Don’t let your dark places control your life.”
              –Troy G. Wagstaff  (.44 Caliber Preacher)

    “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
              –2 Corinthians 4:6 (NKJV)
———————–
Yesterday, August 6, 1945, was a day that forever changed the course of world history.  It was the day that the Enola Gay flew over Hiroshima and dropped the first nuclear bomb.  Many today said that it was cruel and heartless, but it broke the back of the Japanese empire.  It took another one, a few days later to finally bring it to their knees.
    Some say it was cruel and inhumane,  Those do not know their history.  Sure, we could have starved them into submission.  Put a blockade around the country.  Japan was already starving so when the Americans came, they brought food.  Japan was also in the midst of a massive cholera epidemic.  That was quickly stopped with the occupation by American troops.  Plus there was the fact that thousands upon thousands would have been killed when an invasion took place which was scheduled for spring 1946, both American and Japanese.  My Dad’s Division was to be in the invading force.  He had fought in New Guinea and the Philippines, and was part of the invasion of Palawan.
————————
Is this a true pandemic?  I have problems with the term.  Sure, several have been affected, but the death rate is very low.  Pandemic, epidemic proportions, not sure?  Think of the Black Death.  It swept through Europe several times killing one-third to one-half the population.  The influenza of 1917-1920 killed probably over forty million.
    Not to get in an argument over the term, but I want to remind you of Who is in control.  “When trials or disasters come upon us in life, we many times recoil at the dilemma because we can’t see down the road of life to know what God is preparing us for.” (Gregg Turnbull)  We get so caught up in the dilemma, or the “pandemic” that we cannot see the hand of God and what He is trying to do in our lives.  “Christian, when something that you would consider bad happens to you, do not hit the panic button.  If God allowed it, don’t be shortsighted.  Not only is God watching your response, but others are also.  Have confidence in God.” (Gregg Turnbull)
———————–
           “Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.  For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly.”
                      –Proverbs 2:5-7 (NKJV)

Let me ask this one very important question?  Is God your Father?  When you talk with Him, if you do, are you frazzled and seeking things from other sources, or do you calmly go to Him?  I like the words of F.B. Meyer, “It is a mistake to see a sign from heaven; to run from counselor to counselor; to cast a lot; or to trust to some chance coincidence.  Not that God may not reveal his will thus; but because it is hardly the behavior of a child with its Father.  There is a more excellent way.  Let the heart be quieted and still in the presence of God…  Let the voice of the Son of God hush into perfect rest the storms that sweep the lake of the inner life, and ruffle its calm surface…  Remembering that all who lack wisdom are to ask it of God…let us quietly appropriate him, in that capacity, by faith; and then go forward, perhaps not conscious of any increase of wisdom…but sure that we shall be guided as each new step must be taken, or word spoken, or decision made.”

           “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
                       –Matthew 7:11(NKJV)
————————
I will finish today with a portion from a sermon by Phillips Brooks.  In this he deals with some very important questions that all should answer and at the end of life all will answer before Him at the judgment.  Have you ever thought about your purpose here on earth?  What were you placed here for?

         “What makes every one of us sigh when we think what we might have been?  Why is every one of us missing his highest?  What are we all shut out from our trees of life?  There is one word, one universal word, that tells the sad story for us all.  It is selfishness–selfishness from the beginning.  If we had not been selfish, if we had lived for God from the beginning, if we had been consecrated, we know it would have been different;…we would have come to what He made us for–our fullest and our best life.”

    A person may think that they are a success, that they have it all, but then that day comes when they stand before the Lord and they have nothing to show.  They look around as if to say, “I have done this”, but find that there is nothing there.  He then looks at the Lord who is silently shaking His head.
    Now is the time to seek Him.  Now is the time to consecrate and be willing to give all and do service for the Lord.

