Things Are Getting Better and A Get Out of Jail Free Card

Jesus said that if the children of Israel did not praise him when he was riding into Jerusalem on a donkey that the rocks would cry out.  Most of creation praises God except man at times.  Many times when people get aggravated they curse God.

Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” “Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Luke 19:38-40

On this road of life, I'm learning to be a thankful person for everything.  Thankful for problems and traffic delays.  Today, when I was at lunch for one hour there was a train I had to wait on to go run an errand to my house, and then coming back I got stuck in one lane of construction and  waiting on a firetruck on 10th Street.  I don't always pass these tests of being thankful in life.  When I get aggravated and things go wrong in my life, the temptation is to swear out of frustration.  I understand why Isaiah talked about having a bad tongue and living in a society who had a bad tongue.  Just Saturday, I heard a person cussing and using God's name in vain at the lake when I was boating.  I prayed for that person.

Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." v. 5 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." Isaiah 6:7

Praising God is sometimes on my mind and lips and sometimes it is not.  I've been aggravated that it has taken over a month to get my riding lawn mower working.  I finally was saying, "God I bless the Sears man and the Sears lawn mower." Found out the new battery I bought at the store was bad.  My husband and I used to wonder why a home improvement project or repair that should take an hour would take three hours.  I tease my friends when we go boating when the starters won't work on the wave runners or something goes wrong that is part of the "real" boating experience.  This is part of real life experiences!I had a car accident a few months ago when I was trying to take a friend out for dinner and encourage her.  Immediately after the accident the Lord told me two things, I knew God wanted me to thank him that no one was seriously injured, and he told me to say that my car was blessed.  I wanted to say that my car looked like a "piece of crap."  The temptation to say that was very strong.   I tried to take the car to get the body work checked out at the Speedway Body shop and I had called in advance that they were open until 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.  When I got there at 1:00 p.m., they had closed early.  I ended up driving up and down Washington Street and had a drawing to check out a body shop.  On Monday, I talked to a man and I told him I felt led of God to get my car fixed with him and he told me he was a Baptist missionary and he used his proceeds from his business for the Lord's work.  I knew in my spirit I was supposed to go to him and I was very happy with his work.  I also prayed about the price and it was the exact price I heard in my spirit it would cost.  I'm acknowledging the Lord in everything that happens in my life that he will direct every detail of my life.

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:6

I was listening to a Jewish comedian talk about the Children of Israel wandering in the wilderness for 40 years and he made a comment that certainly someone would ask for directions after three or four years?  His other comment was about can you imagine the older Jewish women in tents and complaining and belly aching.  I had to laugh because I have a few younger Jewish girlfriends and I can picture them camping, but I definitely can’t picture the older Jewish women living in tents.  

I lived in a tent and then a camper in a Christian tent revival ministry for two years at ages 19-20, and it was not always a fun experience.  My two-year old son was sick a lot when I first joined that ministry since we got stuck in Nashville, Tennessee in the winter in that tent in a harsh environment, and I had to go live with a Christian couple during that time.  I remember telling the elders in that ministry that I expected that things would get better in my life.  I've posted a song below that reminds me of what I kept telling them.  Things will get better.  Things did get better in that Christian ministry according to my faith that they would get better. 

It was not a map problem, but it was a problem with the Children of Israel not seeing the greater one was with them then the giants (tall people) in the promise land.  They said they looked like grasshoppers in comparison.  This was even after God parted the Red Sea and delivered them out of Egypt by several plagues on it.

We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them." Numbers 13:33

When you are swimming in the ocean and get pulled down from an undertowing current, if you fight it, you'll drown.  But, if you just let it take you down it will then cycle you back up toward the surface. It can be scary, but it's the only way to survive. 

Whatever happens, give thanks, because it is God's will in Christ Jesus that you do this. 1 Thess 5:18

Just a thought, but thank God for grief and depression and all the bad that has happened in your life, since it’s something that we can’t control anyway.  Going through a divorce I got closer to my father, and after my mother’s death I got closer to my sister.  I don’t know how God is going to take my husband’s death and turn it around since I’m continually fighting grief and depression going on four years now.  I've decided that I'm not going to fight it anymore, but I'm going to thank God for it.  God's said he will turn everything around in our lives for those of us who love him and I know that I love God with all my heart, because I love His word, and I've accepted Him into my heart to be the Lord of my life.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

The Bible talks about a period of mourning.  I found friends will only mourn with you like Job's friends a period of about one or two weeks when grief can take years.  I'm meeting with new widows on a regular basis to help them through the process as far as I set up a weekly or a monthly meeting with them.  I expect this may take up to five years, but I've had widows even after twelve years are having a hard time as soon as their children are grown who remained single.  Now they are dealing with being an empty nester as a widow.   For most younger widows and divorced people, children are a huge distraction in their lives.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  Romans 12:16

Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. James 5:13

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. Eccl. 3:1-4

God is raising up an army of Christians and that army will praise God in everything and in mourning a death it takes a longer period of time to get to that place!

