Earworms

How do you recognize a false prophet?

I heard a story about a woman and her son that made me wonder about this. She had an experience in her congregation that really bothered her.
(Cue soundtrack, “Brother Love’s travelling salvation show by Neil Diamond)

Hot august night
And the leaves hanging down and the grass on the ground smellin’ sweet

move up the road
to the outside of town and the sound of that good gospel beat

I guess her pastor had invited a guest speaker who was supposed to be a prophet to pray and speak prophecy over the children in his congregation

Room gets suddenly still
And when you’d almost bet you could hear yourself sweat
He walks in

The gathered faithful with their children all in a line, he prays for each of them one by one. The parents smile or shed tears of joy as they hear him say to their children the usual “God has great plans for you” or “You will meet someone who will soon make a strong impression on you” or “The archangel Michael has some golden plates for you”. It was all fairly standard until he got to her son, and then the story takes an odd turn. He put his hand on the boy’s head and began to pray.

A worried look crept across his face.

Eyes black as coal
And when he lifts his face every ear in the place
Is on him

He avoided any of the aforementioned affirmations,

Starting soft and slow
like a small earthquake

said nothing to the young boy and said to his mother instead

and then he lets go
and half the valley shakes

“You need to pray for him every single day!”

Nice.

I wonder how he decided to choose that boy to receive that “word”. Did he pick him randomly? Or was it the way he was dressed? Was it the way his mother brought him forward full of hope and love for her son? Maybe he has some ridiculous pattern. I wish someone had called him out

Even if you believe God still speaks through prophets, did any of God’s prophets in scripture ever speak like this? Sure their words were like salt in a wound when they rebuked Kings and nations but they were pretty clear about what was wrong and what would happen next.


And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains but have not love. I am nothing. – 1 Corinthians 13:2

And what is not a result of love?

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love – 1 John 4:18

This guy used a negative prophecy, if you want to call it that, to try and prove he was legit but most others seem to want to scratch an itch in people's ears. These guys sooth and massage Christians with their prosperity and healing messages. The result is that people are content to stay where they are and keep their eyes fixed on their material collections and the health of their bodies. It feels good to snuggle into a comfy pew, close your eyes and hear the fervent man on the stage rock the mic and boldly proclaim, “You know what God has for you?”

“Yes”, you may answer, “An eternity spent worshipping His Son”

“Er… yes”, he replies and then louder “but I mean in this world!”

“Oh,” you say “uh… trouble?”

“No sir! Spirit of unbelief, I rebuke you! Favour!”

“Favour! Favour! Favour!..”

(Camera focuses on the clock on the wall both hands do a couple quick laps around)

“… Favour! Favour! Favour!”



If God still speaks through prophets, If He still heals people or works miracles I don’t believe it’s through these guys. Jesus said John was the greatest prophet who ever lived and if he lived today would he wear an Armani suit, drive a Lexus or have an air-conditioned doghouse? Probably a safe bet to say no. But if you dare say “Uh… excuse me sir? I don’t think what you’re saying or doing lines up with scripture?” You’ll be sure to get told you’re calling the work of the Holy Spirit the work of the devil.

Here’s a quick test: Do they confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh? (1 John 4:2), Do they speak as the world and does the world listen to them? (1 John 4:5), Do they love their fellow Christians? (1 John 4:7-8), Do they have God’s Spirit? (1 John 4:13), Do they confess that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 4:15), Do they fear? (1 John 4:18), Do they say with their mouth “I love God” and hate their brother with their actions? (1 John 4:20)

Sits a ragged tent
Where the aint no trees
And that gospel group
Telling you and me

Its Love, Brother love, said Brother Love’s travellin’ salvation show
Pack up the babies grab the old ladies
everyone goes, everyone knows its Brother Love’s show

Brothers, I said Brothers
Now you got yourself two good hands
And when your brother is troubled
You got to reach out your one hand for him
'Cause that's what it's there for

And when your own heart is troubled
You got to reach out your other hand
Reach it out to the Man up there
'Cause that's what He's there for

Take my hand in yours Lord, walk with me this day
In my heart I know, I will never stray

Treading water

I hate failing or losing at anything.

