"The Mighty Fortress"

"The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy law." (Psalms 119:61)

  Just in case you might not realize this, there is nowhere we can go that is too far from God! Even if you might have been taken there against your will, He is always just a turn away, always! If everything else is stripped away, would you still hold fast to your faith in God? This is quite a simple little test, but it only works when it happens. We can see several different times in David's life that this test was administered, and each time, David passed the test. If your view of God is that of a Mighty Fortress, then in Him you will find refuge through any storm and every circumstance. Oddly enough, I am always quick to trust God in the big issues; if there is nothing I can do, then it is all I can do, to put my trust in Him. It is the little things that will always cause me to get upset. Technology is the worst, whatever it is that messes up, whether it is the computer or my phone, if it is not working right, I have no control over my patience. My mother-in-law always tells me to pray about it, but I just want to smash it and buy a new one. If you want to pray for me, then there is an area that could use some improvement, dealing with stuff! The way I see it, if man can't do it, then it is a God thing; but if it can be done by man, then God won't touch it. At least that is what I have come to understand of how God works; but He uses people to provide for His people, so in that regard, man gets to participate in God's work. Isn't that awesome how that works! You might have heard the joke about that? It involves a flood, and a man that is holding out for God to save him from the flood. The first responder is a guy in a 4 x 4, who dives up to the house and says, "Get in the truck buddy, I will drive you to safety!" And the guy answers back, "I am waiting for God to rescue me!" The second responder is a guy in a boat, as he floats by the house and the guy in the house is hanging out the second story window, he says, "Get in the boat, and I will take you to safety!" And the guy hanging out the window says, "I am waiting for God to rescue me!" The third responder is a guy in a helicopter, who lets down a rope to the guy that is now on his roof, and he says, "Grab the rope, and I will bring you up to safety!" And the guy of the roof replies, "I am waiting for God to save me!" So, the guy waiting for God to save him dies, goes to heaven, and stands in the presence of God, asking, "God, I put all of my trust in you to save me, why did you let me drown?" And God replies, "I sent you a truck, a boat, and a helicopter, what more did you expect me to do?" Maybe it all will work out in the end after all...

"Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, "I will take revenge; I will pay them back," says the LORD. Instead, "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads." Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by dong good." (Romans 12:17-21) NLT