Teachable Moments

Psalm 25:1-9

(All verses are from the New King James Version.)

  

Teachable Moments… We all have them, but do we always learn from them? For me it usually takes a 2x4 upside the head before I say, “Oh yeah!” The Israelites were like that. They learned the same lesson over and over and over again. Kind of makes you wonder if they actually ever learned it at all.

 

David’s prayer in Psalm 25 is about teachable moments during the crucible of life.

² O my God, I trust in You;
Let me not be ashamed;
Let not my enemies triumph over me.  

 

We know that David had many enemies. Some of them were those closest to him. Saul, his mentor, hunted him down like an animal. His own son, Absalom, rebelled against David declaring himself king. Indeed, David knew what it was like to have mortal enemies, but he also knew what it meant to struggle with enemies within.

⁷ Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions;
According to Your mercy remember me,
For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.           

 

David’s sins are well documented. He seduced Bathsheba with his power, and then had her husband, who was a courageous warrior for David, killed in battle; quite a resume of failure. But in this Psalm, David cries out to the Lord and asks him to use his failures, his struggles and his enemies to teach him.

⁴ Show me Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
⁵ Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
 

No matter what kind of struggles you face, how big your

demons are, how overpowering your temptations, how shameful your past sins; God can teach you, change you and use you for His Kingdom.

 

 

 

Just cry out to Him like David.

To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
² O my God, I trust in You… On You I wait all the day.        

 

 

 

 

 

And the Lord will answer.

⁸ Good and upright is the Lord;
Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.

⁹ The humble He guides in justice,
And the humble He teaches His way.

 

 

 

 

Thirty Years of Faithfulness

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

 

On August 10, 1985, my wife, daughter and I, with the help of family and friends, packed up all of our earthly possessions and moved to Columbus, Ohio. As I consider these past 30 years, there are many fond memories. It was a life changing move for all of us, and looking back, I can see how God has faithfully used people and circumstances in our lives.

 

The move was precipitated by my work. The couple who was our host when we first came for our interview and later to find a place to live, became great friends, and were probably one of the main reasons we moved to Columbus. God certainly used them as well as many others that we met over the years.

 

In September of 1985, our daughter started kindergarten. My wife helped in the classroom every day. The teacher saw something in her and encouraged her to return to school. God used that teacher to motivate my wife to do just that. As a result, she taught in inner city Columbus for 23 years.

 

Our daughter graduated from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. During one summer break, she worked at Damon’s Grill where she met her husband to be. Who knows how different her life would have been had we not made this move. God has been faithfully at work in each of our lives.

 

Looking back gives us twenty-twenty vision. We can see how God has been working when in the middle of life, sometimes we can’t. Hindsight allows us to recognize God’s faithfulness.

 

That’s what Paul was writing about to the Thessalonians. Keep in mind that the Thessalonian church was under extreme persecution at the time. Compounding this were lies that were being told that the rapture had already taken place. And guess what? The Thessalonians didn’t make the cut!

 

Paul explained first that it was a lie, and second that certain things had to take place before the Second Coming could happen. He wrote about the rebellion and the man of

lawlessness. He pointed out that the lawless one was under the control of Jesus. The bottom line for Paul was that, no matter what, God was in control; God was always with them; and God was always faithful.

 

Thirty years have flown by for us. During those years there have been some very difficult and painful times. Deaths, loss of job, a miscarriage, regretful decisions; things that still hurt even to think about today. But we know that through it all, God has been

God is the Rock that we cling to.

in control, always with us and always faithful.

God is always at work in your life. Just take a look back to see how.

 

“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”                     2 Thessalonians 3:3

 

 

Touched by an Angel

Hebrews 13:1-9

 

 

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”                Hebrews 13:2 RSV

 

Have you ever had an encounter with an angel? From 1994 to 2003 there was a TV show titled “Touched by an Angel”. Most of the episodes involved someone who was at a crossroad in their life. Monica and Tess brought them a message of hope; that God loved them and hadn’t forgotten them, and helped give them guidance.

 

In the Bible, angels make their first appearance in Genesis. Last week we read about the angels that greeted the disciples as they looked for Jesus in the tomb. Angels announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds. They prepared Mary and Joseph for his arrival. They worshiped God in Isaiah’s vision.

 

Angels seem to play a very significant role in the Bible. And yet, I have never had an encounter with one that I am aware of. I have never been touched by angel. Or have I?

 

I grew up in a small town in Michigan and lived in a subdivision full of kids. This subdivision was bordered by M46 on the south side. It was a busy highway and there was a hill that leveled out just as you approached the town. Cars would come flying over that hill just before the speed limit was to slow down.

 

When I was about 10 years old, a friend of mine was hit by a car flying over that hill. A year or so later, I ran out onto that same stretch of road as a car came down the hill. If he had hit me, he could have easily killed me. But he didn’t. He swerved at the last second. I don’t claim that an angel protected me, but who’s to say.

 

Although the passage today mentions angels, I think what is more important is that it presents the character of God. The Message gives us some insight with these words, “God assured us, ‘I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you’”. A few verses later we are reminded that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”.

 

Have you ever been touched by an angel? I don’t know if an angel protected me on that highway as a little boy, but what I do know is that Jesus has always been with me. He never leaves me. He won’t desert me. And if you know Jesus; if he is your Lord and Savior; if he is in your heart; you have been “Touched by an Angel”.