Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEVER FORGET, GOD IS IN CHARGE –

While Jehoshaphat was trying to bring Judah back from the brink of destruction by instituting a new judicial system, building up Judah’s defenses, tearing down all the idols and reestablishing worship to God as the centerpiece of his administration, a large force of surrounding nations decided to invade Judah. God had given Jehoshaphat such success and blessed him with so much wealth and power that they feared he would try to expand his kingdom, and they wanted to stop him before he got started. He learned that sometimes God’s blessings can cause others to become resentful, but this did not cause him to walk away from God’s will and purpose for his life.

“O One True God say something; don’t just stand there with your mouth closed, do something my divine King. Don’t You see that these out of control people hate us, and their hatred for us is all because of Your favor? They conspire to take away the rights of those You hold dear. They want to eliminate us from society and end our influence to the point no one will remember us. Their intentions are firm, and they’ve even made a pact against You. O One True God, cause them to start going around in circles, like a pile of dead leaves whirling in the wind. Make it so hot for them they will feel like they’ve been caught in an inferno that is overtaking them to the point they will become terrified by Your rebuke. Cause them to lose face so that they will come to know who they are dealing with, O LORD Eternal. Make the failure of their efforts public, so that they run off and hide in disgrace. Yes, let them learn that You and You alone are the LORD Eternal, the Most High God over heaven and earth.” Psalm 83:1-5,13-18

Reflection: No too many years ago at a meeting of the American Psychological Association, Jack P. Lipton and R. Scott Builione presented their findings on how the members of various sections of eleven major symphony orchestras view each other. Some saw percussionists as insensitive, unintelligent, and hard-of-hearing; yet, very fund-loving. They described strings players as arrogant, stuffy, and nonathletic. They overwhelmingly chose “loud” as the primary adjective to describe brass players. They held woodwind players in high esteem, but described them as quiet and meticulous, though a bit egotistical. Lipton and Builion wondered how a group with such divergent personalities and perceptions could get along and make such wonderful music together. The answer: regardless of how those musicians viewed each other, they all subordinated their feelings and biases to the leadership of the conductor. It was through his leadership and guidance they were able to make music that caused the audience to applaud. The Psalmists found himself learning a similar lesson. Because there was so much discord all around him, at first he appealed to the Heavenly Conductor to dismiss them all. But God’s silence was a signal for him to listen. God directs the affairs of this world and his chosen are members of His orchestra. Sometimes we all need to subordinate our biases and feelings and let Him be the conductor. How else are we going to prove to the world that the Most High God is in charge!

BIBLICAL OATH FOR JUDGES –

King Jehoshaphat was one of Judah’s most dedicated kings. After starting his reign he traveled around the country, going as far north as Ephraim and then south to Beersheba. He saw so much idolatry; graft and corruption that he decided to cleanse the land of these ungodly abominations. So he appointed judges and warned them against accepting bribes or being afraid of rulings that require courage. The sons of Asaph were so impressed that they wrote this song to be sung as a stark reminder to the judges to honor Jehoshaphat’s commitment to truth and fairness.

“Our One True God is present in each courtroom; He wants to administer justice through good judges. Therefore, stop letting your biases and favoritism to lawbreakers become a pattern. Rule in favor of victims who are poor and alone; it’s your duty to protect those who are abused and abandoned. Don’t let the guilty get away with crimes against helpless and destitute people. Some judges just don’t get it; they refuse to accept evidence presented in the case. They seem out of touch with reality, and their rulings are causing our society to collapse. We call you judges, ‘Your Honor,’ because we expect you to have the highest qualities. But remember, you’re human too, and the day will come when you give up the bench like all those before you. So we call on our One True God, ‘Exert Yourself in our judicial system, because everyone on earth is depending on You’.” Psalm 82:1-8

Reflection: In the opening lines of the American Declaration of Independence we find this resolution: “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” In the original draft, the words actually read, “We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable.” While we humans may find this concept impossible to enforce in every situation, it does reflect the way God sees and handles man’s affairs. God set out His legal system in Ezekiel 18:1-23, telling us He will treat everyone according to their own actions and responsibilities. Although God stated that the person who knowingly sins will pay the price for their actions, He also says that if they turn from their evil ways and start living according to His ways they can be saved. This promise was given to everyone regardless of their wealth, influence, fame, or heritage. Surely God is just! The psalmist presented a strong argument that is just as valid and legal in our day as it was back then. Therefore we join the psalmist in calling on God to intervene and straighten out the crooked ways permeating our present judicial system. But we do not have to wait for some divine intervention in the judiciary, we can begin with ourselves, and how we treat each other.

