Good morning,

God has truly blessed us. We have food, shelter, work, and lots of worldly things. Yet as good as God is to us, do we acknowledge who owns our possessions? Not us. We are the temporary custodians. God has loaned us what we possess.

And lest you say I earned my possessions. Who gave you the ability to earn? God did.

We need to thank God daily for our health, for His provision for us, and to acknowledge that our possessions are temporary, and so is our time on earth. How are we investing God’s time?

Seeing that we deserve nothing–we should be content with, and thankful for anything!

(Ralph Venning, “The Plague of Plagues!” 1669)

It has been every man’s lot to come into and go out of this world naked–to show that he has no right to anything, but lives on the alms of God’s charity and grace. All that we have or hold between our birth and death–is the mere gift of God.

God might choose whether He would allow us anything or not; and when He has given–He may take back again, and none of us has cause to say anything but what Job said: “Naked I came into the world–and naked I shall return. The Lord has given–and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!” Job 1:21

All that we have, our food and clothing and belongings–are only lent to us. Therefore, seeing that we deserve nothing–we should be content with, and thankful for anything.

“For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” 1 Timothy 6:7-8

~  ~  ~  ~

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Solomon is a man of prayer. First Kings 8 records the dedication prayer of the house of the Lord. The house of the Lord is completed.

BLESSING OF THE CONGREGATION (1 Kings 8:8-21)

“And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: (and all the congregation of Israel stood;)” (1 Kings 8:14)

DEDICATION PRAYER (1 Kings 8:22-61)

ADORATION (1 Kings 8:22-24)

“ And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:²³ And he said, Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:²⁴ Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.”

THANKSGIVING (1 Kings 8:25-27)

“Therefore now, Lord God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me.²⁶ And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father.²⁷ But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?”

SUPPLICATIONS (1 Kings 8:28-30)

 ^“Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee today:²⁹ That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place.³⁰ And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive.”

TRANSGRESSION, CONFESSION, FORGIVENESS (1 Kings 8:31-35)

“If any man trespass against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house:

³² Then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.³³ When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house:³⁴ Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers.³⁵ When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them: ³⁶ Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance.”

Solomon gives us an example how to pray.

We should always give adoration to our God. We need to remind ourselves of who God is and His attributes.

Thanking God is our acknowledgment of what God has done for us. Salvation is a good place to start. Each day God is doing things on our behalf. Do we remember to thank Him or take God for granted? Or worse, think we accomplished the task with no need of God. We need to be thankful.

Supplication is asking God to intervene on our behalf. When God’s people pray, God hears every prayer. He will answer each prayer with a “yes”, “no”, or “wait”. Since God’s knows everything, He knows what is best for us.

Solomon was wise enough to realize and acknowledge the he and Israel would sin. He also knew that confession and repentance was the way restore fellowship with God. That is true for us today. Failure to repent of sin means that God will not hear our prayers.

Take 1 Kings 8 on prayer to heart.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

King David desired to build a house for the Lord. God did not allow him to build it because he was a man of war. God appointed his son to build the house for the Lord. Solomon’s rule was marked by peace. No distractions. Solomon was a man of Godly wisdom and character.

SOLOMON LOVED THE LORD (1 Kings 3:3)

And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.

SOLOMON PURPOSED TO BUILD THE HOUSE TO THE LORD  (1 Kings 5:4-5)

 But now the Lord my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent.⁵ And, behold, I purpose to build a house unto the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build a house unto my name.

SOLOMON BEGINS TO BUILD THE HOUSE OF THE LORD (1 Kings 6:1)

And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord.

The Temple was completed in seven years. The nation of Israel worshipped there till sin destroyed Israel and her Temple. It was destroyed during the Babylon destruction of Jerusalem. (2 Kings 25:9) The Temple was rebuilt in the days of Ezra, Nehemiah, and some of the minor prophets. (Haggai 1:2-14) Later, Herod built the magnificent Temple that stood in the days of Christ.

In the siege of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, the Temple was utterly destroyed. Since then, the only acceptable Temple of God on earth has been in the bodies of Christians.

