God is my protector.

And so it is, God is my protector. 

I recently found myself in a near dispute over the chaos that has occurred in Japan. The days before I was trying to be an encouragement to a lost friend who found herself in some despair over “car trouble”. My encouragement to her was to speak out her prayer, but that the trick was to speak it in belief! You see, her car wouldn’t start, and when it did the battery would instantly die. She was very fearful that it would require a new alternator, etc. (Costly repairs) I explained to her to drive it to the auto store in the morning and have it tested (for free) so that they could tell her that it was just her battery (not so costly repair)I repeatedly reminded her that she not only had to speak it out, but she had to BELIEVE it! That’s the hard part….even as I was offering her this promise in God, the devil added doubt to my heart. I began to fear…”oh Lord, if you don’t do this for her, then she may not believe” Well, regardless of how I felt, the Lord DID work for her. She replaced her battery and is now in good running condition! How awesome that I was obedient to the Lord, I stepped out in faith, believed God for his promise, shared it with another, and it came through!!!

Now the dispute, this same friend had posted on her social network how she was weeping about the car troubles she had when she turned to the tv and seen the devastation occurring in Japan. In her words, she said she had to apologize to God. It’s a good thing to be broken in others tragedy, but not to a point that we feels as if we can’t continue to ask of God in our own behalf. No she didn’t suffer an earthquake, or a Tsunami. But in her world, her issues were important. It does not make us selfish to ask of God in others time of need, just so long as we continue to ask in their behalf as well. So, her friend replied to her post…..”did God apologize for the devastation in Japan?” Well, it is a public social network, so I found myself at liberty to respond. I replied “no, but he did warn us….just read his book” Apparently I hit a nerve, and this man has a very hardened heart. His response was that he “did read the book, and that he prefers non-fiction, and that most of Japan probably didn’t believe in MY God and the sinners probably had it coming” Oops….sure didn’t mean to open up THAT box! My heart instantly broke. For this man that seems so lost. Maybe God did bring this devastation to Japan. Did he not do the same in Egypt? When they refused to listen to his warnings? Look at the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, What about the time of Noah? I am no Bible scholar….but these recent devastations are no accident, or freak of nature. God has been in control since the beginning of time. But he warns us, he commands us and He protects us! That doesn’t mean that no devastation will come to believers in Christ, but we have peace in knowing who is in control!

I do pray fervently for those affected by these recent events. I pray that they will come to a place to realize who is almighty, who is sovereign and who is in control! I pray that this nation will drop to its knees and cry out to God! For it is God and God alone that can rise them up from this! Let us continue to pray together for this nation, and all of those that grow hard hearted, looking to blame God and become angry with him. Not just for their physical lives, and earthly troubles, but for their eternal lives, their hearts, their salvation!

In the name of Jesus!