MOST IMPORTANT CALL –

“Get loud and be happy as you sing songs to the One True God of all believers. Get even louder when the drums start to beat and the strings reach a crescendo, in response to the beautiful music being played. Let the trumpets announce, ‘It’s celebration time!’ This is what God expects from His people and what He asks us to do amidst people who do not speak our language. For He says, ‘I took away your burden and freed you from your cares, when you secretly cried out to Me from your heart. Yes, I answered you openly with power, after you passed the test of faith I required of you’.” Psalm 81:1-7

Reflection: A mother and father asked their son to follow this simple rule whenever he left the house to go visit a friend: As soon as you arrive, call us and let us know you arrived safely. On one visit the boy forgot to call. So when he got home his parents warned him that the next time it happened he’d be forced to return home immediately and be grounded for a week. Sure enough, on his next visit the telephone remained silent. So the father went to the phone to call the house where the boy had gone. As he dialed the number he asked God for wisdom, and the Holy Spirit spoke to his heart and said, “Treat him like I would treat you.” The phone at the other house rang once and the father quickly hung up. Seconds later the father’s phone rang, and when he answered he heard his boy exclaim, “I’m here, Dad! We started playing and I forgot to call. But as soon as I heard the phone ring I knew it was you and that’s why I’m calling back right away to let you know I’m okay.” No one should think that our heavenly Father just waits for a chance to punish us whenever we step out of line. Most likely, He’ll ring more than once as a signal for us to call Him back. The Psalmist knew that the people of Jerusalem stopped calling God back years earlier, even though God warned of punishment if they did not listen to His advice. So in a way the Psalmist is pleading with the people to take what was happening to them as God’s wake-up call. If a father with a human heart stands ready to understand his son’s mistake and forgive him for letting himself be distracted, and through such inattention lapse into disobedience, how much more will our heavenly Father, with a heart full of divine compassion be ready to forgive us. He may ask us to sit in the corner for a while and think about what we have done, but in the end He will wipe the slate clean when we acknowledge our error and ask His forgiveness. When was the last time you called your heavenly Father? He might be waiting to hear from you right now. So go ahead and call Him.

GOD’S DISCIPLINE IS NOT REJECTION –

Some of the saddest times in the history of Israel occurred when foreign armies invaded and attempted to destroy everything sacred to them. Shishak from Egypt; Sennacherib from Assyria; and Nebuchadnezzar from Babylon were all heathen kings who did not respect the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The sons of Asaph who served in the temple were affected most of all, because it put them to shame and left their ministry in shambles. But they never lost hope that their dedication to the mission given them would prompt God to spare them and restore them so they could do His will. They realized that even though they lost a battle, the war was not lost forever.

“O Shepherd of Israel, the One who tends His children like a flock; who sits enthroned between the angels; let everyone around us see that you are leading us by displaying Your power by which we are saved. O One True God, take us back; let us feel Your blessed assurance of salvation. O LORD Eternal, the One True God of Heaven’s Army, don’t let the prayers of Your people go unanswered because they angered You. You’ve filled our plates with bread made from tears, and filled our bowls with tears to drink; it turned our neighbors against us so they mock us behind our backs. O One True God of Heaven’s Army, take us back; let us once again feel that blessed assurance that we will be delivered. Be ours again, O One True God; look down on us with compassion. You put us here; You made us what we are. We’ve been hurt; the pain of your rebuke is like fire. So signal the anointed One next to You; the Son You chose; to keep us from straying again. Yes, revive us again so we can lift You up in praise. O One True God, take us back; let us feel Your blessed assurance of salvation.” Psalm 80:1-7, 14-18

Reflection: In the 1970’s, a distraught, hostile man slipped into St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome, and with a hammer began smashing Michelangelo’s beautiful sculpture, The Pieta. In 1990 an angry man rushed through the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam, Holland, ran up to Rembrandt’s famous painting Nightwatch, and began dousing it with acid. What did the curators do in response to the damage done to these two cherished works of art? Did they throw them away and forget about them? Absolutely not! Using the finest experts, who worked with the utmost care and precision, they made sure that every effort was made to restore these priceless treasures. My mother use to sing this song so beautifully, that it always left me with tears in my eyes, because it reminded me of my own life. It is called:

“The Brush.”