As a rule, I’m a happy person, but that happiness doesn’t always get to my face.”
              –Lou Bradshaw  (Cain)

    “Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.”
              –Jude 24 (NLT)
————————
Look at the news…  No!  Don’t!  Don’t do anything where the devil can try to steal your joy.  We live in a time of hatred, bitterness, despondency, and despair.  There are voices everywhere and they try to confuse you.  If you are downcast, why?  Aren’t you saved?  Aren’t you on your way to heaven?  Don’t let the things of this earth spoil your joy.  In fact, it should not be characteristic of a Christian to not be joyful.  Remember, joy is from the heart; it is not happiness.

         “I have found His grace is all complete,
          He supplieth eve’ry need;
          While I sit and learn at Jesus’ feet,
          I am free, yes, free indeed.”
                –B.E. Warren

Let the joy of Christ dwell in you.  Perhaps you should ask what it is that gives you joy.  Sometimes happiness can bring joy, but happiness is fleeting while joy should be permanent.  Joy is why the Christians of old could go to their death in the Roman arenas singing–they had joy in their hearts.  The problem is that we let the world dictate to us what should bring us joy.  Are you happy about having to wear a mask?  Probably not, but that should not steal your joy.

         “I have found the pleasure I once craved,
          It is joy and peace within;
          What a wondrous blessing!  I am saved
          From the awful gulf of sin.”

Are you saved?  Be joyful!  Are you living in grace?  Be joyful!  Can you feel the presence of the Lord?  Be joyous!  Rejoice, and again I say rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)  Just think, the Lord is coming soon, be joyful and if He should tarry, be joyful still.  Do you have fellowship with God; have you been reconciled to Him?  If so, keep the joy in your heart.  Ponder the words of Romans 5:2, “Through whom [Jesus Christ] also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”  

         “I have found that hope so bright and clear,
          Living in the realm of grace;
          Oh, the Savior’s presence is so near,
          I can see His smiling face.”

I used some of this hymn in yesterday’s “Echo.”  In thinking of it, joy should “echo” throughout our lives as we walk along the journey to glory.  Christ is with us, that should make us pick up our feet and not drag them along the way, mumbling, “woe is me…blah, blah, blah.”  Come on, if Christ could look at the joy and thus face the torment of the cross because of what laid behind it, then we can do the same in this life for we are heading for a city and a mansion that is in the realm of glory.  Get that joy in your heart.

         “I have found the joy no tongue can tell,
          How its waves of glory roll!
          It is like a great o’er-flowing well,
          Springing up within my soul.

                            It is joy unspeakable and full of glory,
                            Full of glory, full of glory;
                            It is joy unspeakable and full of glory,
                            Oh, the half has never yet been told.”

Take things as they come and stay cheerful.”
              –Elmer Kelton  (The Day the Cowboys Quit)

    “I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You.”
              –1 Chronicles 29:17 (NKJV)
———————–
Interesting how a person can look at something several times and it not see it.  I always like to teach a course, “Knowing God.”  If it is the first time I teach in a new church that is what I start with.  Often when I have a new class coming in, that is what I teach on.  There are many reasons for it, one is that few in the church, especially new converts, but I have even found it among old also, really contemplate God.  We can never learn enough about Him, and we can never exhaust of learning of Him.  Another reason is that it exhilarates my soul.  When I think of God, dwell upon Him, all I can say is a resounding “WOW!!!…”
    Last week I was doing my morning devotions and a thought struck home.  When I teach of God, I teach that He is complete.  His omnipotence never ends; He is infinite; there is no limit to His omniscience, and on.  God is limitless.  God is love.  Now here is where I stopped in my teaching and where I was hit with the devotion.  God is peace, God is wrath, God is just, God is…and the devotion was about joy.  God is full of joy!  He has infinite joy!
    When he looks at His creation it brings Him joy.  It brings satisfaction.  Stay with me, sure He was “disappointed” that man sinned, but He also knew that he would, and He had a plan.  There would be joy in the salvation of mankind.  See, God is so infinite in all His attributes–natural and moral–that He can be understood only partially.  Part of our purpose, perhaps our main purpose here on earth, is to come to know Him better.
    All of us, believers and nonbelievers, have experienced some of the joy of the Lord.  The breath we breathe is a gift from the Father and hopefully you find it joyful to be breathing in and out.  Have you ever stood on a precipice looking out over a vista, say the Grand Canyon?  Do you find beauty, do you find joy?  So does the heavenly Father in His creation of it, and in the pleasure that you are currently receiving from it.
    God is infinitely good and it pleasures Him to bless His children, here on earth and in heaven.  It gives Him joy, but it does not add to His joy for His joy is infinite and complete already.  WOW!!  Because of His joy, along with other attributes He is good, but that also is an infinite attribute in itself–Goodness, God is good!  Dallas Willard said, “All  of the good and beautiful things from which we occasionally drink tiny droplets of soul-exhilarating joy, God continuously experiences in all their breadth and depth and richness.”
    No wonder our toe goes to tapping:  “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy down in my heart…!”  And it’s, “Joy unspeakable and full of glory…oh, the half has never yet been told.” (B.E. Warren)  We have amazing grace, we have amazing love, and we should be living in amazing joy.

