Gary Mayer

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You must think I am crazy to entitle this blog in such an outlandish way, even insensitive.  We have all seen the anguish, the death, the suffering.  That we know for sure.  But is there a silver lining?   Does, in fact, God work things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His will?

There is a deep truth that our trials and tribulations can be a friend.  John Wright Follette in his book “Broken Bread” states:  “Trouble is not to be reasoned with; she is utterly unreasonable.  She is to be used.”  There is a principle in scripture that God’s judgment, that shaking in our lives is to be used to bring us to Himself.  I am not saying that this earthquake is God’s judgment.  Let’s not try to reason here about this trouble.  But you see it in the book of Judges over and over.  You see it in Hag. 2:6-7, Ps. 78:34-35, Is. 19:22, Ez. 30:19 and many many more.  Have a look and see for yourself.  God often brings revival out of tragedy.  We even see the nation of Israel born out of the Holocaust.

I was brought to tears when I saw reports showing live pictures of a line of believers walking through the rubble strewn streets singing hymns.  They are singing “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine.”  More reports are emerging from the rubble in this tragedy.  The pastor of the Church of God in Port au Prince tells some amazing things.  This is a church of 3000.  When the quake hit there were 250 in the building when it began to shake.  They rushed out, but six did not make it.  Many, including the pastor, lost their homes.  The Lord told her the church was to continue to meet in the midst of the hardships.  So they are meeting daily outside in a tent.  Guess what.  Yes, many are coming to the Lord.  One woman and her eight children gave their lives to the Lord.  Others are returning to Him

The pastor goes on to say “Everyone in our church has been fasting since the day of the earthquake, asking the Lord to restore our nation so that we can one day be a light for Jesus.” Wonderful.  Awesome.  Amazing.  You won’t hear that on BBC, but God IS in the shadows, working, drawing, saving, redeeming.  It is His nature.

Let us join our hearts with the Haitian Christians and fast and pray for revival on that island.  And let us examine ourselves.  Are we prepared to do the same if such a thing ever strikes our land?  Food for thought.  A target to aim for.  Lord help us.  Mature us.

Gary Mayer

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We are watching today the traditional New Years Day concert from Vienna by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.  It is the largest classical music event in the world, viewed in 74 countries including Mongolia.  A concert of immense beauty.

It is amazing – music, ballet and even elaborate making of chocolate in the bakeries of Vienna.  Something for all the senses!  The conductor is 85 year old George Pretre, a white-haired French gentleman with such passion for directing and music.  He has music in his head and heart.

Suddenly I see the most wonderful illustration for the working together of the Word (Jesus) and the Spirit.  This orchestra (a picture of the Body of Christ) is making beautiful music, in complete unison and harmony to create a masterpiece that fills all the senses.

Each musician is equipped, practiced, and excellent at his instrument.  Each is needed from the violins to the piccolo to the trumpet.  But this is only the beginning.  The beauty is in the full orchestra.  Each musician has the sheet music in front of him – the written word so to speak.  The notes are written down for all generations and all bands and orchestras around the world.  But is comes alive as the conductor (a picture of the Holy Spirit) leads, conducts, adds his flair and and energy to the performance.  He has the music in his head and heart and causes the entire performance to come alive.  The concert is individually performed by the uniqueness of this conductor for this performance today.  Wow, I get it.  No two performances are the same.

Christmas is a wonderful time, for many reasons.  I don’t need to recite most of those.  For me there is a pleasant surprise this year that I have not noticed in the past.

Like many people, I decided, with my wife’s encouragement, to take the days off between Christmas and New Years and just relax.  I received a couple new books for Christmas.  I dug into one of the two on Boxing Day.  It is interesting, stimulating, and exciting — “The Israel Test” by George Gilder.  No, it is not another Christian book about Israel and their promises from God. It is about politics, economics, history, wealth, poverty, science and technology and the Jewish people.  It is all about the blessings Jews bring to the world through their giftedness, especially in the business world.  Wherever they go, throughout the millenia, they prosper and produce wealth.  This prosperity is intended to bless nations as well.

The author says the “Israel Test” is people and nations’ reactions to the favour and blessings of the Jewish people.  Will they join in and participate in those blessings or will they, like so many, resent and envy their success?  Will they bless them or go to war with them.  Will they bless them or will they try to annihilate them?  This is a great test that peoples and nations have failed.  Although the author does not appeal to scripture, sounds a lot like Genesis 12:3 “I will bless those who bless you and I will curse those who curse you, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”  Perhaps this offers insight into the intractable difficulties between Israel and her avowed enemies, huh?

Oh, I almost forgot, the unexpected blessing this Christmas season.  It is simply to be able to sit and read a book for hours and not have to look at my watch and say to myself, “I must stop this and get onto more important things.”   A real blessing to be free from the clock and “more important things.”

Thank you Lord for a few days off.

Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo tells the story in the latest Barnabas Fund magazine of an amazing Christian we know nothing about, but we need to celebrate.  His name is Pervez Masih.  Here’s the story.  On Oct. 20 two Taliban suicide bombers blew themselves up at an Islamic University in Pakistan.  The attack took place in a cafeteria where there were 400 young Muslim female students.  Why were only three killed? As Paul Harvey says, “Here is the rest of the story.”

The bomber was first confronted by a security guard who shot the bomber, but he was not killed.  Pervez then stepped forward to wrestle with the bomber and managed to hold him at the door to the cafeteria.  There the bomber detonated the bomb and blew up himself, Pervez and three girls.  If the bomber had advanced into the cafeteria many many more Muslim women would have been killed.

This is amazing.  Pervez was a very poor day laborer, like so many poor Pakistani Christians.  Each day he had to look for work and hire himself out.  He often found work at this Muslim University.  The contractor who employed him daily said “He was very simple and, by nature, he was quite different from other workers in the university.”  I bet he was!

Christians in Pakistan are despised by the Muslim majority and discriminated against because of their Christian faith.  Yet this wonderful man gave his life for those who despise them.  Oh my gosh.  What a challenge.  I can’t wait to meet him one day.

May this story encourage us to set aside our smallish problems serve Him faithfully.

This statement offers such amazing hope to all of us:  “Everything has changed, yet nothing has changed.” What do I mean?  Do you remember when you were saved?  For me it was dramatic.  After encountering Jesus, everything in my life had changed, yet my circumstances remained the same.  And why is this now not available to us years after being saved?  IT IS.  It is available to you today.

Do you long for a change?  A life filled with joy and peace and victory and rest?  You do not have to pray for a change in your circumstances.  Your circumstances do not have to change for everything to change!  “God has given you all things pertaining to life …”  It is waiting at your door right now.  Now that is good news on this cold wintry day.

I just read Ps. 138, one of my favourites.  In verse 1 David says “I will praise You with my whole heart.”  Don’t we often have divided hearts – half praising God and half worried, stuck on our circumstances?  We fret and worry and stew about things with half our heart and rejoice with the other half.  Jesus said we are not of this world; He has called us out of this world. (John 15:19)  There is a door opening for some of you to walk through; to walk through to a new place of joy and peace and rest.  You will have to make some decisions:  to stop worrying (John 6:33-34); to rejoice always (1 Thess. 5:16, 18), to think about good things and be anxious for nothing (Phil. 4:6-9).  And the most amazing news it that your circumstances DO NOT have to change to partake of these blessings from a loving Father.  Just believe.  Oh, you will probably have to renew your mind as well, to change the deep ruts in the road of your mind carved out over years of worry and fear.

Isn’t it time to embrace all the provisions of our loving Dad for his sons and daughters?  Embrace it, take it today.  It’s yours.