Life started out like a canvas, and God started painting on me,
But I took the paintbrush from Jesus, and painted what I wished to see.
The colors I painted kept running, and the objects were all out of size,
I had made a mess of my painting; my way now seemed so unwise.

Then I gave my painting to Jesus, all the colors, all the pieces so wrong.
In the markets of earth it was worthless, but His blood made my painting belong.
He worked with no condemnation; He never mentioned the mess I had made.
Then He dipped His brush in the rainbow, and signed it, the price has been paid.

When I gave the brush back to Jesus, when I gave the brush back to Him,
He started all over life’s canvas to fill, when I gave to Jesus the brush of my will.

(A low vocal demo can be heard at this link): http://music.christwill.com/accompaniment-tracks/the-brush-127152.html

God’s children are a precious treasure to Him, and the Psalmist believed that their heavenly Father would repair any damage done by disrespectful and godless people, and restore them to their rightful place as one of His masterpieces. He acknowledged that sometimes His beloved were careless and did not esteem all that He had done for them. Nevertheless, just like the art curators, He will work to put back together those things in our lives that have been marred due to carelessness or attacks by others who do not respect what God has done in our lives.

GOD’S DISCIPLINE IS NOT DAMNATION –

When Judah was being invaded by heathen forces, many of God’s people spent days and hours agonizing before God, trying to find something to give them hope that all King David and Solomon did to erect a place of worship would not be ruined by these infidels. The writer of this psalm wanted to make sure that future generations would not forget what can happen when believers begin to disregard God’s will and God’s ways. But at the same time he expressed how God’s steadfast love and patience can endure, even when His own people seem helpless or unwilling to act. When bad things came to good people the Psalmist did not want the people to automatically conclude that God was mad at them and wanted to see them suffer. Too often God’s people felt punished when in fact it was designed to motivate them to grow stronger through their struggle because of things they would face up ahead.

“O LORD Eternal, please don’t hold our past mistakes against us; we need Your compassion now because we’ve reached the end of our rope. Help us, O One True God our Savior, as You’ve been known to do; You paid the price to cover our failures because Your reputation was at stake. We don’t want unbelievers asking, ‘doesn’t their One True God care?’ Let them see that You won’t let Your children suffer needlessly without taking action. You’ve heard all the prayers of Your children who feel taken advantage of; let people see how great You are by delivering them from certain ruin. Make our enemies eat their words spoken against You, and heap upon them what they wished for Your people. Then those You love and care for will magnify You with testimonies of praise, forever and ever.” Psalm 79:8-13

Reflection: You can only imagine what the church staff thought when they saw their pastor wheel into the church parking lot in a pickup truck; back it across the lawn to his office door; begin to empty his study of files, books, plaques, diplomas, and other paraphernalia; carelessly tossing them into the back of the truck in a heap without asking for any help, then getting in and driving away in a hurry. Later they learned that he drove straight to the city dump where he threw everything onto the trash heap with little regret. Soon they found out that this was his way of putting behind him the overwhelming sense of failure he felt in the ministry. Things were not going the way he thought they should, and he was not appreciated enough for all his hard work. Too bad he didn’t read what the great inventor Charles Kettering suggested, that a person must learn to fail intelligently. Kettering wrote, “Once you’ve failed, analyze the problem and find out why, because each failure is one more step leading up to the cathedral of success; the only time you don’t want to fail is the last time you try.” Asaph’s descendants knew it was one thing to watch a person suffer while being disciplined; but it was another when people stand by and laugh, thereby making fun of a hurting and humiliated individual. Such action can do irreparable damage to that person’s relationship with you and destroy their faith in God. Instead, the Psalmist asks God to put His arms around them; let them know that He still loved them and wouldn’t walk out and leave them to stew in their grief. If anyone understands what’s going on in a believer’s heart and mind during discipline, it’s God. So instead of being upset with the Lord and pushing Him away, everyone is better served by trusting Him and letting Him hold them in His arms until they learn their lesson and are ready to move on to victory.

