“FROM THE PASTOR’S HEART” November 13,2018
Good morning everyone,
Spending time with the Little Lambs Christians Preschool children here at High View is a real treat.
Yesterday while stopping in to say hi to the children, the teacher asked me to keep two of the students’
grandfathers in my prayers. As I was responding, one of the students that I was going to pray for started
praying out loud for his classmate’s grandfather. Immediately everyone was silent and prayed along.
When he finished his prayer, I encouraged him and thanked him for praying for his classmate even
when his own grandfather needed prayer as well. I then led the class in a prayer for both grandfathers and
their families. This touched my heart deeply because these children were so comfortable praying out loud. It is a
real testimony to the parents of these two students, our teachers, and helpers here at Little Lambs. These
children have learned and are continuing to learn about God’s power, love, and mercy. I was reminded of
this as I was reading through a portion of Psalm 103 this morning which read, “For as the heavens are high
above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far
has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear
Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.” (Psalm 103:11-14, NKJV).
When these children talked about their grandfathers a repeated phrase kept coming up, “be healed and
get better”. It was obvious what their hearts desire was for their grandfathers. The same can be said of Scripture
when things are repeated over and over again. God is trying to tell us His heart’s desire and we need to pay
attention. What is repeated in the above verses is “…those who fear Him…”. Jesus made it clear that the power
of God is certainly so great that it ought to be feared, but He was gracious to mankind to reveal Himself through
His Only Son Jesus the Christ.
get better”. It was obvious what their hearts desire was for their grandfathers. The same can be said of Scripture
when things are repeated over and over again. God is trying to tell us His heart’s desire and we need to pay
attention. What is repeated in the above verses is “…those who fear Him…”. Jesus made it clear that the power
of God is certainly so great that it ought to be feared, but He was gracious to mankind to reveal Himself through
His Only Son Jesus the Christ.
Fear of the Lord is not a fear of punishment, but a reverent respect and willing submission to His
authority in life (Romans 5:8-11; 1 John 4:10-19). We must understand that God is the only true place of
refuge in life that can be turned to that actually is eternally beneficial and not a temporary bandage on the hurt
of our lives. Actions and words that are repeated in our lives and given the most attention, time, resources,
and energy to are the things that our hearts truly desire. Look at your schedule over the last year and see
what you have spent the majority of your time doing, places visited, and your financial records to see where
your resources went. Is it obvious that God is the center of your life from that which is repeated?
We are coming up to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s when life for everyone gets real active.
In all the celebrations and activity, what is the focus of your heart?
Praying beyond the physical:
Father, consume me with desire to know You more, to serve You better, and to grow in knowledge of You daily.
Jesus, teach me to love others and put their needs above my own needs so You will be lifted up in my life.
Spirit, strengthen me to trust Your leading in spite of my weakness, failures, and faithlessness.
Pastor Tom
