This Week With Jesus

Psalm 22 verses 1 and 2  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? 2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. Yesterday we talked about unanswered prayers. Today we go a step further: when we think our prayer has not been answered, in some extreme situations like the death of a loved one, or a serious illness which won't go away, we can feel abandoned by God. But is it really so? Feeling abandoned is not the same thing as being abandoned. So, having made that distinction, do we feel abandoned or are we really abandoned? Or is there some wisdom or logic, beyond oir comprehension? Recently, while researching on the topic of unanswered prayers, we came across a real-life account of a person who felt abandoned. We will not try to reproduce the story, but let you read it yourself. So here it is. https://thecatholicwoman.co/letterstowomen/reckoning-with-grief-and-unanswered-prayers

"Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers" Unanswered Prayers . Songwriters : Garth Brooks / Pat Alger / Larry Bastian I believe that there is no such thing as unanswered prayers. It is more a lack of discernment when we think our prayers have not been answered. We have all, at some point, prayed very hard for something, planned for something we deeply desire. But it does not happen. At that time, we feel let down because things did not turn out the way we had hoped. But, and I have said this before, our disappointment with God is because our will was not done.  So, the very basic principle of the Christian faith, embodied in the Lords prayer, is some thing we don't really believe in. That Gods will is paramount, in line with His plan for us is not acceptable. Deep down in our heart

Yesterday we talked about our prayers and supplications for help to overcome various life challenges, we often call it a miracle. What is a miracle? A miracle is an act not fully explained by natural forces but attributed to supernatural forces, mainly God. There are many definitions of miracles. But, biblically speaking miracles involve God doing something uncommon and usually awe-inspiring in order to reveal himself to mankind (The shepherd church). When we experience a miracle, small or big, it is divine intervention. We agree to that. But let's think beyond that: that God, whom we know from afar, has actually touched us! What a wonderous fact. If we have experienced a miracle we have actually experienced and felt God! Yet, we need to remember one thing: That  God is as part of our everyday lives as He is for any miracles.  Miracles are always within the grand design of God the Creator and fall within the category of prophetic symbolism intended to draw attention to something be

Image ; Poweroflifenow.com 2 Kings 19:19 " Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only". How many times in life are we in a situation from which we see no hope? When all possible doors are closed. And yet we have survived and recovered. It could be a health crisis, financial doom, some natural event (like covid) or some professional problem. When everyone lets us down our final stop is before our God. At the time we pray and hope and beseech God and beg for a rescue. And when that happens, which may not be as we had expected, we seldom look back more than a couple of times. My family and I were saved from being touched by the Covid in such an unexpected way that it was nothing short of a miracle. Yet it had a very negative impact financially. Should I be praising God vociferously for being saved or let that great feeling of a miracle and gratitude be pulled

Proverbs 3 ver 5 and 6 -  "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. [6] In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." How often our human, earthly wisdom conflicts with Gods heavenly wisdom. We simply do not understand the ways of God and the truth is we do not have that kind of wisdom. Hence, we can only obtain wisdom from above, not here below. His vision is our entire life and beyond. Our vision is may a year, a day or a sec. Therefore, things don't make sense to us when our plans fail or we suffer some set back. In these situations, what can man do but put our trust in the one who created us? Instead of asking and praying for a temporal blessing, should we not be asking for His wisdom as well? The key to success is the meeting point of our plan with Gods plan . Let us then ask for wisdom to understand Gods plan, and make our own in line with His, so that we are assured of success. In retrospect everything ma

In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. In life, a curved ball, as an idiom, is to surprise someone with something that is difficult or unpleasant to deal with. In both of the above, one can do, and expect a couple of curved balls and can deal with them. But what happens when you get a constant stream of curved balls?  They can knock you out! In life, many of us face such situations, sometimes continuously, as did Job. What do we do? We have but one door we can knock on, trusting in faith. But donwebreally? Or do we depend on our own skill and resources to pull us through. Jesus called Peter "little faith". That name still applies to us in varying degrees. Again and again we forget the promise “Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; as thy days, so shall thy strength be:” (Deuteronomy 33:25) Spurgeon asks - If you cannot tru

Following the terrorist attacks of September 1, 2001,  Billy Graham spoke to the people of USA. He said: “I’ve been asked hundreds of times in my life why God allows tragedy and suffering. I have to confess that I really do not know the answer totally, even to my own satisfaction. I have to accept by faith that God is sovereign, and that He is a God of love and mercy and compassion in the midst of suffering”. This following verse probably answers that question which baffles most of us. Why me? A question asked through the ages from Job till now. Why me? Why this? Isaiah 48:10 (KJV) "Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction". What is quite clear is that no man, good or bad, rich or poor, man or woman, will not go through the tribulations and afflictions of the world. Remember Covid? Remember the fear? Remember who all we lost? Anyone and everyone were at risk.  We all have to go through that furnace. The difference is we