The Drought of God     . . . . 08/29/16

During a very severe Texas drought a local pastor paid a visit to a gruff old rancher and urged him to attend the church that night as the congregation would be praying for rain. The rancher did not attend the service that night, but it did rain the next day and the day after. On the following day during the continuing gentle soaking, the rancher paid the pastor a visit, carrying his horse whip. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the farmer advised the pastor, "If you ever let things get that bad again I’m going to take this horse whip and beat you senseless."

It really has gotten bad in America. But we cannot blame it on the pastors. The churches are fully responsible. For the last thirty years we have hitched our fortunes to evangelical and political shooting stars in hopes of restoring God’s kingdom on earth. And even when the two have been one, there has been no prosperity for us. We have failed to recognize that God gave up on government by mankind long ago.

    In the eighth Chapter of 1 Samuel, Samuel made his two sons, Joel and Abiah judges in Israel. But they did not follow God as Samuel had and were corrupt and perverted judgment. The elders of Israel petitioned God through Samuel to take away the judges of Israel and give them a king to rule over them and lead them, just like the nations around them. This did not please Samuel but he took it to the Lord as requested.

The Lord told Samuel to give the people what they had asked for as they had not rejected him, Samuel, but had rejected the Lord their God as their King. He went further, telling Samuel that since He brought the children of Israel out of Egypt they had been continually forsaking Him and serving other gods– He would grant their request. But in granting their request, God provided Samuel a listing of all the bad things that would happen as a result of having a king, and Samuel provided the listing to the people. But the people still wanted a king.

Starting in 1 Samuel Chapter 9 and continuing through the Old Testament, we see the result of mankind’s rule over other men. Even in the best of times, it is not God’s best for us. And God has always known that He had a better plan for us, a better way for Him to govern.

    We didn't understand it until the time of Jesus. He came to live and die and be born again and live inside of us, where He/God reigns today and forever as long as we are good hosts. Politicians cannot restore the Kingdom of God on earth as it was never here, apart from residing in us. 

This year’s presidential election will solve nothing. No matter who wins, the world will remain in chaos unless we do something.  We must always vote, God requires something more from His people,

    2  Chronicles 7:14 ¹⁴ If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
    It is similar to Psalms 67:5-6: ⁵ Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. ⁶ Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.  

It is so simple we often ignore it. He wants us. Our needs, our petitions for help, our praise. And prayer and praise need not be orchestrated by any man or woman as leader or spokesperson. God wants no intermediary. He wants you.  It need not be around a flagpole before children and teens enter school, or on the football field after a touchdown. God does not desire ceremony. He wants your attention to your life and your telling Him about it. Just you and Him, where there is no one to receive praise and thanks but Him.

You can do this. And as we do, our nation will be healed and God will bless us.

1 Samuel 8:12-18 (KJV) ¹² And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. ¹³ And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. ¹⁴ And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. ¹⁵ And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. ¹⁶ And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. ¹⁷ He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. ¹⁸ And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.

Ephesians 4:17-32 (KJV)
¹⁷ This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, ¹⁸ Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: ¹⁹ Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. ²⁰ But ye have not so learned Christ; ²¹ If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: ²² That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; ²³ And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; ²⁴ And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. ²⁵ Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. ²⁶ Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
²⁷ Neither give place to the devil. ²⁸ Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
²⁹ Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. ³⁰ And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. ³¹ Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: ³² And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.  

/SS/QBStores