Thoughtful Thursday--He's Got the Whole World In His Hands...and we can't lose sight of that.

If you are a Christian, you are watching what is unfolding in Israel today and tonight with a rock in your stomach and goosebumps on your arms.

Today, after days of punishing rockets hits targeting women, children and everyday civilians, more than 200 in all since the past Saturday, some fired at times designed to hit schoolchildren on their way home from school and inflict the most casualties they can...

Israel retaliated.

Decisively.

With as little injury to bystanders as possible.

But without leaving a question in the mind of anyone who saw how precise the hits and subsequent explosions were...that Hamas, and the other jihad groups that have been hounding Israel had just woken a very lethal tiger.

It is true that we are living in a time that many dreaded, and prayed to be a part of for centuries. 

We are watching as the beginning of the birth pains happen.

 Let me give you the text I have pulled some of this Scripture from:

"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed.Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and Kindgom against Kingdom. There will be famines, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of the birth pains."

 (Matthew 24:6-8)

Sounds like all those things could be ripped from the headlines of today's newspapers right?

And we will see it unfold before us as the birth pains intensify, the time quickly drawing nearer for us to see our faith become our sight, and worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

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I am watching this battle with Israel and considering how much it reminds me of the Biblical account of David and Goliath. Israel is little David, armed only with a sling and stones (actually the most advanced military in the world, but who is counting? LOL), surrounded by a slew of giants waiting to rush over the borders and destroy them. Why should so many countries hate such one little country? because that is the way it has been since the beginning of Abraham, the father of both Ishmael and Issac, one child born out of a woman's desires to force the hand of God and rush His timing on a promise, and the other child the one promised child that would be the "laughter" of Abraham's old age, and whose descendants would be without number like the stars.

From one, Ishmael, was born the many races of Arabs, who mixed with other ancient peoples living there at the time, and from Issac came the people of God, the Israelites. The Old Testament books of the Bible follow the progress of the two half-brothers, one rejected and forced away from the home he had known with his mother, who was a slave and left to die in the desert. The other raised by Abraham, and Sarah (once named Sarai) to become all that had been promised.

Enmity was the natural result.

A good lesson for those of us who get impatient waiting for God to fulfill his promises to us, so we think we can make it happen on our own.

The end result is so much worse than we can imagine.

And as you can see, it will just begin here, and escalate from here on out.

This pot has been simmering for a while.

Only God knows when the pressure hits the place where things are unsustainable and they will explode, much like a pressure cooker on high and unattended.

But we can not lose sight of two very important things in this day of upheaval, and uncertainty.

Number one: God is super clear about Israel.

They are HIS chosen people, and anyone who does not stand with them, stands against God himself. Just thinking of that phrase sends that rock right back into my stomach. You see, I am part of a country that by word SAYS they stand by one of their strongest allies, but who in DEED has done just the opposite. I dont want to be on the losing team in this battle. Think Sodom and Gomorrah, the story of Jonah and the whale, the fall of Jericho,

or of the many peoples who have thus far tried to eradicate the Jews.

Yeah, no thanks. Put me on the Lord's side any day. Seriously.

And that is what leads to Number Two:

He's got the WHOLE WORLD in His hands.

He is not asleep.

He knows what is happening.

While to us, we quake in our boots and call for mercy,

 HE KNOWS we are drawing near to the final curtain, 

and the time where the world will need to make a choice. 

It will get harder

and harder

and harder 

to try to draw any kind of a veil 

between the supernatural and the natural things that we see. 

And all of mankind will be left with a single choice.

For Him.

Or against Him.

And for those of us who are already followers of the Way, who love and have devoted our lives to following Jesus Christ, we need to remember this world is not our home.

We are just strangers here, meant to make a difference with what we have been given.

The time grows short.

The night seems darkest right before the dawn.

So trust the Lord, pray for Israel, and check your lamps.

Matthew 25: 

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³ The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴ The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵ The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶ “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

⁷ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.  

⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

⁹ “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. 

Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

¹¹ “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

¹² “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

¹³ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."

Many Blessings to you and yours,

Heather

It is this that I am thankful for today---that He never sleeps or slumbers, that He knows when I sit and when I rise. That He loves me and has His hand on me. That is enough for me. What are YOU thankful for today?