After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever 2 Chronicles 20:21

When you play the game of Monopoly you may pull the “Go to Jail card.”  Go to jail do not pass Go, do not collect $200.  You have to wait until you pick the get out of jail card or you can buy your way out of jail.  In the Bible, Joseph’s “get out jail” card was his gift of interpreting dreams.  Daniel’s get out jail card (getting out of the fiery furnace and the lion’s den) was trusting in God’s deliverance.  Paul and Silas get out of jail card was singing praises to God. 

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. Acts 16:25-26

Corrie ten Boom and her family were arrested and thrown in the German concentration camp during the reign of Hitler for hiding Jews in their Holland home.  The Germans never found the Jews they were hiding.  In her book, “The Hiding Place” Corrie’s sister said she was going to thank God for fleas.  Corrie did not want to thank God for the disgusting fleas biting their bodies in the camp.  The fleas made the German soldiers stay away from them, and leave them alone so they could minister to other women.  Corrie’s get out of jail card was a clerical error or she would have died in the gas chamber like the other Jews and people who helped the Jews that were thrown in the concentration camp. The Lord has shown me that we are to thank him for everything in life.  It does not make sense, but we don’t walk by sense we walk by faith and what God word says:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philip 4:6

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—1 Timothy 2:1

In Revelation it says that Satan will put some of us in prison to test us.

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. Revelation 2:10 

When life does not have the expected outcome that we like it’s like a computer program you write that aborts.  I’ve spoken in the past how I had two miscarriages of babies that was out of my control.   I also had a marriage that died or aborted that was out of my control as far as a person’s free will to quit loving me.   My husband grieved over the death of his marriage that died and then a baby that died of SIDS.  These are situations that are out of our control.  My husband did everything in his power to save his marriage, but nothing worked. 

When a person’s free will is involved, I have found even in fasting and prayer that I could make a reconciliation happen, but if a person’s heart is bent on being a Saul in life and disobedience towards God, they will back going down the same path in life.  When a person is acting like Saul (disobedience) I’ve always seen a lack of regular church attendance.  Church is not necessarily a physical building.  Buildings are built by man.  The church is made up of spiritual stones and we can have church anywhere.  I do believe in making a commitment to a group of believers for regular fellowship which could be a home fellowship group. What a lot of churches have done is get themselves into debt with elaborate building with stain glass windows and lose the focus that church is to minister to people not build large buildings.

And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 1 Peter 2:5

Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16

Some widows, including myself have a guilt trip that we could not prevent our husband’s death.  I don’t know how we get over the guilt part.   All through the Bible we see that we can change some circumstances in life and some we cannot such as Hezekiah added years after the judgment to die early so he changed his circumstances.  If there were ten righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah it would have stayed God’s hand of judgment against the city.  I had blogged previously that the city had become so evil that a stranger could not even walk in without being molested.  David knew he could fast and pray and possibly change God’s mind of judgment against the baby that Bathsheba and he had... and Moses interceded and stood in the gap for the Children of Israel who were not destroyed, but wandered in the wilderness due to their constant sinning and complaining.

Although, I’ve gone through much grief and have had a slow restoration of joy in my life in just trying to go on with my life, I can thank God for 15 wonderful years.  I had shared previously for widows it’s very hard to thank God for the good, because so much continual evil is coming against us at once.  It’s like the story of Joseph where the seven years of famine was so severe that none of the land remembered the seven years of plenty.  For widows or widowers the grief is so severe in losing a husband/wife or in losing a child, the years of plenty and bliss are soon forgotten and swallowed up by the sorrow and loneliness.  I found that there are cycles of grief and depression that hit me on a regular basis and I don’t have control over those cycles of grief that come into my life and when they are going to come.  It is hard when you don’t have control over something in life. 

