Never trust Him again...

“And Abraham came near and said, ‘Wilt Thou indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt Thou indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from Thee to do such a thing, so to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from Thee! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?’ So the Lord said, ‘If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place on their account.’” Genesis 18:23-26

“When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it. But it greatly displeased Jonah, and he became angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, ‘Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore, in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that Thou art a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.’” Jonah 3:10-4:3

“Jonah, sulking under a shrivelled vine, admitted he had suspected God’s soft heart all along. – Thus the whole mad cap scenario of balky prophet, ocean storm, and whale detour came about because Jonah could not trust God – could not, that is trust Him to be harsh and unrelenting toward Nineveh. As Robert Frost summed up the story, ‘After Jonah, you could never trust God not to be merciful again.’” *

If nothing else, the Old Testament shows us repeatedly that God’s capability to use power is unlimited, yet the tender heartedness of the Holy One causes Him to listen and long to hear the voice of His children as they understand His will in their lives and TRUST Him.

Take care to understand His Word. Your servant and friend in Christ, Darlene

PS: NEED UPDATES PLEASE!   New Prayer Requests: Greg’s father who just had a stroke. Joan caring for her Aunt Marge, who just had a massive stroke – please pray for both. Milly, whose mother is dying in S. Africa. For Jim’s family, he passed away, especially Linda, who has no Comforter in her life. For Di whose brother (55 years old) just passed away suddenly. Fred’s heart surgery. Lavie, whose 28-year old brother died unexpectedly. Sue, not doing well battling paraneoplastic syndrome. Earl, with cancer and Lyle, his brother, now in Canada, preparing for procedure for bone marrow transplant. Ulfur and David P – for strength to overcome the hold of powerful addictions.

JOB Related: Pray for those seeking work, that they will trust the Lord to be preparing the perfect role for them, even now as we pray: Barb and Carla both having job interviews, but God has not shown them which ones yet; and for Tim (as he supports Barb) who also needs work, and Paul, recently quit his job and is now looking.

Praise: Chris’ father is home and growing stronger. Adrian who’s found a job and home. Leslie is doing great with no remaining signs of cancer. David (great health now!); Nancy (with head trauma) dealing with her husband’s pending heart surgery (28 September). The other Nancy continues her battle with Ovarian Cancer.

Thanksgiving for: Reg, Carla and Paul.

Continue to pray for: Deb, special friend with multiple Myeloma (http://debdarley.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html ), Isaias (family safety and his mission work in Philippines); God’s grace on USA. Wisdom for doctors caring for Doris, David, Poetry and Gary. Michael (his mum grows more frail); Randy (unexpected changes in his life). For Kevin (wisdom with his son).


*Disappointment With God, by Philip Yancey