I didn't grow up going to church, I have very few memories of the times I did go. I was sent off on the bus by my aunt when I stayed with her so that she and her boyfriend could be alone on Sunday morning. I remember I had to wear those blue plaid pants with the puckered out pockets that I hated and how much I loved my bible study teacher and how he taught us the story of Joseph. I remember the day I came forward and accepted Christ after the Holy Spirit had gotten ahold of me one morning, I was about nine. I always enjoyed singing, there was one song in particular that I remember...
"He's got the whole world, in His hands,in His hands
He's got you and me and brother,in His hands"
You know the one, everybody's heard it. It's fun to clap along with and it's the children's equivalent to a negro spiritual. I think there's a lesson in those words that we as adults would do well to mind. We carry some pretty heavy loads at times, wouldn't it be great if we could just put them in His hands? Truly let them go, trust in Him enough to simply thank Him before we see it, and maybe even spend a little more time with Him?
What would you put in His hands?
Your finances? Your children? your marriage? Your health?
It seems ironic to me that Christian people can profess a faith in God and trust Him with their eternal soul's, and yet not trust Him in this present moment with the simple (to Him) problems of our lives...all I know is that I want Him to be Lord over everything!
In His hands,in His hands"
"He's got the whole world in His hands"
It's nothing more than a children 's song unless we do more than talk about it. Nothing more than a wonderful story until we walk down to the waters edge, stick our foot in, and watch the waters part! That's a place few of us really want to find ourselves, being totally dependent on Him, but that's the blessing I've experienced in a very real way over the past couple of years...But Alton, haven't you just lost your home, your car, and just about everything else you own? Oh, and didn't you spend ten days in jail last year?
YES!
But in the process I've been made keenly aware of my dependence on Him, I've seen the waters part! I was given a car, provided with food, a job, a place to live without charge, and in spite of everything I have PEACE! He's given me a ministry that continues to bring meaning and fulfillment to my life, and an opportunity for me to boast about the unmerited favor of God and all of the great things the Lord has done for ME!
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Romans 1:5
Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
2 Timothy 4:5
5 But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.
Life can turn on a dime, this morning at four AM I was awakened by my brother in law who informed me that there was an unknown person in our bath tub. A 19 year old young man who had a four wheeler accident down the road from our house had walked into our house and sat down in our bathtub and proceeded to draw himself a bath...very strange indeed! We called an ambulance and they came out and got him. I'm quite sure that when he took off on that ride he never anticipated ending up in some strange peoples' bathtub!
The complexities of my situation, my choices,and a few bad breaks have led me to where I'm at now (my own variety of hot water) which is as I said a point in which I have no other good alternatives that I'm aware of other than to do what I'm doing which is to take each day as it comes, thank God for His grace on me, and be so glad that I'm in His hands!
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