Today’s Thought “In A Weary Land” G. Ward

 

“Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. ¹⁵ Hezekiah prayed to the Lord saying, ¹⁶ “O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.” Isaiah 37:14-16

 

I am truly the king of error. With great compassion and advocacy, I’ve allowed my mouth to say yes without proper assessment of a task presented. From the time of being a small boy until now, this has been a practice. My heart, although considerate at times, can ultimately violate regimen needed for later, in that what my new commitment presented became entirely time consuming.

When assuming the pastorate at my current church, I invited a pastor/friend opportunity in helping begin that work. He was quite the seasoned, distinguished gentleman, without ulterior motives and proven as a servant of our Gracious God. Our kinship was transparently reliant on Holy God’s direction and involved much prayer and evangelism. I recall our anxiousness concerning a daily pursuit of Holy God. The ministry exacted every endeavor through Christ, growing spiritually and numerically.

It was on a particular day that I noticed this gentleman with a slight limp. I jokingly shared that age was the contaminant. We laughed, while being totally empathetic with the plight of man in his degenerative state of well-being. That night I received a call from his family to hear that my friend had a massive stroke. Upon seeing him, he was void of cognizance in the ministry we endeavored. It saddened me deeply. My supplication to Holy God desired his return. I met with his family, whereby perplexity concerning next steps was unclear. I suggested a schedule be comprised that could aid his recovery while at the hospital (due to minimal staff care at most hospitals). They agreed. His son asked if I could take the first leg (first leg is a track & field term indicating a team sprint of sorts). I immediately complied. What was supposed to be an overnight stay at the hospital became two days stay without any reprieve. It’s been five years ago and I’m still tired! “Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one” (Mt.5:37). Oh yes, my friend although still alive, never fully recovered. Happy Friday!