GREENE STREET LETTERS: God's Hand

Friday, December 30, 2011

God's Hand

Sometimes you know things in your mind and even in your spirit, but it takes an event to make them become real. We quote scripture and do so with great faith but faith is truly tested when you find yourself in a place where all you have is your faith. So it was Monday.

I had been admitted to the hospital and was in my room. I had my Bible and was trying to read but found my mind wandering to dark places it should not have gone. "What if this is my last day? What if I never see my family again?" Questions kept running through my mind, so I began to pray. I acknowledged that God was in control. I was His child. Whatever He had for me was o.k., but I wanted to ask of Him. So I placed my petition before Him as to what I truly wanted to see come from this heart attack. The very minute I finished my prayer, I was flooded with peace. I mean it was as real and tangible as anything I have ever experienced. There wasn't any fear. There wasn't any doubt. There was a "solid" knowing in my Spirit that God was God and He was worthy to be trusted, even with my life. From that moment on, everything that took place was incredible. In fact the entire episode, not that I look back, was covered by God's hand.

When the pain initially set in on Monday, my wife called our doctor........He was already at the hospital. The heart doctor our doctor refers patients to was on his way to the hospital to do rounds. God had set this up! You'll never convince me otherwise. Both doctors there ready to see me..no waiting...it was a God-thing.

I am grateful as I wrote yesterday for the prayers that were offered up on my behalf. I need prayer now to maintain the lifestyle that I am going to have to move toward. I've never been good at dieting or exercise, but now that is no longer an option. I have a wife that I want to grow older with. I have son's and daughters-in-law I love dearly, and I have grand children I want to see grow up and honor the Lord with their lives. In order to do that, I have got to change my diet. Bottom line in all of this, God is good.

Verse for the day:
John 14:1
"Let no your heart be troubled; believe in God, believer also in Me."

God on you....
mb

1 comment:

Bobby said...: I love you man!; December 30, 2011 at 9:38 AM

Looking At The World Through Cracked Lens

As ol' Paul wrote in his Corinthian letters.."We see in part and we know in part." Now what piece of this bit of wisdom do we not get? I wish to not run around acting and trying to be some sort of Biblical G00-Ru (I meant to spell it wrong). Or a sage of sages.

I simply want to be able to communicate some of what God has given to me. Why? Do I think what I get is better than what you may have received from Him? Nope. But I do think encouragement comes when we share our daily story of struggle and victory in an effort to encourage each other.

Thanks for letting me share.

Time to soldier on..

mbb

Our Statement of Faith

We believe that God is the eternal king. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit equal in power and glory. we believe that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born into sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. We believe that Jesus, God's Son, was sent to this world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, fully God and fully man in one person. He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ushering in God's kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Jesus' atoning death on the cross took God's judgment for sin which we deserved as law-breakers. Jesus' resurrection and ascent back to heaven opened the door for those who received salvation to begin a relationship with God.

Little Nets Into Deep Waters

Fishing nets were designed for one purpose only. To catch fish. Nets are no good if they stay on the boat. Nets serve no purpose if they are never used. I think maybe God sees us this way. We are all created for a purpose (by the way, the creator gets to define what our purpose is). Any other use besides the one we were created for does us no good. But when the creator places His hands upon us, casting us out into those scary, dark places with deep waters, it is then we can see the reality of our purpose. He knew there would be a catch waiting for us. I think I will be the net God has called me to be.

The Twelve Steps

As a community of people in recovery, we affirm that our higher power is Jesus Christ. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Just as God told the children of Israel He was going to give them a promised land, He has revealed to us that He desires to give us a "Promised Life." When Israel got to the promised land, God instructed them to go and in a possess it, fight for it and claim it. In recovery, the 12 Steps are the directions given to us on how to fight, possess and claim this promised life.

Friday, December 30, 2011

God's Hand

1 comment:

THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD