Meat for the Hungry

timothy-eberly-wnrxQGBhbh8-unsplash YOU ARE NOT ALONE March 16 th will be week four of our all-church study on the Book of Job. It’s been great so far. Still, I can’t wait until we arrive at the final five chapters. In them, we will see the LORD’s resplendent and reassuring omnipotence. Nevertheless, the beginning chapters of Job are not comforting. They’re ominous, sort of how some think of March 15 th .  So, let’s take a short detour.   Did you know the 15 th day of March is also known as the Ides of March? Maybe “you’ve…heard the soothsayer’s warning to Julius Caesar in William Shakespeare’s play of the same name: ‘ Beware the Ides of March …’” [1] immortalizing the assassination of Julius Caesar on March 15, 44 BC. However, originally, “…Ides simply referred to the first full moon of a given month. Since the Roman calendar was based on lunar cycles, a full moon usually fell between the 13th and 15 th . In fact, the Ides of March once signified the new year…” [2] ...

Have you ever planned and carried out that plan just to feel differently about it afterward? Goodness, everything was riding on that one big moment, yet it fell flat. What happened? Did we misunderstand? It seemed perfect, but where do we go from here?   Thinker - Rodin - images.fineartamerica.com During the holidays, we plan changes we’d like to make in the new year and contemplate our future. We’re excited about fresh prospects and making the most of every opportunity. However, as our plans come to fruition, sometimes they aren’t what we expected, and we’re dumbfounded.   That’s when we must take a step back and remember, as Jeremiah did, “…the way of man is not in himself—it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” [1]   How did Jeremiah know this truth?   Jeremiah was the son of the priest, Hilkiah. He was too young to be a priest himself since thirty was the age for entering the priesthood. Yet, Jeremiah studied and believed God’s Word...

  Is it inherent for sinful humans to hate the answer NO ?   God has often answered YES to my prayers, but even with His indwelling Holy Spirit, it’s when He answers NO that I struggle. Like with our nation. I prayed long and hard for things to get better. And in some small ways, they do seem better, yet even more evil has come down the pike—because God answered NO . Reluctantly, I learned to live with His decision—I wasn’t happy—but the prayer wasn’t exactly personal either. I blew out a sigh, shrugged my shoulders, and my heart settled with this—God is in control.   And then came the past two weeks. I prayed fervently for my granddaughter, Jayne. She’s a ballerina who pulled a muscle at a crucial time in her training. This may not sound like a worthy prayer, but when God said NO , I felt like a child in a department store who doesn’t get the toy. So, I did what any self-respecting kid would do—I threw a temper tantrum.   My mind knows God will bring...