As I went to bed on Tuesday, June 7, I read and prayed
the following prayer in my devotions: “Lord Jesus, abide with us in these
latter evil days. Grant to Your Church true shepherds and faithful
pastors who preach Your Word in its purity, and who lead us in the way of
truth. Preserve our souls from being deluded by worldly wisdom and the
teaching of men who walk after their own thoughts, and keep us steadfast in
Your Word to our end. Amen” (Praying the Psalms with Luther, Psalm
26)
So do you resonate with the thought in that prayer
that we are in a time of “latter evil days?” The last number of years
have seen changes which cause my heart to grieve. I grieve the loss of a
country whose values, in many ways, reflected the values found in Scripture.
I relish the time when people with different ideas could talk through their
differences and, even if they could not come to agreement, they could at least
civilly agree to disagree. I remember fondly when churches were part of
the heart of our culture. I wish I could leave the experiences of my
childhood for my children and grandchildren. However, it is unwise to
live out of touch with the reality of our world. So, we live in these
“latter evil days” as children of God, knowing that we have a unique opportunity
to touch today’s world and all its troubles with the love God gives in Jesus.
We should not be surprised at the evil of these
days, but often we are surprised. Scripture is full of warnings of trial
and tribulation, of persecution and suffering, for the people of God as we
await the time when Jesus comes again as Judge on the Last Day. (Consider
Matthew 24, Ephesians 6:10 ff, 1 Timothy 4:1, 2 Peter 3:3, and the Book of
Revelation, etc.) So, we do live in evil days because of the sin in our
world, and that evil brings trials to our lives.
Where
do you find comfort and solace, where do you find strength to persevere, as we
live and work in these difficult days? Mainly, I find my strength in the
promises of God’s love and in His presence. Psalm 46:1 tells us, “God
is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” God
is with us in love and power to help us through troubles. He is especially merciful to us through His
Son, Jesus. The people of God, found in God’s church, are others who also
trust in the Lord. Time with God and with His people is vital!
But, as we live
through the evil of these days, where do you find peace in the midst of the
storms of this world? You probably know that I enjoy God’s creation and
the outdoors. I find my time on the water to be an opportunity to commune with
our Lord through His creation. But, another promise God made to Noah at
the end of the flood speaks again and again in my head. “21 The
LORD . . . said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because
of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And
never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. 22 "As
long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter,
day and night will never cease." (Genesis 8:21-22)
I love living in
the midst of that promise of God, the promise that “seedtime and harvest . .
. will never cease.” My kids don’t always understand, but I really
enjoy getting my knees and my hands dirty working in my vegetable garden and in
our flower beds. I’m convinced I might even save money if I bought my
vegetables from a grocery store rather than spending money on seeds, and
starts, and fertilizer. But, when I compost, when I till the garden plot,
when I plant the seeds and starts, and then
when I watch them grow, I am living in the promise and power of God in this
world. There is something reassuring to plant a seed and see the sprout
poke through the soil. God Himself made that happen! I am part of
God’s working in this world when I garden. When I pull and I hoe the
weeds away from the vegetables in my garden, I also learn how important it is
to tend the faith which God grows in our lives. The trials and suffering,
the thorns and weeds of this life, can choke trust in God and His love.
God loves us
eternally through the life and the death and the rising of His Son Jesus.
But, God continues to care for His creation and His world in this life.
Consider Matthew 6:26-31. “26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow
or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are
you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a
single hour to his life? 28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See
how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you
that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and
tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of
little faith? (Matthew 6:26-30) Working in my gardens gives me
assurance that God is working in this world, even if the days are evil.
So, if
you come by our home and I’m not fishing, you might find me outside working in
the yard, living in the promises of God.
A Child of God, Living in the Promises of God Through
. . . Dirty Knees and Hands!
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. St.
John is again hosting the town of Palmer for the Colony Days Picnic on
Saturday, June 11, after the parade. The meal begins at noon. We
have multiple leaders for each of 5 areas of service. We have 1200 hot
dogs, chips, water, condiments and 22 tubs of 1 ¼ gallons of vanilla ice
cream. You may come and join us in serving the town of Palmer in the
name of our Lord, if you wish.
PLEASE NOTE: WE
NEED PARENTS AND CHILDREN FOR THE PARADE! If you want to join us please arrive BY 10:00 a.m. and
gather at the tractor Nathan Bower will be driving in the parade.
P.P.S. Here is a
picture from the Wedding of David and Brittany Bower on Saturday, June 4.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/D3fyorrUe1W5tEix6
P.P.P.S. Dirty
Knees:
· Here are some picture from our garden. https://photos.app.goo.gl/5ToZZMsvooaERc866
· Here are some pictures from our yard and flower beds. https://photos.app.goo.gl/FeR6ZHwsyGQD2iGAA
P.P.P.S. UVALDE – Many congregations are sending letters of comfort,
condolence, and hope to the families affected, in the care of Trinity Lutheran
Church. We know from experience that, at times like this, one never
receives too many words of condolence. If you wish to do so the address
is below.
Trinity Lutheran Church
762 N. Getty St.
Uvalde, TX 78801
*Rev. Mark Tews is their pastor
How Else Can You Help? Financial donations are very helpful. Trinity Lutheran Church
in Uvalde has indicated that this is the best way to help at this time. 100% of
every gift will go to help with the many needs families and victims are
experiencing. Trinity, Uvalde, TX, is partnering with the Texas District of the
LCMS to receive and distribute these donations. Read here for more details.
*****
ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I retired at the end of August 2019 from serving as
senior pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer, AK. I was writing a
weekly devotion previously entitled, "Thoughts from the Pastor."
When I retired many asked me to continue writing these devotions. So I
have continued writing. However, with life's changes I now call this
weekly devotion "Journeys Through Life as a Child of God." Since
I am no longer senior pastor at St. John, I felt it right to only send
this message to those who asked to receive it. (Though I am now serving
again part-time at St. John as assistant to the pastor.)
So, if you stopped receiving these devotions and wondered why, now you
understand. And, if you are now receiving these devotions and do not wish
to receive them, please let me know, and I’ll gladly remove your name from my
distribution list. My e-mail address is jonrock53@mtaonline.net.
My prayer is that these devotions help each of you in your daily walk with our
Lord, Jesus.
*******
Jonathan Rockey
Child of God
Husband, Father, Son, Grandfather
Emeritus, St. John
Lutheran Church
E-Mail: jonrock53@mtaonline.net
“1 John 3:1 How great is
the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!
And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1a)
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