When corruption is visited upon the cities of men, the mountains and the deserts await him.  The cities are for money but the high-up hills are purely for the soul.”
              –Louis L’Amour  (Galloway)

    “’If you will return, O Israel,’ says the Lord, ‘Return to Me; And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight, Then you shall not be moved.'”
              –Jeremiah 4:1 (NKJV)
———————-
When you look at this country do you grieve, cry inside?  How about your life, are there  tears wanting relief from the Lord? Perhaps the following Echo and study of the Psalms fits the situation in the world and/or you life.  God doesn’t make mistakes and the Spirit will talk to hearts.  I willingly admit that much of what I am using today comes William and Randy Petersen.
    Praising the Lord and thanksgiving is usually what we think of when thinking of the Psalms, however there are more than fifty psalms that are laments.  What is a lament in the Psalms?  

     1)  Addressing God with a cry for help.
               “Listen to my prayer, O God.  Do not ignore my cry for help!”  –Psalm 55:1
     2)  Referring to God’s blessing in the past or to his character.
               “O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask your aid.”  –Psalm 86:5
     3)  Describing the cause of distress.
               “They are always twisting what I say; they spend their days plotting ways to harm me.”  –Psalm 56:5
     4)  Confessing trust and confidence.
               “You are my strength; I wait for you to rescue me, for you, O God, are my place of safety.”  –Psalm 59:9
     5)  Asking God to hear and deliver.
               “Please, LORD, rescue me!  Come quickly, LORD, and help me.”  –Psalm 40:13
     6)  Further questioning and petitioning.
               “Please, don’t punish me anymore!  I am exhausted by the blows from your hand.”  –Psalm 39:10
(taken from The One Year Book of Psalms, New Living Translation for scriptures)

    A lament “is a psalm in which the psalmist is troubled and seeking deliverance.  He is going through a time of physical, spiritual, or emotional distress, which may be caused by something within him or by something outside of him, such as an attacking enemy.”  
    There is a cry to God for help and in these “he displays his confidence that God will hear and answer him.”  There may be praise for the coming answer.  There is also often no resolution but only faith that God will answer and help.  Look at today, are you grieving for this country?  It should hurt our heart at what is going on.  How God is mocked, how the past of this wonderful nation is scorned.  There should be cries of lamentation.  (In fact, a good reading for the week would be Jeremiah’s book of Lamentations.  See why the prophet is crying, and his faith in God.)
    “Like the psalmist in ancient times, we encounter difficulties and struggles and need God’s help.  Sometimes our problems are brought about by our own sin.  Other times our problems are physical in nature.  Still other times our problems stem from some emotional difficulty.  Whatever the case, the psalmists have shown us that we can cry out to God and express our distress.  We can do so with confidence that God is listening and will reach out to us.”
    Sometimes God “blesses” us with a lament.  That may seem strange, but there is a time to grieve and cry.  That you recognize that and that you thank God in the midst is itself a blessing.  Knowing that God is there is a blessing.  He is always there to hear your heart’s cry.

              “Jesus knows all about our struggles,
               He will guide till the day is done;
               There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
               No, not one!  no, not one!”
                     –Johnson Oatman