In King James Version rendering of 2 Kings 18:17 we read, “And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem.” On the surface it appears that Tartan, Rabsaris, and Rabshakeh were high ranking Syrian government officials. But a study of Near East documents reveals that these were titles, not names. Thus, the New International Version renders it, “The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander, his chief officer and his field commander with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem.” By the same token, in Acts 8:27, the KJV has, “And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians.” This implies Ethiopia’s queen was named Candace. But research into manuscripts from that era give a different connotation. Therefore, the NIV has, “So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means ‘queen of the Ethiopians’).” That’s why the study of God’s word with comparative studies of documents available from that time in history will help clarify what translators sometimes miss. The same is true when we use words such as “salvation,” “redemption,” “condemnation,” “repentance,” and other important phrases. This information is easily available, you just need the urge, motivation and dedication to find it, so it can be used for the enlightenment of believers and done to the glory of God the Father. Take Paul’s words to young Timothy to heart. I like the way the Amplified Version puts it: “Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15.) – Dr. Robert R. Seyda

Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh were born and lived in Iran all their lives. Raised as Muslims, both women grew dissatisfied with the teachings of the Koran and converted to Christianity after personal encounters with Jesus Christ. Sensing a call from God, Marziyeh and Maryam spent several years in Tehran passing out Bibles and talking about Jesus. Said Marziyeh, “We decided to cover all parts of Tehran. We usually went at night and distributed Bibles in mailboxes. Every day we went shopping or to restaurants and talked to people, often handing them a New Testament. We also started a house church for young people and another for prostitutes. All of this is illegal and dangerous because no one is allowed to talk about any religion except Islam. Maryam tells that for the first two years they just distributed Bibles. They sometimes had thousands of New Testaments in their basement. As time went on and less and less interest was shown for the message and testimony, the women became somewhat discouraged. One day Maryam told Marziyeh that she would carry 10 New Testaments to the mountain area outside Tehran, because there are always many people vacationing there. She went to the mountain area, and after two to three hours she returned home. She couldn’t give even one New Testament to anybody. Said Maryam, “We suspected that something was going to happen, that there would be a change in our lives. We thought maybe our mission was going in a different direction. But that’s when their world turned upside down. Without warning, overzealous young men, who were members of the radical Islamic ruling party, suddenly showed up unannounced and began to question them and ransack their apartment. It was good they passed out many of the bibles they had stored, because the day they were arrested they had only 190 books in their apartment. Said Maryam, “If we would have had 7,000 New Testaments in our apartment that day, our chances of ever being freed would have been nil.” After the radicals found some Christian literature and CDs that had little to do with Christianity, they continuously interrogated the women before they arrested them in 2009 for promoting Christianity, and were ordered to renounce their faith or face execution. Refusing to turn from Christ, the women spent terror-filled months in the women’s ward of one of Iran’s most notorious correctional institutions, Evin Prison, where they saw the harsh effects of Islamic law on women. But even there they found hearts that were open to the hope found only in Jesus Christ. As word got out about their arrest and treatment, calls went out all over the world for believers to pray for their safety and release. After hours and hours of intercession, along with international pressure from the United Nations, Amnesty International, and other human rights groups, the women were finally released in November 2009. God then made it possible for them to leave Iran to continue ministry through writing and speaking in the United States. They finally obtained their U.S. citizenship while living near Atlanta, Georgia. This story should give every believer the motivation to continue to pray for those around the world who are suffering for the cause of Christ. Prayer does make a difference.

HAVE YOU DONE YOUR PART –

The Psalmist was convinced that with the threat of an invasion by the heathen Assyrian king Sennacherib, God’s people needed to get back to the basics of what they had been taught. The nation had drifted away from those principles that made them the object of God’s favor and protection. If conquered, there was the possibility that they would be deported into foreign countries like the Israelites to the north. Asaph’s son wanted to make sure that they and their children knew who they were and where God had brought them from in order for them to have the motivation to survive. So they wrote this reminder to serve as a wake-up call for God’s people to get back to being the people of God.