CHRISTIANS ARE THE TEMPLE OF GOD (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?¹⁷ If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

CHRISTIANS BODIES ARE THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY GHOST  (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?²⁰ For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

God now resides in us. Are we providing a clean vessel for the Lord to reside? Is God welcome to reside within us?

We need to provide clean, unspotted, and pure place for the Spirit to reside.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

Good morning,

David dies and Solomon is the new king. While at Gibeon offering sacrifices to God, Solomon has a dream. “…God said, Ask and I shall give thee.” (1 Kings 3:5) Solomon’s response helps us understand Solomon’s heart.

GOD’S OFFER (1 Kings 3:5)

In Gibeon, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.

SOLOMON’S RESPONSE (1 Kings 3:6-8)

⁶ And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.⁷ And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.⁸ And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.

SOLOMON’S HUMBLE REQUEST (1 Kings 3:9)

⁹ Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

GOD’S RESPONSE (1 Kings 3:10-14)

¹⁰ And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. ¹¹ And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;¹² Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.¹³ And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honor: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.¹⁴ And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.

SOLOMON WORSHIPS GOD AND MAKES A FEAST FOR HIS SERVENTS (1 Kings 3:15)

¹⁵ And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.

Solomon had the opportunity to ask anything he wanted. He asked for an understanding heart to discern between good and bad.

Solomon had a humble heart. He was at Gibeon to worship God. When he awoke from his dream, he returned to Jerusalem and worshipped God again. Then he took care of his servants by making a feast for them.

God sees Solomon’s humbleness and blesses him above and beyond his request.

If we had been confronted by God with this question, what would our response been? Are our hearts humble like Solomon’s? Do we care about the spiritual above the physical? What do we worship?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Galatians 6:1-10 is a challenge to Christians to act on the behalf of others. There are several action verbs telling us what to do. It is our duty as believers to help our brothers and sisters in Christ.

RESTORATION

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

BEAR ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS

² Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.³ For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. ⁴ But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.⁵ For every man shall bear his own burden.

COMMUNICATE (share with) One who is taught should share material things with the one who helps him. Likewise, “they that preach the gospel should live of the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14)

⁶ Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.

REAPING AND SOWING

⁷ Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.⁸ For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.⁹ And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

DO GOOD TO ALL MEN

¹⁰ As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

These are principles to live by. If we follow these principles, we will have success in life. Even when we fail, others will be there to pick us up.

God is challenging us to follow and obey His word. If we do He will bless us and our fellow believers.

Go find a believer in need and help them.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

David has left Jerusalem. Absalom and the people of Israel come and occupy Jerusalem.

“And Absalom, and all the people the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.”

Don’t harm Absalom

Even though Absalom has taken David’s throne, David still loves his son and does not want him hurt.

“And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.” (18:5)

Absalom slain by Joab

Absalom dies at the hand of Joab. Joab disobeyed King David. King David mourned and almost lost his kingdom. Joab coax’s King David out of his lethargy.

“And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away.¹⁰ And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.” (18:9-10)

“Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.” (18:14)

“And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!” (18:33)

“And Joab came into the house to the king, and said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, which this day have saved thy life, and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines;⁶ In that thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well.⁷ Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably unto thy servants: for I swear by the Lord, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one with thee this night: and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that befell thee from thy youth until now.⁸ Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king doth sit in the gate. And all the people came before the king: for Israel had fled every man to his tent.” (19:5-8)

David returns to Jerusalem

“And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as the heart of one man; so that they sent this word unto the king, Return thou, and all thy servants.¹⁵ So the king returned, and came to Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over Jordan.” (19:14-15)

Unfortunately, David does live out the rest of his life in peace. There is a residual revolt by the tribes of Israel, a three year famine, and a three day pestilence costing seventy thousand lives.

You can read this in 2 Samuel 20-24.

God’s promise to David in 2 Samuel 12:11-12 was fulfilled.

“Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.¹¹ Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.”

David is hailed as a great and mighty king. However, it was only by God’s mercy and grace. He was spiritually up and down.

This concludes our study of 1-2 Samuel.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

There are consequences to sin. God told David his consequences in 2 Samuel 12:10-11.

“Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.¹¹ Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.”

First Evil: Rape of Tamar-murder of Amnon

Absalom, David’s son, had a sister named Tamar. Another of David’s sons was named Amnon. Amnon lusted after his sister and raped her. Then he cast her away. Absalom is furious but waits 2 years before he kills his brother.

