Pastor’s Corner

Trivia:

You all amazed me, for I guessed the wrong answer to this question. Which states saw the most fighting during the Civil War? According to the Civil War Advisory Commission, Virginia saw the most combat during the Civil War with 123 battles, while Tennessee saw 38 and Missouri fought 29 battles.

Here’s an interesting trivia factoid. Which of the following cities aren’t a neighboring city of the greater New York City? Harlem; Tribeca; Santa Monica; Little Italy?

Challenge:

Psalm 107:33-43 “He changes rivers into deserts, and springs of water into dry, thirsty land. 34 He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands, because the wickedness of those who live there. 35 But He also turns deserts into pools of water, the dry land into springs of water. 36 He brings the hungry to settle there and to build their cities. 37 They sow their fields, plant their vineyards, and harvest their bumper crops. 38 How He blesses them! They raise large families there, and their herds of livestock increase. 39 When they decrease in number and become impoverished through oppression, trouble, and sorrow, 40 the Lord pour contempt on their princes, causing them to wander in trackless wastelands. 41 But He rescues the poor fron trouble and increases their families like flocks of sheep. 42 The godly will see these things and be glad, while the wicked are struck silent. 43 Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in history the faithful love of the Lord.”

Well you may be thinking, “Just what can be learned from all of these recorded events of the past?”

As I have meditated on this section of this chapter, I have been struck by the saying in the last two verses.

Verse 42 proclaims this thought “The godly will see these things and be glad,”

The first part of verse 43 states for us this, “Those who are wise will take all of this to heart;”

In other words, they will observe the many events in history and recognize two things:

1) When any individual or group of people rebel, or refuse to acknowledge God, or just

ignore God they will experience these things:

Verse 33 Rivers and springs drying up

Verse 34 Fruitful land becoming salty wastelands because of the people wickedness

2) While at the same time, those who strive to obey and honor God in their lives and seek

to pass on their love and honor of God to others they will experience this: Verse 35 God will prosper them by turning dry desert into pools and springs flowing

with refreshing water

Verse 36 He will cause them to become prosperous

Verse 38 Families will become healthy and prosperous, as well as their cattle will

increase in number

Verse 40 When their leaders turn from God and have contempt on them and their

God they will suffer many hardships

Verse 41 God will rescue His people from these wicked leaders & cause them to

experience many increases

Now we may be asking ourselves; “What is God attempting to teach us from these verses?”

As I see it He is really trying to accomplish two things:

1) Reach out to those who have become rebellious in order to guide them to see His love for them

Help them see that His ultimate desire is to bring blessing to their lives, and through the

hardship that their wickedness brings upon their lives see that He is striving to get their

attention so that He can guide them to understand that His ultimate desire is bless them

2) He is attempting to point out to all of mankind through HISTORY; (His Story) His desire to

pour out His love on all of mankind, through the way that He blesses those following Him.

SO GO WITH GOD for then Our Loving Father can pour out His blessings on us and at the same time draw those who don’t know of His love to visibly see His desire to love them.