I struggle in dealing with an array of emotions.  An array in computer programming is generally, a collection of data items that can be selected by indices computed at run-time, including: associative array.  Grief is very similar to the associative array as far as whatever I’m doing in life that is associated with my husband creates a bad feeling in me.  For a while, after the tragedy of losing my husband in my life I totally went into shut down mode…like your computer shuts down as far as I was in a fetal position in bed.  I could not do anything.  I could not eat, sleep or function in any capacity.  It created grief to turn on the television, watch a movie, watch a Colt’s game, go out to dinner, ride in my car, have a holiday get together with relatives, go to church, and could not pick up my guitar and sing.  Just being a live created grief and everything in life created torment because I lived for 15 years with my husband. I’ve spoken to divorced women who were in 25 year-relationships and they understand this somewhat as far as they said they could not sleep in their bed at night that they slept on the couch for quite a while. 

What I do have control over is my prayer life and thanking God.  I started thinking about that scripture “let everything that hath breath praise the Lord” so as long as I had breath I could still praise the Lord.  Psalm 150:6

I found it very difficult when you are mourning to praise God at times.  Right after my husband passed away, I could not pick up my guitar for at least six months because music died in my heart.  It reminds me of that song, The Day the Music Died.  It was a song about a small-plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, killed three American rock and roll pioneers: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson,  I’ve spoken to other people who said the same thing as musicians.  There was nothing to sing about. All joy was gone.  I still had God’s peace that passes understanding, but there was not an ounce of joy in my life. I was in shut-down mode like when a computer program aborts as far as I could not do anything for a while.  I started experiencing rays of joy by helping other people and then leading worship at a single’s group. 

Part of my healing in putting off the sackcloth, was picking up my guitar and singing again.   Unless a person experiences the death of a very close loved one they won’t understand what this is like.  I lost my parents to cancer and my sister but it was not the same and those were more expected deaths where I had time to process the death in my soul unlike a sudden death.  I went forward for prayer when they were talking about chains that bind us in life and I know I’ve been chained in grief, at the church I was visiting and a woman said that she saw a musical note.  She did not know I played guitar.  I walked outside the church, and immediately heard in my spirit how David put off his sackcloth when he could not bring the baby back to life with prayer and fasting.  

When my husband had a heart attack, I was interceding and praying for him the whole time.  Even when the paramedics arrived they told me to continue to pray for him and not stop.   I was pleading with God to not take my husband.  My daughter helped me with starting CPR and she was praying that God would send Mike back when she realized he had no pulse.   To me, I did all I could to stand on the evil day of my life and that is all any of us can do if an evil day comes in our life is to stand.  Whether it’s a death, theft, a tornado, hurricane, divorce, etc.   I believe most widows wonder why the evil day even has to come to us!  Even Jesus asked why on the cross, and anyone who has been through a tragedy asks why....why me Lord...why did this have to happen to me when I was serving you and trying to be a better servant?  One possible answer is those on the front lines in ministry are going to have more attacks from the enemy since like in an army, they can get more arrows coming at them then a person who is not in ministry or not in the front of the army.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:13

Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Psalm 25:16

In looking at Daniel’s life and his example of faith it says that he prayed three times a day. Morning, noon and evening.  I believe in following Daniel’s example and the Lord said I needed to start seeking him on my lunch break like I used to do in the middle of the day.  Even David said, “Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.  Psalm 55:17

About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners.  Acts 10:9

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Daniel 6:6-7 v10

Peter’s get out jail card was the church interceding.  After James was killed and Peter got arrested the church got “on the stick” and prayed.

While Peter was kept in prison, the church prayed fervently to God for him. The very night before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him, saying, ‘Get up quickly.’ And the chains fell off his wrists. The angel said to him, ‘Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.’ He did so. Then he said to him, ‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.’ Peter^* went out and followed him; he did not realize that what was happening with the angel’s help was real; he thought he was seeing a vision.  After they had passed the first and the second guard, they came before the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went outside and walked along a lane, when suddenly the angel left him.  Acts 12:1-16

Bettah…Jonathan Nelson

My praise causes things to look bettah
It loosens and breaks ev'ry fetter
My faith is increased, new blessings released.
My praise causes things to look bettah.
My praise causes things to look bettah.

Gotta keep praising, raising my voice.
To let the world know, I ain't go no woes, no woes.
My praise causes things to look bettah.
My praise causes things to look bettah.

Already looking bettah
Already looking bettah for me.
Already looking bettah
Already looking bettah for you.

Bettah, Bettah, Bettah
Bettah for me
Bettah, Bettah, Bettah
Bettah for you

Give Thanks

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"
Let the poor say, "I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us"

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"
Let the poor say, "I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us"

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"
Let the poor say, "I am rich"
Because of what the Lord has done for us"

Give thanks.