“And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her.” (13:1) ^“And Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the meat into the chamber, that I may eat of thine hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother.¹¹ And when she had brought them unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister.¹² And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly.¹³ And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee.¹⁴ Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her.¹⁵ Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone.” (13:5-10)

^“Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon; then kill him, fear not: have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant.” (13:28)

David loses one son and another flees.

Second evil: Absalom’s rebellion

Absalom rebels against his father and steals the hearts of the men of Israel.

“And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.³ And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee.⁴ Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!⁵ And it was so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him.⁶ And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.” (15:2-6)

“But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron.” (15:10)

David Flees

“And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.¹⁴ And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.” (15:13-14)

Now David has lost one son and another rebels against him. David is losing his kingdom.

APPLICATION

Sin has consequences

God chastens His children

Repentance restores our fellowship with God

Come back next week for the continuing saga of God’s dealing with David and Absalom.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

 

Good morning,

David is King of Israel. God has preserved David and allowed him to defeat their enemies. Then David makes a series of critical mistakes. He committed adultery with Bathsheba, wife of Uriah the Hittite. Remember, David had at least 4 wives of his own at this time and multiple concubines. So how did this happen?

First, David was not where he was supposed to be.

“And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.” (11:1)

David chose not to be at the battle. He was not leading his men. This gave him time for other pursuits.

Second, David saw a woman washing herself. Had he turned and gone back to bed, all would have been fine.

“And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.” (11:2)

Third, he enquired who she was.

“And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” (11:3)

Fourth, his lust turned to action. Bathsheba was brought to David, he lay with her, and a baby was conceived. The Bible calls this adultery. The Mosaic law required both the man and woman to die.

“And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.⁵ And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.” (11:4-5)

Fifth, David schemes to have Uriah come back from the battlefield and lay with his wife. Uriah was not willing to go home. Here’s why.

“And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.”

His heart was right with God.

Sixth, David has Uriah killed. David failed to realize that God knew all things. He thought getting rid of the evidence would suffice.

“And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.” (11:15)

“…Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.” (11:21)

Seventh, David takes Bathsheba to be his wife. David seemingly has covered his tracks. God, however was not pleased by David’s actions.

“And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.”

DAVID’S DECEPTION REVEALED. Nathan tells David a story about a rich man with many flocks and a poor man with one ewe lamb. The rich takes the ewe lamb to feed his guests. David becomes angry. Then Nathan said to David.

“And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;⁸ And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.⁹ Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.¹⁰ Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.¹¹ Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.¹² For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.” (12:7-11)

CONCLUSION

Sin has consequences. We can never do anything in secret, because God ALWAYS knows.

Be where you are supposed to be.

Walk away from temptations.

Don’t allow temptations to become lusts.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

Good morning,

David has been anointed King of all the tribes of Israel. He is in the process of conquering the remaining nations who have opposed them. Twice in 2 Samuel 7 it says “And the Lord preserved David withersoever he went.” (7:6,14) Previously, we have seen God protecting David when King Saul came against him.

God chose David to be King of Israel.

“Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:⁹ And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.” (2 Samuel 7:8-9)

David chose to seek God in prayer, patiently wait upon God, worship God, and obey Him. He then wanted to build a house for the” ark of God”. God then speaks through the prophet Nathen and tells David that his son will build the house. He also tells him that “And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.” (7:16) The Davidic covenant.

What is David’s response? Worship and praise to God. “For thy word’s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them.²² Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.²³ And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?²⁴ For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, Lord, art become their God.” (7:21-24)

God has redeemed each of us through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We also should be exulting, praising, and thanking God for His great provision for us.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

When we are in situations that completely overwhelm us, does God really hear our prayers? Does He really care about us? King David seemed to think so.

Psalm 40:1-5 records King David’s firsthand account.

“I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.² He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.³ And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.⁴ Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.⁵ Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.”

When we pray, God does hear us and answers our prayers. He may not answer in the way we desire, but it is the way God sees best for us.

God knows everything about us. So, His decision on our behalf is made through His perfect knowledge. That should encourage us and comfort us during trying times.

Wait patiently on the Lord.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001