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1 After Israel left Egypt, the clan of Jacob left those barbarians behind; 2 Judah became holy land for him, Israel the place of holy rule. 3 Sea took one look and ran the other way; River Jordan turned around and ran off. 4 The mountains turned playful and skipped like rams, the hills frolicked like spring lambs. 5 What's wrong with you, Sea, that you ran away? and you, River Jordan, that you turned and ran off? 6 And mountains, why did you skip like rams? and you, hills, frolic like spring lambs? 7 Tremble, Earth! You're in the Lord's presence! in the presence of Jacob's God. 8 He turned the rock into a pool of cool water, turned flint into fresh spring water. (Psalm 114 The Message)
A blessed and joyous Thursday be yours, dear Friend! At this writing we are thankful for the rain, though it has come in larger doses than we're used to. This set of clouds have come with thunder. But the ground was thirsty for renewal and refreshing. Friends, thank you for responding so quickly to our prayer request from the Haley family. I would add the name of Sherri Schellenburg's uncle for our prayers as well. He too, has pancreatic cancer, and Sherri's mom died from that, and just Tuesday had his second round of chemo. He also has a spot on his liver, so please fervent prayers for those mentioned and those whom. you know that need healing from cancer, and Coronavirus. Rev. Steve Purdy reports that his daughter, Jenna has undergone five chemo treatments and has had no side effects, for which we praise God and pray those are signs of the work being done on her body. As always, please pray for one another, and offer up a prayer for yourselves.
For some still unexplained reason, when I watched Saturday morning cartoons back in the 1950s, I was very frightened of the thought of finding a blasting cap in my neighborhood. I know the government was aware of the amount of construction going on in most of the U.S. and there was a possibility that some workers might leave blasting caps accidentally, and the fear was that kids would pick them and play with them, and then something terrible might happen to those children. That very small item could do great damage, and that's why it was invented; ours was to be aware and to be frightened by them. Which I am to this day! I'm also afraid of quicksand, which were not part of a national ad campaign, but Tarzan sure did seem to find a lot of places where he or the hunters would fall into such places! But, can you imagine the fear creation has of a God who is angry and on the side of a people facing danger and exploitation? The imagery of this psalm is awesome. It might even have inspired a Walt Disney to make movies giving inanimate objects, life and movement. The sea is verbally painted as having the ability to run, and run it does when confronted by God. The River Jordan, also ran away from the powerful presence of God; the mountains "turned playful and skipped like rams, the hills frolicked like spring lambs." And so, the psalmist asks, "What's wrong with you" that you would do what you did, to run away from God? Then he answers his own question; "Tremble, Earth! You're in the Lord's presence! In the presence of Jacob's God." For after all, he writes, God has the power to turn "the rock into a pool of cool water, (and) turn flint into fresh spring water." Wow! God can take the immovable and make it flee, and in the same way God can take strong solid things and make them liquid. Weapons-grade material turned into refreshing, nourishing things, that instead of killing become the sources of quenched thirsts, and renewed life.
What oceans are blocking your view of a fullness of life? What rivers do you think are preventing you from moving forward? What mountain range of almost uncountable things coming against you needs to flee? And what hills are blocking the blessings that seem to lie just beyond them? What weapons do you see being formed against you, that should instead be sources of healing and refreshing? Who can do that for you? Only God.
PRAYER: Awesome God, as we pray for pray for those listed above who stand in need of healing. Father, you can turn pneumonia and cancer into pools of cool water and not the weapons of destruction they want to be; so be it! And Lord, You can take the mounting worries, concerns, and anxieties of everyday things and make them flee when they become aware of Your presence in our lives. Father, be glorified in us and in our needs; re-kindle the fires of Your Holy Spirit in us so that others can come and see us burn with blessings and joy, and yet, not consumed, just like the burning bush you showed to Moses. This we pray in faith, in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show a faith that is so fired up, people will run to you to watch you burn!
Receive my blessings of peace, comfort, and love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
