I like the movie “Brian’s Song” where Brian Piccolo says, “I don’t need cancer to make me appreciate the roses.” He appreciated his wife and his family and did not need to die from cancer to make him appreciate it. When I heard that statement a little “bell” went off inside me. It’s sort of like when an angel just got her wings….LOL
It was a true story about a Chicago NFL football player. The authors of the movie seem to like Jimi Hendrix songs and one of them they used was, “All Along the Watchtower” in dealing with Brian’s ongoing cancer treatments. Jimi Hendrix wrote the song and it was played a lot during the Vietnam War crisis. I also like how the science fiction television show “Battlestar Galatica” used it as a final theme song in the final journey of finding earth and getting out of the vicious cycle of never reaching their destiny.
It may be some human nature to take things for granted, but does a person need a child molester for a father to appreciate a good parent ---obviously they never had a good father unless they have a nice father-in-law in the future. Do we need a spouse to abuse us verbally or physically to appreciate a good spouse? Is any of that God’s will that we went through that? When Jesus said to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” Matthew 6:10…are their child molesters and spousal partners who abuse us in heaven?
We don’t understand why bad things happen to people, but we know we are in a spiritual warfare in this life. If life and blessings were automatic, and we are not in a spiritual warfare than why does it say, “Put on the whole armor of God?” Ephesians 6:10-18. Why did Jesus say to pray, “deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:13
Jesus warned Peter that Satan wanted to sift him, but Jesus prayed for him (Luke 22:31). Jesus is currently praying for you and me (Hebrews 7:25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them).
I realize that some people’s misfortune has caused them to move closer to God. What I find more are people like Naomi or Job’s wife to move us away from God and get us angry at God. Then the enemy sends “Job’s friends” as far as those who are critical even more or have problems with rejection to further reject us. Some churches have taken up suicide support groups for those with loss. The attack by Satan on Job’s life was to get him to curse God. We see that Satan’s attack “succeeded” with Job’s wife as far as her telling Job to curse God.
“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” Job 1:9-11
His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!" Job 2:9
After I lost my husband, I was looking on Facebook at everyone talking about their Thanksgiving turkey and their garnishes. I had Thanksgiving too with my inlaws, but our lives are “forever” changed with an early death of their son and my husband’s sister. I was just thinking about those action heroes like Spiderman, Batman, Daredevil and how all of them had an alter ego created with loss. So it was sort of like the Unabomber, as far as I was thinking up new strategies to spiritually bomb Satan’s kingdom in taking out my husband.
Anyway, we are to be a “type of Christ” in this world. Paul said to “follow me as I follow Christ.” 1 Cor. 11:1. One person can make a difference. David made a difference and just one person can intercede for a whole nation….Moses interceded for a whole nation. We like to put the “blame on God” but we do have a part in this ongoing saga and it’s that we can be on our knees to intercede for our country and others.
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.” Ezekiel 22:30
The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people. Numbers 21:7
I have had some warning dreams in the past, and I had a warning dream about my spouse before he passed away. I had a warning dream when I first became a Christian that I was going to be in an accident. I ended up falling through a plate glass window and needed stiches in my hand, but I was pregnant and nothing happened to my son. I may not always be able to stop Satan’s plan, but if I can thwart the enemy in any way by prayer, like on 9/11 they may have gone down with the plane, but they stopped it from going into a building. That is what my goal is to thwart what the enemy had originally planned for an outcome for me right now.
For night visions and dreams, I’ve not always know how to interpret the dreams like Daniel and Joseph did, but I am getting better at dream interpretation. Joseph was sent to Egypt really to help out with famine that was going to eventually come on Egypt and all the surrounding communities and he was the only person that could interpret the king’s dreams. None of the sorcerers understood the dreams. We see in the understory of Ester, the Lord raised up Ester (a Jew) to intercede for a whole Jewish nation.
We too are like a type of Ester is that we can intercede as one person for this nation!
We see that Elijah was one man and yet Elijah was able to pray and bring rain or make the rain cease and it says that Elijah was a man of “like passions” as us. Yes, one person (You) can make a difference in this world through prayer.
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Luke 18:1
Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. James 5:17
When Job went through his trials, we see that God allowed the trial, but we also see that Job never accused God during the process. I’ve blogged on this before in understanding the sovereign will of God and that God is in control. God will allow me to jump off a cliff, but it is God’s will that I jump off that cliff? We all have a part to play in life’s drama. We can’t explain natural phenomena (a non-artificial event in the physical sense, and therefore not produced by humans.) I can explain my husband’s death because it was of natural causes, but we can’t explain why some people are born with a health problem and some are not. For my spouse, it kept him out of service in the Vietnam War which could have killed him earlier.
“The devil caused Job’s troubles (Job 1:12; Job 2:6-7). But Job did not know this fact. So Job thought that God caused the problems (Job 19:1-12). In fact, God did not cause Job’s troubles. God merely permitted Job to suffer. Still, Job trusted God. And Job refused to insult God (Job 2:9-10). Job’s friends tried to help Job. But their advice was wrong. They did not think that God would allow an innocent person to suffer. So they thought that Job was guilty.”
A man who lost his wife and I pat each other on the back when we see each other knowing that we have survived sudden loss and post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s this common ground that you find with a cancer survivor, and I have it with any widow or man who had a sudden loss due to car accident, illness or murder. We have survived through God’s grace although we may not want to survive. Like the Notebook movie, we want to go be with our spouse. I’ve done a lot of things in life since I have been single that I don’t want to do. I think the best comparison is being single is like having a root canal on a daily basis in the dentist office. It’s those of us who had a loving spouse for ten or more years and then you have to go into a world that is full of rejection and games that people play.
Since I’ve become single it’s become a daily prayer of mine, “Deliver me God from wicked and evil men.” (And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. 2 Thess. 3:2).
When we go out in life….put our armor on and part of putting on that armor is through prayer!
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:10-18
All Along the Watchtower – Jimi Hendrix
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