There are two words that can help us through every kind of trouble. They are found in the middle of 2 Corinthians 7:5-6.

 “We were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within. But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us.”

Our modern world can make us all understand Paul’s cry that he was “afflicted on every side.” We can have overdue mortgage payments, job insecurities, friends that will not speak to us, and that person at work who seems bent on making our life miserable. Those are the things we might face. Sometimes life seems hard. Yes, we have “conflicts without” and “fears within.”

Paul was no stranger to trouble. Next tie you think you have hard days, read Paul’s list:

 “In…imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep…….in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.” (II Corinthians 11:23-27)

How does one live through being “beaten times without number, often in danger of death and sleepless nights, hunger and thirst?” It makes our little list sound rather simple. 

Well, our list is not simple. It is not easy. But the secret to dealing with our hard places is the same secret that Paul used. It is found in verse six of our text. After Paul says he had all these fears and conflicts, he then says, “But God.”

Two words! Two words that can turn everything around. Two words that make all the difference in the world. Two words, that are available to us at any time. “But God!”

“But God who comforts the depressed, comforted us.”

~Lonnie Davis

I’ll never forget the first time I met her. She was already retired and still busy, busy. She was known to be the the kind of person who told you what she thought, whether or not she thought. Even the local radio station knew her because she called them a lot to tell them her opinion about everything. 

The day I met her we were at church and though a certain scripture was not being discussed, she let me know that 1 Peter 3:1 didn’t work because she had tried it. The passage reads, “Wives …submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives.”

I didn’t argue with her, but I did know God and I knew that God didn’t get it wrong.

Sometimes we are like her about another scripture. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” To challenge us all on our willingness to follow this text, I share a short, but sobering word from a poet named Ben Hildner.

As children bring their broken toys, with tears, for me to mend
I brought my broken dreams to God because he was my friend.
But then, instead of leaving Him in peace to work alone
I hung around and tried to help . . . with ways that were my own.
At last I snatched them back and cried, “How can You be so slow?”
“My child,” He said.  “What could I do?  You never did let go.”

These words have come to my mind on many occasions. I share it because I wanted you to have it in your own mind. It would be a blessing for you to commit it to your heart.

Lonnie Davis

Exodus 2 gives us one of the most famous stories in all of the Bible. Moses’s mother, living under the rule of a pharaoh who wanted the male Hebrew babies dead, had a son. We’ve probably all heard how Moses’ mother put him in a little boat and put him in the river. By and by, the Pharaoh’s daughter found him and saved his life. This story seems like Moses’ mother had done all she could so that is why she gave him up to the river, but by the providence of God, everything worked out. I have a different view of things.

I think his mother did not abandon him to the fate of the river. Mom stayed home with him as long as possible and then as she lived under the Pharaoh’s rule, she had to go back to work. Knowing that baby Moses was in danger. She put him in the boat and left his sister to watch after him. That way, if soldiers came by, the sister could leave for a few minutes and then later go back to watching over the baby. This would mean at the end of the work day, Mom could come home, retrieve her baby and care for him another night.

God had another plan. As Moses was in the basket in the river, the daughter of the Pharaoh found him and claimed him. Moses’ sister went to her and ask whether she should get a Hebrew woman to care for the baby. The royal daughter told her to do so, and by the way, give the woman wages.

As the baby’s mom returned home. She didn’t have to leave anymore. She was getting paid to take care of her own child. God has a wonderful way of taking care of things for us. She only had to do three things: First, Do the best she could. Second, let go of the problem, and Three, trust god.

That is the same plan we all need to follow. Let go and let God. After all God works in wondrous ways.

Lonnie Davis

This is for all of you who have ever had a problem and wondered what to do about it. I think that means all of you. It involves a true story with some of the best advice I have ever heard.

In 1939, the Nazis were invading the Netherlands. The first people to be affected were the Jews who lived in the Netherlands. A group of Christians came to the Dutch theologian, Henry Cramer, and told him, “Our Jewish neighbors are missing from their homes.” They then asked, “What must we do?”

Cramer’s answered, “I cannot tell you what to do. I can tell you who you are. If you know who you are then you will know what to do.”

Read those last words again, “If you know who you are, then you will know what to do.” The Nazis are not marching in our streets, but those words should still convict us. When Satan sends temptations, you do not need to ask what to do. You only need to remember who you are.

Sometimes Christians will be confronted with a temptation to evil. It sounds holy and righteous to hear them say, “I will pray to God for an answer about what I should do.” It is not holy and righteous. It is weak. God has already told us what to do with sin. We only need to remember who we are.

In our story, the men and women who asked the question of Henry Cramer became part of the Dutch resistance movement. They helped save the lives of many. In times of stress and temptation, if you and I will remember who God is and who we are, it will determine our conduct.

2,000 years ago, on a storm tossed ship in the middle of the sea, Paul used that principle to make his decision. He told the freighted sailors, “Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.” (Acts 27:23-25)

Paul said, “I know God knows me and I know who I am and whose I am.” Since he knew these things, he knew what to do. When you know those things, you too will know what to do.

