Read:
Psalms 40:2
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
There was a Baptist preacher who had a large church. He was a very devout Christian, and people were drawn to his love for the word and for people, until his life totally changed. He found himself in a pit and didn't know why all of this happened. He also made records, and would record songs and loved to worship the Lord. He developed a flu that attacked his vocal chords. For three years he couldn't talk, sing, and the pastor said that it felt like two big hands were pressing against his vocal chords. The doctor told him that he would never talk again. It was getting worse and worse, and the church prayed for healing but it never came, at least not when he expected it to. He never gave up hope. He had to resign from being pastor, and it made it hard financially for the whole family. He had a lovely family that was behind him, but they didn't know how to deal with all this pit stuff. One day, after a long three years of chaos, the baptist preacher went to church to teach. They set up a vocal microphone that was very sensitive, and he would have to literally scream just to get a small scratchy sound out of his vocals. It was about all over for this pastor. He went to church that morning as usual, and he began to read a scripture in psalms about God delivering us from the pit. Immediately when he said the word pit his voice began to come back. Tears filled the church as he began to preach his first message without a scratch in his voice at all. They began to worship the Lord that morning for his healing power. The pastor went to the doctor and the doctor couldn't explain what had happened. The doctor told him, "I can explain away the nerves that could possibly rebuild itself, but the scar damage is a mystery. I have no answer why you are talking today." It is an impossiblity that you are standing here talking to me. It was doctor Jesus that got a hold of him. I want to encourage you today to hang in there when you find yourself in a pit. I don't have all of the answers why God doesn't just snap his finger in a pit experience, but the Lord will deliver us as we stay focused on Him. There was a miracle that early Sunday morning, and many were touched and faith was built in that pastor. If you find yourself in pit experience land just keep your eyes upon Jesus. Be patient in His presence, and don't let your pit experience define who you are for God is there with you the whole way.
Prayer:
Lord, we ask that you help us through those pit experiences. Sometimes Lord you snap your finger, and sometimes you build character in those trials we seem to face. We ask that you give us the grace in times of trouble, Amen.
by Keith Edwards
No comments:
Post a Comment