It seems strange that I never get used to it. Sometimes I think it would be nice to slip into a long complacency nap but I keep working. You know that feeling when you’re working out and pushing yourself to do one more repetition. Where does the strength come from to do one more? Or what's in us that finally wins the argument to give up and let go?

If I’m doing the same thing over and over my fruitless determination feels more like foolishness. Let me give you an example from my past:

One day when I was young I was sitting in the Kmart café with two of my teenage friends eating fries and gravy. The fries were served in a rectangular cardboard tray. The kind of tray they give you at the hospital when you feel sick to your stomach. It’s a small tray of fries when you’re a hungry teenager. It infinitely smaller when you’re thirteen with a burning appendix threatening to explode.

Anyways one of my friends decided it would be “funny” to light my cardboard tray of fries on fire. I think he wanted to see me panic and try to put it out. I watched him light the tray with interest. And I remember deciding that I wasn’t going to do anything but keep eating my fries from the flaming tray.

“Dude your fries are on fire”, he says

I kept eating my fries.

Now I don’t think I need to explain the discomfort that a normal person would feel sitting in a public cafeteria with a plate of food burning on their table. The fire first lit, was not that noticeable. But it grew unhindered and as it grew it eventually reached the areas moistened with gravy and then it began to smoke. And not white wispy cigarette smoke but dark black tire-burning smoke.

When my fire-loving friend finally broke down it was no slow crumbling erosion but a full rapid crushing ruin. Even now I can’t prevent myself from smiling as I see him in my memory frantically blowing and tamping out the fire.

I’ve heard it said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. If that’s insanity how would one define sanity? Giving up? Sometimes determination carries the day but there are times when a new paradigm is required. That brings me to my next memory which I didn’t fully understand the meaning of until recently.

I had to do a swimming test for one of the courses I took at work and it involved various skills one of which was being able to tread water for something like two minutes. Treading water for two minutes may sound easy to some and maybe it is but I suggest you try it next time you’re in deep water. Two minutes is a long time to tread water.

I was still young and idealistic and gave it my full effort. I can imagine that I had no problem for the first 30 seconds but then I felt my ability to stay afloat drop off exponentially from there.

At this point I knew I wasn’t going to make it and so I had two choices: 1) Give up and swim to the edge of the pool or 2) Sink underwater and drown. I didn’t want to drown so I said to the trainer standing at the edge of the pool.

“I’m not going to make it”, puffing desperately

“You have to”, he returned coolly, “To pass this course you need to be able to tread water a minimum of two minutes”

“This can’t be right, this is impossible” I thought and then called out to him again “There’s no way I can do it”

At this point my exertions were reaching the limits of my ability. My arms and legs were tired, losing oxygen, beginning to fall out of synch and move inefficiently.

“What will you do if you’re in the ocean and you can’t get out?”, he asked

“I would just float on my back”, I argued

“Fine.” He said to my surprise, “do that then”

So with that I took a deep breath, filled my lungs with air and rested calmly on my back. I could’ve stayed afloat like this for hours. It would’ve been nice to know this at the beginning of the exercise.

We can’t fulfill God’s requirements for us through our own works. The water is real. I could sink in it and drown. But God provided a way for me to overcome the water, namely air. By filling my lungs with air I was able to stay afloat. In a similar way God has provided His Spirit to dwell in us and if we walk in the Spirit, are led by the Spirit and live by the Spirit we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Instead we will display the fruit of the Spirit.

Action is required on my part but not strength.

Hearts set on You

Some time ago I wrote about building a house and I believed in many ways God was helping us to build the temporal house we are living in. When I looked to the left He was there, and to the right… there He was. I feel warm and fuzzy just thinking about it. It seemed as though His unseen hands were guiding us through the process and bring every aspect and detail to completion.

And then suddenly last summer all that came to a grinding halt. Our builder left town and we had to get other contractors to quote and finish the work. Many of the contractors we contacted to quote on the work weren’t available. Of the ones that were available many submitted quotes or estimates that were extremely high. Of the ones that weren’t ridiculous many wouldn’t show up to do the work or would do a bit here and then disappear. The contractors that did what they said were precious few. Most didn’t show up when they said they would or made mistakes or forgot to do what we asked or didn’t return my phone calls. Sometimes I had to phone them every, single day to get things done.

