The Heaton File

For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:5-7)

By The Same Word

The world is a magnificent manifestation of the glory of God. Mountains peer into the heavens with a commanding view, oceans teem with an abundance of creatures, prairies expand beyond the horizon and the landscape of earth abounds with incredible visions of beauty, power, and unmatched vistas. Viewing into the blackness of the universe, the soul is overwhelmed by the vastness and unending depths of the billions upon billions of stars that inhabit the expanse of space. Man can’t plumb all the depths of the oceans and discover the untold stories of the earth and he will never be able to conquer the worlds that possess the night sky. In comparison to all things in the universe, man is but a small fuzzy blue dot in the middle of an immense blackness.

Examining the world and universe does not suggest that man is small but confirms the height of humanity is but dust in the scheme of the eternal creation of God. Isaiah said the Creator is so great He can hold the oceans in His hand; He can measure the heavens with His fingers and knows the weight of the earth including the mountains and hills. Peter adds to the dimension of the greatness of God by reminding men the world that now exists is contained within the power of the word of God.

Everything in the world is held together but the determined counsel of God. Referring to the flood in the days of Noah, the apostle Peter explains the power of God. When the time came for the global flood to destroy all things the word of God accomplished two things: it saved Noah and his family and destroyed all other life. The word of God told Noah about the destruction that was coming and what he must do to be saved. Through the grace of God, Noah knew of the impending doom but he also knew what to do to save himself and his family. When the time came for the flood to open upon on the world, the word of God came to Noah and told him to enter the ark. Noah was saved by the word of God.

The same word that saved Noah also condemned the world. After Noah entered the ark, the word of the Lord brought about a flood that destroyed all living things that breathed upon the face of the earth. Through the word of God, the waters from above and below were unleashed. Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. The word of God saved those in the ark and destroyed all those outside the ark.

This same word preserves the heavens and the earth for fire. The day will come when the word of God will speak and the day of judgment will come when ungodly people will be destroyed. Through the determined counsel of God, He has but to give a command and all will be destroyed. His word is what perfects the world and allows it to exist. All of the laws of nature are bound through the counsel of the Lord and His will. Creation exalts the power of God as the confirmation of His word. Everything is dependent solely upon the word of God. At any moment God could speak His word and the universe would be destroyed. Without the power of God, nothing can exist.

Before that great and terrible day of the Lord comes, God’s word instructs men what to do to find salvation. Like in the days of Noah, everything man needs to know to save himself is given by the word of God. The challenge is whether ungodly men will heed the word now before the word of God comes and there is no more hope. Regardless, men will be saved or lost by the word of God. Believing the word of God will draw men to obey His will and like Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen will move with godly fear, heeding the word of God for the salvation of their souls. Do you believe in the word of God? It will either save you or condemn you.

You have dealt well with Your servant, O Lord, according to Your word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe Your commandments. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word. You are good, and do good; teach me Your statutes. The proud have forged a lie against me, but I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart. Their heart is as fat as grease, but I delight in Your law. It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes. The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver. (Psalm 119:65-72)

Learning From Affliction

Pain is proof that life exists. God created the body to experience pain to protect it from harm. When a hand touches a hot stove, it reacts immediately with the nerves screaming to the brain to stop. Without the function of pain, the boy would be harmed. The experience of pain is never desired but it serves a purpose.

When God created Adam and Eve, He infused the body with the nerves that would serve as the defense against harm. In the beginning, there was nothing to fear because there was nothing to harm the body. Sin changed that. As a result of man’s disobedience, pain and suffering came upon all humanity. Physical, emotional and spiritual suffering overshadowed the life of humanity and affliction was the common lot of man. Sadly, it would take the greatest suffering by the greatest sacrifice of the greatest man to save men from the fear of pain. Jesus became a man to experience the death of the cross, not to take away the affliction of the body, but to give hope for suffering man. Affliction did not end with the resurrection of Jesus. His suffering gave all men an answer to the burdens of life so they could face the uncertainties of life with hope and promise.

The psalmist sought to understand the word of God. He acknowledged that life was filled with affliction but that God had done many good things for him, just as the Lord promised. Facing the difficulties of life was not an easy part to accept but the psalmist found comfort in the word of the Lord. It would seem the most unlikely place to find comfort for many people but to face adversity is best done with the knowledge of God’s word. He knows the Creator has the answers to suffering. Delighting in the instructions of a kind and benevolent Father is where true comfort comes.

