongside a growing army of volunteers from everywhere doing their best to help salvage life on many fronts.
All over the world there is more to be angry and depressed about than there is that inspires a sense of happiness, of well being, of confidence in the future. Among the many critical lessons I have learned in my nearly 7 decades of living is this - ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE, ANYTIME ANYWHERE! Any one of us can lose our trusted source of income or our cherished dream house or someone we love, literally in the blink of an eye. Our future can become a virtual "black hole" with no source of light. Well, unless you look in the right place.
I like the way Paul states the stark reality we all must face up to at some point in our lives - "God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness', has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God, not to us. We are afflicted in every way, BUT not crushed; perplexed, BUT not driven to despair, persecuted, BUT not forsaken; struck down, BUT not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:6-9 ESV
People of true faith are always looking ahead because we know that the power ultimately belongs to God our Father, not men who only think they have power. To be sure any man or woman who thinks they have the power will always seek to flex that muscle for their own benefit. And very often they achieve their self serving goal at the expense of others. But any advantage they may seem to have gained, is short lived at at best.
Today may be a black hole, don't give in to despair. You may have to alter some things in your life to have a better future, but you do have a future, God will see to it.
David wrote: "The wise counsel of God gives me when I'm awake is confirmed by my sleeping heart. Day and night, I'll stick with God; I've got a good thing going and I'm not letting go. I'm happy from the inside out, and from the outside in, I'm firmly formed. You canceled my ticked to hell--that's not my destination. Now you've got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face. Ever since you took my hand, I'm on the right way." Psalm 16:7-11 MSG
For me that is a huge HALLELUJAH!

"SURELY GOD IS MY HELPER"

As I have wandered around in the Psalms of David, there are several themes that seem common to most of them, love for God, praise of His name and power, faith that at some point God would step in and save Israel, etc. But, not all of his songs were filled with praise and faith. He repeatedly calls on God to destroy his enemies, break their teeth, come down on their heads with holy retribution. I simply cannot sing those songs or pray those prayers.
We still live in a violent world where power reigns and fear and anger retaliate which produces a never ending cycle of more violence. For several thousand years the Jewish people have repeated these songs in their worship to Yahweh, to no avail. The nation of Israel is still fighting to survive in the midst of the same ongoing battle David and his nation had to fight. But the same is true of many nations, factions within nations, governing bodies, churches, schools, families, neighborhoods, and on and on the cycle goes.
Jesus said, "You have heard it said, love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:43-45 Jesus doesn't promise you peace with your enemies, only that the love of God in you will make you His child.
Would Jesus' way of dealing with one's enemies have worked for David?
The fact is, David's violent way didn't work very well either. He constantly had to come back to God with the same request over and over and over. Some of that I truly understand. There are times when a show of superior strength and determination is required in a violent world. However, history has shown repeatedly that war begets more war, violence begets more violence.
Jesus is our peace. Only in Him can the human family find any hope of true peace. The early disciples of Jesus proved the possibility of a shared love of other races, nationalities and customs. I feel strongly confident that the Apostles wrestled with the same misgivings about love for one's enemies when they first heard the teaching of Jesus.
I appreciate this statement from David: "Surely God is my helper, the Lord is the upholder of my life." Psalm 54:4 Through the worst of times he had enough faith to sing this song and cast himself and his nation in the care of Yahweh. David wasn't really a bad man, just a man who struggled most days to survive in a violent world. I cant say I have any enemies, except maybe those who are bent on destroying my country and our way of life. I served in the military and would again if the leaders of my country called on me and would have an old guy like me. I am very thankful that I never had to look into the eyes of a stranger and shoot him. Thousands of my countrymen have and I appreciate their sacrifice.
Sometimes you have to get on the other side of a situation to see the hand of God, but He's always there to hold me up. That I HAVE experienced. HALLELUJAH!