Now I don’t want to scare anyone off who’s thinking of building. There are many houses that are built with minimal issues I’m sure. Maybe the completion date is extended but the house gets built right and close to budget. And at the end of the project when you move in you open the door and there’s a bouquet of flowers and a card from the builder. You open the card and it says “Thanks for choosing No Hassel Contracting. You paid me to build your house so I could take care of all of the issues and deal with all the subtrades because I’ve done this a million times before and I know you haven’t. I also know you are already busy enough with your career to phone people every single day and schedule time to meet with people at your late, partially completed house only to have them not show up and reschedule with you. Enjoy your new home!”

There was a time in this project where my wife said she wouldn’t build again in the future or if we went back in time and had this choice again. I said at the time I wouldn’t build a house again but if I were to go back in time and had this particular choice again I would. Today I can say I hope we never build again. Not now or in the future. Even if I could somehow bend space and time and go back with my present memories I wouldn't do it then either.

I realize I’ve probably learned a lot through this process and I know I have a collection of amusing self-deprecating anecdotes that I can make use of at parties to stimulate conversation or just to get a group of people chuckling but honestly I wish I had the last 6 months of my life back. I lost a summer with my family dealing with this.

Today, I realized what one of my problems is. A little while ago I was venting to a friend at work and I wasn’t convicted of what I said until now. I explained my frustration at not being able to get this house finished and compared it to my work. At work I have the money and resources of my company at my disposal and so to finish a project I can allocate thousands of dollars to get it done. If I needed more than my spending limit I would just put in a request and get more money. If a contractor didn’t meet my timeline or expectations I would just get a new one and they’d be sharper next time. But at home my finances and influence are severely limited and so I feel handcuffed to the contractors who I think will do a good job for a reasonable price. Or I try to do as much work as I can by myself.

I read this today:

Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie;
if weighed in a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath.

Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods;
though your riches increase do not set your heart on them.
One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard:

That You O God are strong, and that You O Lord are loving,
Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done. - Psalm 62:9-12

I say with my mouth that I trust God but my heart, in this case, is set on my money and influence. What has been useful to me in the past is a random wave or moving sand.
God warns the priests of exactly this in Malachi

“And now this admonition is for you O priests, if you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honour my name,” says the Lord Almighty. “I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings, Yes I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honour me.” - Malachi 2:1-2

If I truly trust in the Lord I have confidence in His infinite power. Through Him I can do all things and He controls mens hearts like water in the palm of His hand it goes wherever He turns it. God let my heart be water in your hand.

You always hurt the ones you love

Faithful are the wounds of a friend,But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. – Proverbs 27:6

Some years ago a friend of mine was driving by my house and as he drove by he said he saw my four year old son running from our house towards the road. At the same moment my oldest son, who was seven, saw him running towards the road and either recognized the danger or just knew that they weren’t allowed to go out on the road. So he bolted after him.

Common sense would tell you to catch up to the little 4 yr old boy, grab him by the shoulders and turn him around and walk him back to the house right?

Well, what actually happened was… my oldest ran after his younger brother and just as they both neared the end of the driveway he leapt into the air and tackled him.

Pursuer and prey concluded the brief run in a heap. But when they got back up instead of tears and fighting they both just got up and turned around and ran back to the house.

As a father I try and not mess my kids up too much. But before I had kids I promised myself that my kids would be tough. So If my oldest had some minor scrape or bruise I never showed any sympathy. I didn’t want him to be one of those kids who constantly whine or just cry to get attention.

Unfortunately, as he grew up I realized the result of this half-baked strategy was that I now had a boy with a high pain tolerance and basically zero empathy. This is a frightening combination. Once I realized my mistake, of course I changed my approach but most of all I'm thankful to God that he has grown up to be a mature and considerate young man.

I reminded him of this story when he turned fourteen and encouraged him to not lose this reckless concern for his siblings and hopefully they will understand that he cares about them even if he has to tackle them.

Metaphorically speaking of course.