“All God’s children, please be open minded to what I’m about to tell you; yes, listen carefully to what I’m about to say. I’ll begin with an illustration to explain deep truths from the past; truths we were taught and came to believe, passed on to us by our elders. Let us not keep these truths from our children, so they can pass them on to their children. Let us give praise to the LORD Eternal for everything He’s done and the wonders He has performed for us. He instituted a system for our ancestors, and ordained procedures for our people, instructing our forefathers to teach these truths to their children. He wanted future generations, and those yet unborn, to learn these truths as well, so they too could pass them on to their children; in order that they might learn to trust in the One True God, and not forget what their Heavenly King did for them; to obey His instruction so they would not end up becoming a hardheaded and contentious generation; yes, to prevent them from being a generation with insincere hearts, straying away from being dedicated to the One True God’s will and purpose for their lives.” Psalm 78:1-8

Reflection: In one introduction to “Causes for the Fall of the Roman Empire,” we find a list of major factors that brought on its collapse. Put in modern language, we see frightening similarities of what is happening today: (1) Antagonism between the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch of the federal government. (2) Decline of morals in society. (3) Political corruption and the excessive power given to the Executive Branch advisers and staff. (4) Fast expansion of the Federal Government’s influence. (5) Constant Wars and Heavy Military Spending. (6) Known enemies having access to military secrets. (7) Failing Economy. (8) High unemployment in the Middle Class. (9) Civil disobedience and unrestrained demonstrations. (10) Drastic decline in Ethics and Values, especially among the countries leadership. (11) Uncontrolled expansion of undocumented workers. (12) Increase in natural disasters. Another item listed involved the fact that the pagan religion of the Romans was being eclipsed by the rise of Christianity in their midst; eventually becoming the state religion. In modern terms we see the reverse: the basic tenets of Christianity giving way to atheism and pagan philosophies and becoming a secular society. As Asaph’s son realized for his fellow Jews, so must we awaken to the truth that unless our children are given a strong and solid foundation to stand on, they too may become victims of the growing tidal wave of those who are falling away in these last days. We must remember that Jesus prophesied that this would happen, but promised that those who remained faithful until the end would be saved.

GOD CAN’T BE CHANGED –

When Syrian king Sennacherib invaded northern Israel, many of Asaph’s descendants fled south to Judah to become involved in the temple music ministry there. They had seen how Israel slowly decayed into an idolatrous nation, and when this despot came roaring in their new gods could not save them. But now that same heathen monarch wanted to take over Judah as well. One of Asaph’s sons now feared that the humiliation Israel suffered in Samaria under these idol worshipers would become Judah’s fate in Jerusalem. But, inspired by the prophet Habakkuk’s writings he composed a song about standing on God’s promises.

“I admit, sometimes I yell when I pray to make sure my One True God hears and pays attention to me. For whenever I am stressed I run straight to my Heavenly Master. Yet, though my heart was bleeding inside and my eyes were streaming with tears all night it didn’t seem to help. I try my best to understand why my One True God doesn’t answer, but it just makes me that much more miserable and fainthearted. Questioning You, O Master, keeps my eyes open all night; I’m so frustrated it leaves me speechless. This causes me to think back on the good old days years and years ago. During the night I begin to hum the songs I used to sing and I reflect on those times and I began to wonder what happened. ‘Will my Master abandon me? Does He still care? Does He still love me? Has He forgotten what He promised me? Has He no pity, no compassion?’ Then it dawned on me, I may have brought all this on myself. It’s not Him; He hasn’t changed; He’s still the same. Then I recalled the wonderful things my Master did for me and decided to write them down and think them over. I concluded, our One True God is unchangeable; there’s no god like Him; He’s the One who makes things happen; He’s the one who shows everyone how great He is; nothing can ever stand in His way.” Psalm 77:1-14

Reflection: Years ago a football coach took his team into the locker room at halftime trailing the other team by three touchdowns. He stared at his players sitting around with their heads down; with desperate looks clouding their faces. After getting their attention he told them with a calm and reassuring voice, “I don’t mind when my men get knocked down, run over, and laid out flat trying to win a game. But when they refuse to stand back up, that’s when I know we’ve lost any chance to win. But even if we do lose, as long as I know you will keep standing back up I’ll be proud of you; your parents, friends, and fans will be proud of you.” One by one he asked each player, “If you are ready to go back out and try your best to win, stand up!” Soon the whole team was on their feet. They charged back out on the field and won the game. Just like the coach, the Psalmist knew that God did not promise we would never get knocked down, but He did promise to always be there to help us stand back up and keep going; He was not going to give up on us, even if we gave up on ourselves. However, He leaves the decision to get back on our feet up to us. Remember, if you want to be on the mountain top, you must first go through a valley to get there; if you want to be victorious, first you must fight a battle. So, to follow the coach’s advice and be like the Psalmist in letting God help you triumph, you must accept the responsibility to stand up and follow Him. No path God selects for us to follow ever leads to defeat, they all lead to victory. That’s what should motivate us; that’s what should encourage us to always stand back up and tell the Lord, I’m ready to go on because I know You will go with me.