                                                                                                ~Lonnie Davis

These words are for all of you who have a task you need to accomplish but fear you do not know how to do it.

It was the first Sunday after the crucifixion of Jesus. 

Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome gathered spices so they could finish the job of anointing the body of Jesus. Just after sunrise they started toward the tomb of Jesus. As the women were nearing the tomb they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” (Mark 16:3)

The stone in front of the tomb was heavy and these women were not able to move it. They went to the tomb anyway. They did not know who would roll away the stone. They went to the tomb anyway. There were soldiers to guard the tomb. They went to the tomb anyway.

Even the casual observer would say that these women, though they were well intended, did not have all their “ducks in a row.” Why didn’t they get some strong men to go with them to roll away the stone? Why didn’t they ask the rulers if the soldiers would move the stone or else let someone move the stone? They did not have the answers, but they went anyway.

Israel left Egypt with clothes and shoes. They may have had enough to last them for the few weeks journey to the Promised Land, but not enough for 40 years of desert wanderings. It did not matter. God is an anyway God. “During the forty years that I led you through the desert, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet.” (Deuteronomy 29:5)

Israel did not worry about shoes as they left Egypt. They trusted the God whom they served. The women did not fail to go to the tomb because they did not have the answer to the stone. They all started the task and trusted that God would work things out as they went along. 

If there are stones in the way or shoes that need to be replaced, just start anyway. God will provide. Tackle the task in faith. God is the “Anyway God.”    

~Lonnie Davis

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.” – Psalm 14:1

In my 30s I spent a few days in the hospital. The doctor came to my room and said, “When you see the wonders of the kidney, it is hard to imagine that anyone doesn’t believe in God.” As life when on, I understood that more and more.

Unfortunately, ours is an age when more and more Americans are believing less and less in God.  A recent Gallup poll found that 81% of Americans said yes to the simple question, “Do you believe in God?” This was down from 87% in 2017. In 1944, that number was 96%.

As I reflected on these sad statics I pondered why people do not believe in God. I came up with several reasons.

1. Misunderstanding the bible. Those who do not know the meaning of the words that God said will attribute all kinds of things to him. They make him so absurd that they simply cannot believe in God. They think God promotes slavery, child cruelty, or even war. One atheist told me that the wars fought God’s named killed more people in the 20^th century than anything else. As the old saying goes, “Ignorant is bliss.” They do not know the history of the world, or the word of God.

 2. Some do not believe because they confuse the religion of a man with the existence of God. If a man does evil, that does not mean that God is not real.

3. Personal failure. Some experience moral or personal failures in their own lives and deny God rather than accept accountability for their behavior. Hey! If God doesn’t exist, then I don’t have to worry about answering to him.

4. Failure to study the evidence. Thousands of brilliant people have dedicated their lives to studying the evidence for the existence of God. There are many wonderful arguments for God’s existence, but many simply deny him without studying the evidence. No question in anyone’s life is more important than “is there a God.” Take time to study the question.

5. Feeling-based faith. It is dangerous to claim to believe that God is real, simply because you feel him in your heart. Feelings change, but God does not.

6 The dumbest reason of all to reject belief in God is that you cannot “see” him. Adam and Eve knew God personally, but they rejected God’s authority in their lives. Two thousand years ago, the Jews saw God’s son and they crucified him. Seeing is not always believing.

This is a very short list of why people claim to be atheists. If you ever struggle with this question, it is not a shame. It is a call for you to “Study to show yourself approved unto God.”

Lonnie Davis

Have you ever struggled with anxiety?
Then today’s Bible verse is for you.

Philippians 4:6
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God…”

Anxiety is a normal and often healthy emotion. However, when a person regularly feels disproportionate levels of anxiety, it can become a medical disorder.

One Bible verse commonly used to help with anxiety is Philippians 4:6, which says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Here are 2 observations about Philippians 4:6 that relate to anxiety.

First, It encourages the reader not to be anxious:
The verse begins by instructing the reader to “not be anxious about anything.” This is a clear and direct message to trust in God’s care and not let worries consume one’s thoughts.

When my children were teenagers and they would be late getting home. If I were not home, my wife would stay up and wait for them. She would call me and when I got home, she would go to bed. She knew I would watch for the child and see that things were okay. Her reasoning was that there was no point in both of us worrying about the same thing. I think that is God’s reasoning here. If we take our trouble to God and then fume and fret about it, we are wasting energy. God has it so let go and let God handle it. Don’t be anxious about anything.

Second, It emphasizes the power of prayer:
The verse says to present one’s requests to God through prayer and petition, indicating that prayer is an important tool in overcoming anxiety. Sometimes we might have a problem and say we have done all we could. Well, have you prayed about it? Until you have prayed about it, you haven’t done all you can. This is not to suggest that if you have the problem of an illness, you can just pray. Praying is not all we do, but it certainly is one thing we should do.

I call Philippians 4:6, “The Antidote for Anxiety.”