My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor detest His correction; - Prov 3:11

Peacemakers

Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:9-10

Since World War II Canada has sent soldiers on many peacekeeping missions. At first glance this may seem relatively safe but its not. Its dangerous and complicated.

A few years ago I brought a young man out for a visit to one of my farms. He was a Canadian soldier who had served in Afghanistan. It was a cool fall day and it was raining lightly. The employees on site were feeding the fish. I remember the first thing he said as we stepped out onto the cages and he had a look around.

“This is a calm workplace”, he said

I looked at him to try and judge what he meant “Well, no one’s shooting at us here if that’s what you mean”

I don’t envy anyone who has to keep the peace between two belligerents or a warlord and his prey. To stand out in the open and only be able to defend yourself after you’ve been shot at or bombed, or to watch atrocities while you wait for politicians thousands of miles away decide what to do or not do. I can’t even imagine how hard that would be.

Today and all year long I am thankful for the soldiers who have stood up to protect us in whatever mission they’ve been given whether peacekeeping or all out war.

Peacekeeping has its place when an army hasn’t been given the authority to attack another nation. But I find that the Church in North America seems to be on a unauthorised peacekeeping mission. We tend to stay in our camps and watch the world burning all around us. We might get involved in a small skirmish here and there but for some reason we stay out of the war.

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace - Imagine, John Lennon

In his song, John Lennon described a place with no heaven, no hell, no religion and people “living for today”. The government of North Korea is trying to make that a reality. There is no peace in North Korea for the church to keep.

Peacemaking is the church’s only option and this at the risk of their lives. Here we have the option to live our private lives and observe the world. The worrisome truth is that we have been given the authority and orders to fight. At best we supply money and arms to our brothers and sisters in the trenches and let them fight their guerrilla war.

I have a feeling that someday while we are saying “peace and safety” destruction will come on us suddenly. Part of me fears that day and hopes it will happen long after I am dead and gone. Another part of me aches for that day when I am forced out of mediocrity and tepid Christianity.

Quid obscurum, quid divinium

Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh - Galatians 3:3

How do we gain victory in our lives? Whether victory for our souls, over sin, for God’s work or for those we love?

No battlefield is more synonymous with defeat than Waterloo and of course, defeat for the Emperor Napoleon meant a great victory for the Duke of Wellington.

Even though the British and allies occupied the high ground and had a more complete understanding of the battlefield they were losing the battle and facing certain destruction until something happened to change the course of history.

Here are some excerpts from Les Miserables on this great battle.

“Two hostile armies on a battlefield are two wrestlers. It is a body-grip. One tries to throw the other; they cling to everything; a thicket is a basis; an angle in the wall is a breastwork; for want of a village to support it, a regiment gives way; a fall in the plain, a transverse hedge is a good position, a wood, a ravine, may arrest the heel of that column which is called an army, and prevent its slipping. The one who leaves the field is beaten; and hence the necessity for the responsible chief to examine the smallest clump of trees, and investigate the slightest rise in the ground.

A certain amount of tempest is always mingled with a battle, quid obscurum, quid divinium. Every historian traces to some extent the lineament that pleases him in the hurly-burly. Whatever the combination of the generals may be, the collision of armed masses has incalculable ebbs and flows; in action the two plans of the leaders enter into each other and destroy their shape. The line of battle floats and winds like a thread, the streams of blood flow illogically, the fronts of armies undulate, the regiments in advancing or retiring form capes or gulfs, and all these reefs are continually shifting their position; where infantry was, artillery arrives; where artillery was, cavalry dashes in; the battalions are smoke. There was something there, but when you look for it, it has disappeared; the gloomy masses advance and retreat; a species of breath from the tomb impels, drives back, swells and disperses those tragic multitudes. What is a battle? An oscillation. The immobility of a mathematical plan expresses a minute and not a day. To paint a battle, those powerful painters who have chaos in their pencils are needed. Rembrandt is worth more than Vandermeulin, for Vandermeulin exact at midday, is incorrect at three o’clock. Geometry is deceived, and the hurricane alone is true, and it is this that gives Folard the right to contradict Polybius.

