"By His Word"

 "And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. Then inquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house." (John 4:51-53 KJV)

  "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11 KJV)

 Maybe one of the most sleepless nights I have had in quite a long while; that's what I get for staying in bed for over a 36 hours, my bed became very uncomfortable! Interesting enough, this is one of those times where Jesus uses a rebuke, to get the attention of the subject; or as Matthew Henry puts it, "Christ first shows him his sin and weakness, to prepare him for mercy, and then grants his request." 

 Now I know that not everyone will agree with me on what I am saying; it is only evident in the way so many churches are headed, that putting the word of God first and foremost, is not really the big ticket item on the church bulletins, or the highlight of the service, to study God's word. I hardly see more than half the people at church with a Bible; as smart phones and tablets have become the new way to show up for church. Call me old fashion, but I like to take notes, so pen and paper in my Bible, that's how I roll! 

 Besides that, God's word is so unending and enriching; why would anyone choose to not dig in and get fed? Excuse me for saying so, but it is not for the good of the church, that is for sure. I do believe that we are surely living in the last days. As I watched the news last night, I imagined what it would be like to be one of those people running for their lives, trying to flee the country to avoid being killed; and I thought of myself turning back to face death, imagining what that would be like. Maybe that explains a little about my sleepless night? 

 Before you scoff and shrug off that illustration, if your belief is grounded on something that does not change, or is not based upon smoke and mirrors, then it will not matter what happens around you, because you are always in God's care, not the world's care...

"The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." (Psalms 103:6-12 KJV)