I know it is because the very next verse tells us so.

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

There it is! True peace comes at the end of true prayer.

Lonnie Davis

Long, long ago, the army of Assyria brought all of her forces to surround and capture Elisha, the prophet of God. During the night the Assyrian army surrounded the house of Elisha. When the servant of Elisha woke up, he looked around the hills and saw the enemy. He didn’t know what to do, but Elisha did. He prayed.

“And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw.  – 

2 Kings 6:17

In times of great stress, we all can suffer the problem of the young servant. We all can cry in fear instead of simply trusting God.

After Elisha’s prayer, the young servant saw, as the Scripture says, “The mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

In other words, God’s help was already there, but he couldn’t see it.

The Servant wasn’t blind physically. He was blind spiritually. Elisha prayed that the servant would be able to see that God can handle anything.

Elisha wasn’t afraid of the army of men because he could see the army of God.

In this story we see the power of prayer. Elisha didn’t need time to reflect on his prayer. He didn’t need 7 days to build up to the prayer. He didn’t need two prayers. Elisha had lived his entire life talking to God, so that when he called on him, God answered immediately. 

It is interesting to note that Elisha was not praying for deliverance. This was a prayer of accommodation. Elisha prayed for God to accommodate the young servant so that he could see that God’s help was already there. God didn’t have to do it and the outcome would have been there anyway.

It was a prayer for a young man who needed to open his eyes and see God’s blessings.

There are many people who can see the Sun and the moon and the stars but who cannot see God in them. They have eyes but are spiritually blind. Our world has millions who cannot see the goodness or the blessings of God. They are spiritually blind.

Maybe they need this prayer from Elisha.

Lonnie Davis

As a kid, when I would get “kinda” sick, my mom would give me terrible-tasting medicine. I would hide it, run from it, and even say I had taken it when I hadn’t. Those are things I did “as a kid” and when I was “kinda” sick. 

As adults, when we sometimes face true sickness, we don’t run from our treatments. We take radiation and chemo treatments. We go into hospitals and take medicine every few hours. These don’t just taste bad; they are hard. We do them anyway.

Mark 2:1-12 the story about one occasion when Jesus was preaching and healing.  As  was he was preaching, four friends brought a paralyzed man to Jesus for him to heal. As they approached the house where Jesus was teaching, it became obvious there was no way for them to get in to see Jesus.

As they approached where Jesus was preaching, I wonder what the conversation was like. Maybe one of them said, ‘Well, we can’t get near Jesus, so let’s come back another day.” Of course that is not what they did. Maybe that thought never entered their mind. What they did was find a different way. The doors were blocked. The people were all around Jesus. Maybe Jesus was in the middle of telling one of his parables when he heard a pounding on the roof. Next, pieces of the roof began to fall on the people around Jesus. Finally, a man on a stretcher was lowered down by ropes right into the middle of the crowd.

The rest of the story tells about the amazing way Jesus healed the paralyzed man, but I want you to focus on the four friends who brought him to Jesus. 

They cared deeply about their paralyzed friend.

They cared enough to help.

They didn’t leave him with a “let me know If you need anything.”

When faced with a huge obstacle, they would not quit.

They simply would not let obstacles stop them. 

Sometimes life is hard, obstacles seem overwhelming. Winners don’t whine and quit. They looked for ways to overcome.

Some people find a way.

Some people find an excuse to quit trying.

I know because I have been on both sides of that fence, but only one side makes me happy. 

If at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again.

It is the behavior of faith.

Lonnie Davis

Classmates.com is a huge website that lets long-lost friends find each other. I guess before you sign up you should decide if you really want to find each other. After all, you don’t look like you used to.

 The other day I read the story of a lady who was going to a new dentist. While waiting for her first appointment in the reception room, she noticed his certificate, which had his full name. Suddenly, she remembered that a tall, handsome boy with the same name had been in her high school class some 30 years earlier. As soon as she saw him she knew it was not him.  She was sure that the balding, grey-haired dentist with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been her classmate. After he had examined her teeth, she asked him if he had attended the local high school. 

“Yes,” he replied. 

“When did you graduate?” she asked. 

He replied, “In 1971. Why?” 

“You were in my class!” she said. 

He looked at her closely and then asked, “What did you teach?”

Ouch!

There is a part of this story that I love. I love people who can enjoy life enough that they don’t feel as old as they really are. If we were more like these two, we would do better in life. There are three qualities about these two old friends that I would like to have:

1. They did not focus on what they didn’t have.
2. They did not focus on the negatives.
3. They did not see obstacles to a good life.

Okay, so they didn’t have youth. So what? They had the wisdom that comes with a lifetime of living. Maybe one of them didn’t have hair, but he had an education that caused others to call him Doctor. One of them was at a dentist, but at least she had teeth that the dentist could work on.

So many times when God closes one door for us, we stare at it and grieve so long that we never see the two doors that God has opened. I love God’s promise in Jeremiah 29:11. “ ‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” 

You must believe that God has good plans for you. Your joy depends on it!

Lonnie Davis