Good morning, brothers and sisters.
Our verse for today comes from Acts 9:11, “And the Lord said to him, ‘Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying.’”
If you watched any of the classic Looney Tunes cartoons as a child, then you are familiar with the brilliant hilarity of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Wile E. Coyote and the roadrunner. One of the funny quirks they employed was the way the U.S. Mail operated. In many of the skits, one of the characters would have the need for an item and would drop an order form into the mailbox, and wait. But when the mailman next arrived, he didn’t pick up the mail. He showed up with the package, by-passing the step of collecting the order which he somehow already knew about. That manipulation of the time-space continuum was just one of many advantages of operating in the universe of cartoons. But in the real world, things have to happen in a particular way if we expect certain outcomes. But what that is depends on which real world you hang out in. If your time is spent mostly where you can see and touch all that matters, then cause must precede effect. The email or text has to be sent and received before the response can be expected to come.
But where God is concerned, those limitations are not an issue. Jesus tells us very plainly that God knows what we need before we ask Him. Even here concerning Saul, God is having a conversation with Ananias, explaining how he will be part of the solution that Saul is no doubt inquiring about at that very moment. Even as God is listening to what Saul is saying in prayer, He has prepared a response that will meet and exceed the prayers of Saul that spanned the course of three days. God did not need to collect all the information from Saul, take some time to formulate a plan, and then seek out someone who could help make it happen. And we know that. We know God is so much bigger than that. But dozens of “no’s” and so many unfulfilled requests tend to chip away at our confidence. We wonder if our latest need will make it onto God’s list of things to do. But there’s not one thing He wants you to have that you will not get. Thank Him for that, and ask Him to strengthen your faith. He will surely always deliver.
As we seek Him today, cast aside any doubts you have about God taking care of you. Keep pouring out your heart to Him so your eyes will stay fixed on Him and His love for you.
Have a hopeful Monday.
#4 Rich Holt
Dad of Ripken, Koy, TrishaJean, Samantha, Kakie Holiday and Raleigh
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.