About four o’clock the English line fell back all at once; nothing was visible on the crest of the plateau but artillery and sharpshooters, the rest had disappeared. The regiments, expelled by the French shell and cannon balls, fell back into the hollow, which at the present day is intersected by the lane that runs to the farm of Mont St. Jean. A retrograde movement began, the English front withdrew. Wellington was recoiling. “It is the beginning of the retreat,” Napoleon cried.

The man who had been somber at Austerlitz was gay at Waterloo. The greatest predestined men offer these contradictions, for our joys are a shadow, and the supreme smile belongs to God. Ridet Caesar, Pompeius flebit, the legionnaires of the Fulminatrix legion used to say. On this occasion Pompey was not destined to weep, but it is certain that Caesar laughed.

At mid-day, the Emperor had been the first to notice through his telescope, on the extreme horizon, something which fixed his attention, and he said, “I see over there a cloud which appears to me to be troops.” Then he asked the Duke of Dalmatia, “Soult, what do you see in the direction of Chappelle Saint Lambert?” The Marshall, after looking through his telescope, replied, “Four or five thousand men, Sire.” It was evidently Grouchy; still they remained motionless in the mist. All the staff examined the cloud pointed out by the Emperor, and some said, “They are columns halting”; but the majority were of the opinion that they were trees. The truth is that the cloud did not move, and the Emperor detached Doncoul’s division of light cavalry to reconnoiter in the direction of this dark point.

Bülow, in fact, had not stirred, for his vanguard was very weak and could effect nothing. He was obliged to wait for the main body of the army, and had orders to concentrate his troops before forming line; but at five o’clock, Blücher, seeing Wellington’s danger, ordered Bülow to attack, and employed the remarkable phrase, “We must let the English army breathe” A short time after, Losithin’s, Hiller’s, Hacke’s, and Ryssel’s brigades deployed in front of Lobau’s corps, the cavalry of Prince William of Prussia debouched from the Bois de Paris, Plancenoit was in flames, and the Prussian cannon balls began pouring even upon the ranks of the guard held in reserve behind Napoleon.” – Excerpts from Les Miserables

Wellington held the high ground at Waterloo and when Napoleon advanced against him his infantry poured up a hill and came across an unexpected ravine. The men at the front of the column poured into the ravine and this disaster continued until their bodies filled it to the brim. The remaining troops walked over the human bridge and continued their advance. Even so the Allies were still likely doomed but they fought bravely for every bit of ground. Until a new force arrived “and the Prussian cannon balls began pouring even upon the ranks of the guard held in reserve behind Napoleon.”.

If the Prussian armies though weak, were able to come to the aid of Wellington, how much more will our God who is Omnipotent be able to fight for us when we are weak and unable to defend ourselves? We stand, we fight, we fall and get back up but ultimately our victory comes through Christ Jesus. In his retelling of Waterloo, Victor Hugo described the importance of knowing the battlefield but when the battle finally erupted it became a chaotic tempest. Unpredictable and almost impossible to even tell what was happening. In the end it was his firm belief that it was decided by God. “quid obscurum, quid divinium”. What darkness, what divine. The battle belongs to Lord. Whatever we do whether great or small we should pray and ask for God’s help and will in everything.

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Corinthians 15:56-57

Drum Phil

I must have some unconfessed pride in my life right now because I usually get brought down a notch when I do. The instrument of my humility on this occasion was the medley of songs we played in our church.

To understand this fully, you will need to know a few things about me. First of all I’m an introverted perfectionist. So this basically means I like to think about my expressions before expressing them. I want everything I do to be perfect, which of course it never is, and so usually by the time I’ve come up with the right thing to say or do the moment has passed forever. A great deal of everything else I regret. I will lie on my bed at night and sigh about something minor that happened decades ago.

Music of course is expression and with most musical expression the average listener will allow a middling musician to arrive at a note a ½ second early or near perfect tone but that doesn’t really work with percussion. If you’re not perfect everyone knows it and I am the imperfect percussionist in our worship team. At times I struggle with a song or two but can usually do well in general.

