I have been enjoying the sermon series “Half-truths” that my friend Pastor has been giving… Sayings that we tend to say but are not in the bible, like: “God helps those who help themselves….” that is not in the bible and GOD is the one who helps!!!!  God is the ultimate help for things we can not help ourselves do.

IN GOD WE TRUST.

One phrase or concept that I don’t know if Pastor will talk about (or not) is related to our recent flurry of sports activities here in town… The phrases I hear and we tend to say is: “I don’t want to jinx it”… Like we could make the biggest difference in a highly-trained workforce (sports or otherwise) by whether we wash our shirts or not… Playoff beards and lucky socks. Thinking about jinxing is a different phrase than I don’t want to harm you – or I don’t want to disappoint you – or I don’t think you could do it all by yourself.  In truth we do think of ourselves as big parts of the “pull” in the universe (as if we could jinx) at the same time that we tend to think of ourselves as “nothing” in the universe… Well we ain’t nothing…

Something – we are at least SOMETHING in the universe or else we wouldn’t be here.  And in God’s eyes you’re everything…

How about praying or wishing for snow? None this season yet for us – so how are people going to pass on that tradition of wearing your pjs inside out to get school cancelled the next day…  Trust me, we never did that or even heard of that as kids and school DID get cancelled – in my day – but then again we had snow as a norm not a novelty… Do we have a pull on the weather? 

And don’t get me started on being lucky or not – the lottery – in love – in winning the big stuffed useless thing at the carnival…  There is skill – there are rigged things – there is STATISTICS – In fact, Accuweather said that compared to a 1-in-whatever million odds winning jackpot, “getting struck by lightning would seem like a near certainty! According to the National Weather Service, a person has a 1-in-15,300 chance of getting struck by lightning in their lifetime, 20,000 times higher than hitting the winning numbers for the next jackpot.” 

Well, you got to be in it to win it… well…..

What about life? You got to be in it to win it…  Well,….  God put you in this life but who has “won it”? God.  Who created? Who gave skills? Who uses the lighting and the snow and the sunshine and the earth and even those snowdays to His advantage? God.

The Psalms from David speak of both PRAISE for keeping himself safe – and PRAYER for keeping his enemies at bay – and PAUSE for anytime he doubted. Really his prayers and our prayers are similar – well at least maybe – David both acknowledged God’s POWER and his MERCY…  David was reminded and reminds us to fear the Lord and realize He is the one who moves mountains and all that stuff that we tend to think we can have power over…  We don’t…  THE ONE THING WE DO HAVE IS PRAYER!!!!!!!!!!!!!  WE CAN CALL UPON THE POWER OF GOD…

Back to football – there is a mom who has sons on each of the teams – a prime example of letting the game play out..  and perhaps that is what we should do as well – LET GOD PLAY OUT HIS GAME – WHICH IS NO GAME – REALIZE WE ARE needing to be letting OUR MINDS AND HEARTS TRUST GOD over simply letting God Do Something – BECAUSE HE IS GOING TO DO IT OR NOT…

David said in Psalm 31: ” In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; … deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength.Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.” and “O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.”

Like David – we need to know God – knowing what He does and why He does it will help us ask the questions that we need to – but realize that God does it regardless of us – but also FOR the LOVE of us…. God is Power…  

Remember that penny that people put in their pockets or purses for “luck”? (like my aunt who has a 50 year old plus collection of every purse she owned)… Well that penny (those 50 pennies for luck) even say: “IN GOD WE TRUST” !!!

“IN GOD WE TRUST”

AMEN

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Psalm 32

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.  For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.  I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.  I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.