My friend and fellow Minister of Music, Jacques Kearns, developed a weekly email. It was initially sent to a select few colleagues for ongoing encouragement in ministry. The list of recipients has grown exponentially. I am privileged to be on that list, but more honored that he was my friend and encourager. After his death several years ago from ALS (Lou Gehrigs disease), his wife, Jean, continued sending the emails he had prepared prior to his impending death. When his originals came to an end, several friends suggested to Jean that she send them again, which she continues to do. I was particularly moved by todays edition: Encouragement 7/15/14 (Orig. 3.13.07) ABOUT GROWING OLDER -- If you dont learn to laugh at trouble, you wont have anything to laugh at when you are old. Scripture: “I called him, but he gave me no answer.” Song of Solomon 5:6 ++++ Thoughts: Sometimes it seems that God is slow in answering our prayers. We give Him our praise and our petitions, but no answer comes. There may be many reasons for no answer, or we may not be able to discern or may be unwilling to receive the answer that has been given us. We must be careful not to mistake delays in prayer for denials. Unanswered petitions are not unheard. Does God have a filter on the great e-mail in the sky or does He sit at the computer and decide which prayer to delete, return, put in a hold box, or answer? Does He check our good works before He answers? Does He consider our family background or our church affiliation, or other such things? I dont think so. I believe what God considers most is our own good. I also believe that God has three answers: yes, no, and not now. I believe He is more interested in our need and the way we ask (believing) than what we have done. I believe our faith is the key ingredient in all our prayers. At times, we see an immediate answer to our prayers. And other times, we must wait patiently for the answer. Whatever, we have the assurance that in the end, all things work together for good to them who love the Lord. So when it seems the answer does not come, continue in faith.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 14:16:31 +0000
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