Sometimes, to enhance the message of the song, the worship leader will change the tempo of the song. My personal favourite is to slow the tempo down at the end of the chorus real worshipful like and then to start the next verse at full speed again. This is fun for the drummer because he has to guess how to slow down with the group and then read the leader’s mind to figure out when to start again and at what tempo. If the drummer doesn’t get it right he will usually add a half bar of kick beats in to get back in step. But if he loses his cool he sometimes starts to play chaotically or he stops altogether. It happens.

I’ve changed the drummers name to protect what’s left of his confidence. We’ll call the poor fellow… Phil.

There was no logical explanation for what happened. Before practice Phil was relaxed and joking with the other musicians.

“How can you tell if the stage is level?”, The Euphonium player asked Phil.

“I dunno”, says Phil.

“There’s drool on both sides of the drum kit. Haw! Haw!”, he laughs.

The Euphonium player’s wife, who was in the kitchen getting the coffee started, overheard the conversation and stuck up for Phil, “Hey, what about Euphonium players?”

“Yeah, the only drool I’ve seen is from your instrument”, Phil shot back.

All joking aside, practice before the service went off without a hitch. Phil felt comfortable and played all the songs with ease. All the songs were 4/4 no 3/4, no 6/8 or 7/4. Simple.

The worship leader started the first song and Phil kept time for precisely two bars and then something horrible happened. He began to drift from the beat. Phil and the song were like two windshield washers moving at slightly different speeds. Dragging slightly then rushing ahead but never quite matching the song’s tempo. Sometimes, there is a split second when you realize that you’ve added something extra or left something out and it feels like a great fingernail scratching across a blackboard in your mind. But one extra beat or the lack of one no one else will notice, as long as you come back when everyone expects you to.

But Phil didn’t come back when anyone expected him to.

“One and two and three and four and”, Phil counted to himself and stared through the ceiling up to the heavens above.

In every congregation there is a group of people who can’t clap. Yes there is. If you don’t know this you’re likely one of them. These people, if they’re loud enough, can be an annoyance to a drummer. Today, even the off-clappers were looking at Phil wondering what was up. They stared as if to say “Hey we may not be clapping on the 2 or 4 but we’re clapping around the 1 and 3 and we can’t even tell what you’re doing”

He continued to play but didn’t get any better. Rattled and wanting to run, the blood was leaving his extremities and rushing to his head and chest. At this point even if his mind could pick up the timing of the song and resume sending instructions to his limbs they couldn’t do what they were being asked to do with no oxygen.

“Oh God please let this song be over soon”, Phil prayed

The song ended but the beat went on. Phil’s instructor had once told him to visualize something when he plays. If you’re playing something light and beautiful think of something beautiful like a silver moon hanging in a starry sky. If you’re playing something funky maybe think of an old growth tree with gnarled roots in a mossy forest floor. When Phil closed his eyes he saw the same thing as when they were wide open, a darkening red vortex spinning counter clockwise. In the calm before the next song he took a deep breath and recalled his mantra for this scenario “Keep it simple, no fills, no extra 16th notes, quarter notes on the hi-hat and ½ notes on the snare and kick”.

There may be a day in the future when Phil would play every beat in perfect time, every crash of the cymbal eloquently placed, but it would not be this day. This day Phil was like a boat adrift on the ocean and there was nothing he could do about it. The rest of the group bravely soldiered on but they had clearly lost faith in Phil’s timing. Phil searched for someone in the mix that was keeping time that he could grab onto and fall in beside.

There was no satisfactory conclusion for Phil, there were moments when he got it right and sometimes he strung several moments together to make up a few bars but barely. I’m not sure if he’ll ever recover from this. He may never play in church again. You may think him melodramatic but I can tell you that I can imagine exactly how he must’ve felt. To be subjected to that for 30mins and not know why or when it will happen again. I certainly wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t want to go through that again.

Apart from God I can do nothing. I think that’s the lesson for me. So often I say to God “I’ve got it from here” When really I need Him every day. Even for the simplest things. Maybe instead of “Oh God please let the song be over” the prayer should’ve been “God please give me your strength to get through this”. I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me.

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him. - 1 John 5:13 – 15

Contend, O LORD with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid. Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.” – Psalm 35:1-3