IS GOD WAITING ON YOU TO BELIEVE –

Everyone living in Judah saw the havoc that Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, brought on their brethren along the coast of Israel. But now it was their turn as Sennacherib decided he wanted to rule over Judah as well. They felt so ill prepared to repel the mighty force of this heathen monarch. Why didn’t God do something to stop this tyrant before he got so close? Why must they live in fear when their God was more powerful than this despot? However, when King Sennacherib’s troops reached Mt. Zion’s slopes, God took over. His defeat of this great Assyrian army caused the descendants of Asaph to write a psalm to commemorate that victory. Thus, it became a song for all God’s people to sing down through the ages as a reminder of God’s support for the people who trust Him to do His best for their best.

“Our One True God is revered by His people in Judah; yes, He is renown in Israel because of who He is. His presence has been established in His sanctuary in the City of Peace; He lives among His people in Zion. He was there to brake all the fiery arrows shot from the bows of their enemies; putting an end to every conflict by smashing their shields and breaking their swords. You were brilliant in the way You defending the holy mountain under assault. Even the battled-hardened among the enemy were fatally wounded and stripped of their weapons, making these foreign troops unable to carry out a successful attack. O One True God, You spoke and both horse and chariot froze in terror; yes, You proved to be awesome! Who can possibly stand up against You once You decide to take action? From on high You declared victory; and Your people, though gripped with fear, calmed down as they saw You O One True God rise to carry out Your plan to deliver all those in the land unable to fight back against the enemy. One day even the fiercest of Your enemies will kneel before You; yes, our One True God will bring them to their knees. So everyone everywhere join in and give the LORD Eternal our One True God all the praise He deserves. For He keeps in check all those who rule without compassion, thereby inspiring reverence for Him among all those in power.” Psalm 76:1-12

Reflection: Years ago whenever the well-known infidel Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll would deliver one of his lectures against religion and the Bible, his fame and oratorical ability always assured him of large crowds of both admirers and skeptics. Although he was the son of a Congregational minister, his father’s own liberal thinking clashed with those of the conservative congregation and this ignited the flame of doubt in young Ingersol’s mind. Even though he was a civil war veteran and trained as a lawyer, he found his most popular forum was that of bashing politics, the clergy, and the Bible. Sometimes he attracted crowds numbering over 50,000. After one very inflammatory speech in which he severely attacked people’s faith in God, he dramatically took out his pocket watch and said loudly, “I’ll give God a chance to prove that He exists and is almighty; I challenge Him to strike me dead within 5 minutes!” Dead silence came over a stunned audience; as the time ticked away people began to grow uneasy. Some left the hall, unable to take the nervous strain, and the increasing suspense caused one woman to faint. At the end of the allotted time the atheist exclaimed derisively, “See! There is no God. Look, I’m still alive!” After the lecture a young fellow saw a Christian lady he knew and said to her, “Well, Ingersoll certainly proved something tonight!” Her reply was memorable. “Yes he did,” she said. “He proved God isn’t taking orders from atheists.” When my father told this story, he ended it this way: “The Christian lady replied, ‘Yes he did. He proved you cannot exhaust God’s patience in 5 minutes.’” Either way, God’s patience proves to be more powerful than any weapon the enemy might throw at His people. In this psalm the writer illustrates how sometimes God’s patience proved to be more powerful than any weapon the enemy might throw at His people. So often believers want God to act or react within seconds after the wicked make their threat. It helps to remember God chose to wait over 400 years before bringing His children out of Egypt; he allowed David to run for years from Saul before letting him become king; He caused Hezekiah to experience tremendous fear and anxiety before bringing the threat of invasion against him to an end. It all worked out according to God’s will and purpose, and that’s what counts in the long run. We all may become frustrated with God’s method of dealing with our enemies, but never make the mistake of trying to outguess our Heavenly Father.