One of the amazing parts of seeking the counsel of God is to know that adversity is a good thing. The psalmist says that suffering was good for him and it taught him to pay attention to the teachings of the Lord. Sorrow can drive a heart away from God or it can draw the spirit closer to the only source of hope there is. Understanding the word of God gives hope, promise, truth, and clarity to adversity. It may not take away the pain but it calms the spirit with the presence of God. The storms of life can rage with great fury and the Lord can calm the storm or He can allow the storms to continue and calm the heart of the child. Knowing the word of the Lord will illuminate this peace that passes all understanding.

The world is in a distress unimagined in the history of humanity. There have been similar pandemics such as the Black Plague and the Spanish Flu but in the generations of all who live today, the adversity of the COVID-19 virus is unparalleled. Tragically, many have lost their lives. Many more have endured a terrible illness and as a result of the actions by governments seeking to limit the outbreak of the virus, economies have nearly been crippled. There is a lot of anxiety, fear, and worry in the hearts of the world. The word of God is not going to take away the virus or lessen the impact of the economic outcomes but the knowledge of the word of God will help to see life in a proper view.

Adversity is a good thing. Because of this virus, almost everything we have held dear has been taken away. The generation of those who lived through the Great Depression was a hearty group of people because the Depression changed their lives for a good purpose. Pain can bring good things and while the enduring of this virus is afflicting the world with suffering, may God’s children look through the vale of darkness and say with the psalmist, “It is good for me that I have afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.”

When the virus ends and life returns to the world we once knew, do not let the lessons of these months be lost on hearts that return to the carefree and fruitless pursuits of what was taken away. Pain brings joy. Trust in God and draw closer to God to learn the value of suffering. Face reality with the word of God guiding the heart. If there is one thing that must come out of these days of affliction is to know that life does not consist of the things we have on this earth. Life is about eternity. All we have in this world is what we possess with the one who possesses us. God loves us and wants us to seek Him. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe Your commandments.

And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men—than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. Also, he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon. (1 Kings 4:29-34)

Wiser Than Solomon

When the Lord allowed the son of David to ask of anything he desired, the newly appointed king of Israel asked to have an understanding heart to judge the people of God in a righteous and holy manner. The request pleased God and Solomon was blessed by the hand of the Lord to have a wise and understanding heart as no man in history had possessed. The story of Solomon has filled the imagination of history for centuries with his opulent wealth, incredible wisdom and ruling over the zenith of Israel’s splendor as a powerful nation.

The Queen of Sheba came to inquire of the wisdom of Solomon and found she could not take in all the wisdom of the king and to see all of his vast wealth was only telling half the story of the immensity of the king’s gift. There was no man like Solomon in all the world. No man before him had such great wisdom and no man since has possessed the unfathomable knowledge of one man.

Solomon spoke 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 hymns. He built the temple of the Lord as instructed by his father David in less than seven years. Palaces, citadels, and the walls of Jerusalem were built and fortified. Solomon built up a huge force of chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone. And valuable cedar timber was as common as the sycamore-fig trees that grew in the foothills of Judah. The nation of Israel was an incredible display of wealth, power, prestige and worship to the one true God.

With all the knowledge and power of Solomon, he allowed the love of many foreign women to turn his heart away from the Lord. When he was old, his wives turned his heart after other gods and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God. The divine wisdom given to Solomon had served him well but he could not see the spiritual side of righteousness and truth. Writing in his older age, the king lamented the pursuit of wisdom and knowledge as nothing more than grasping for the wind. It brought nothing but grief and sorrow.

When the Jews challenged Jesus to show them a sign, the Lord used the story of the queen of Sheba visiting Solomon to show that a greater one than Solomon stood in their midst. He declared Himself a greater one than Solomon in all of his wisdom and glory. The knowledge of Jesus Christ is far beyond the wisdom found in Solomon. The Lord was not suggesting the wisdom of the world is not of value but He points men to the knowledge that will set them free from the bondage of sin. Jesus came to release men from the bondage of the adversary and the knowledge found in the word of God is greater than all the knowledge given to Solomon. Men can exalt others to be as wise as Solomon but when a humble heart understands and obeys the gospel of Jesus Christ, their wisdom exceeds the wisdom of Solomon.

The wisdom possessed by Solomon was of great value but he failed to make the application of that truth to keep him from the influences of the evil women. Jesus came to bring men the water of life that will give them hope, promise, and godliness in this life. This knowledge is greater than all Solomon possessed. The soul who obeys the word of God, and seeks the knowledge of grace in their daily walk will find greater reward than the passing fancy of carnal knowledge. All the wisdom of the world will fade away in death but the knowledge of Jesus Christ will find adoration in death as one stands before the throne of God to receive eternal life. To be wiser than Solomon is to repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you through the love of God.

Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” (John 8:48)

They Called Jesus A Samaritan Devil

Insolence is the art of disrespecting, despairing and implying impertinence of character against another. The Jews of Jesus’ day were well crafted to attack Jesus with malicious hypocrisy to justify their envy of His popularity and to answer the undeniable proof of His miracles.  They never tried to repudiate the miracles of Jesus because it was impossible to deny the demonstrative evidence of Jesus’ power over all things earthly and demonic. Instead, the Jewish leaders sought to slander His character.

Jesus had fed more than five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two small fishes. When the people found Jesus the next day, He rebuked them for seeking the bread that perishes rather than the eternal manna of God. Many of the disciples turned and walked away from Jesus because of the teaching of the Lord that He was the manna from the Father. Even his own fleshly brothers did not believe Jesus was the Son of God. There was a great dispute among the people about Jesus. Many believed He was the Messiah but many more doubted. The Jewish leaders rejected the claims of Jesus and sought ways to destroy him. A woman was caught in the act of adultery (the man was not brought) and the Jews brought her before Jesus to test Him seeking something to accuse Him. Quietly, Jesus stooped down writing on the ground and each man walked away convicted in their conscience. Jesus told the people He was the light of the world and the Pharisees accused the Lord of bear false witness.

Teaching the multitudes in the temple, Jesus told them He was from the Father and that He must go away but they would not be able to go with Him. The Jews thought He meant He was going to kill Himself. Jesus tells the religious leaders He was from above and that He had come from the Father. All the miracles pointed to the divine nature of Jesus. His teachings were clearly marked by the evidence of the word of the Father. All the evidence that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God was plainly given to the people to show the Messiah had come and yet the Jews called Jesus a Samaritan devil. Their conclusion, according to their wisdom, decided that Jesus was nothing more than a mongrel dog possessed of some devil. When Jesus told the Jews that Abraham had rejoiced to see the coming of the Seed and that Jesus was divine existing before Abraham, the Jews took up stones to throw at Him. Their hatred spilled over to wanting to commit murder.

Calling a Jew a Samaritan was a vile curse. Samaritans were half-breeds of the Assyrian occupation when the northern ten tribes were destroyed in 722 B.C. The Jews despised the Samaritans and treated them with the greatest of contempt. Hurling the defamation of a Samaritan curse and accusing Jesus of having a demon was the lowest contempt in the Jewish language. The hearts of the Jewish leaders were filled with hatred and murder. These emotions would come to bear before the judgment seat of Pilate when the Jews cried out for Jesus to be crucified. The Son of God was accused of being a demon and the Jews succeeded in killing Him on a Romans cross because of their hatred.

Most men reject Jesus today as being the Son of God and while they may not use the language of the ancient Jews to call Jesus a Samaritan devil, their rejection is measured by the same rule of hypocrisy. The wisdom of man cannot accept a crucified Christ. His miracles are defined by scripture, the teachings of the Father are manifest in printed form and the power of creation and divine revelation herald the presence of divinity but most men believe Jesus to be a Samaritan devil. Jesus did die on the cross because that was the will of the Father. He did return to the Father where He reigns as King of King and Lord of Lords. Unless a person believes that Jesus is the Christ, there is no hope. If a person does not obey the will of the Father they in a fashion call Jesus a Samaritan devil as they reject Him from being divine. A man will either pick up stones to kill the message of salvation or he will take up a cross and follow Jesus. Is Jesus a Samaritan devil or is He the Son of God? You decide.

Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.

You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; for they are ever with me.

I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation.

I understand more than the ancients because I keep Your precepts.

I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word.

I have not departed from Your judgments, for You Yourself have taught me.

How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.

(Psalm 119:97-104)

Why I Love The Law Of God

The word of God is the law of the Lord, the commandments of the Creator, the testimonies of the testator and the precepts of the principle in the affairs of all men. Throughout the revelation of the Divine to the world, God has longed for and desired men to love His law. Everything contained within the pages of the written word is for the good of man. God created the world to show forth His glory and He said at the end of each day of creation, “It is good.” There is purpose and design in the formation of the world. As the Lord unfolded the mysteries of the eternal to the spirit of man, there was purpose and design to bring happiness to humanity. All of the sadness and misery of man is found in his refusal to seek wisdom from the law of the Lord. Nothing given of God is to harm man but to exalt him as the creation of the Divine hand. The word of God helps man understand who he is, where he came from and why he is here. As the Creator, God wants His creation to know why the frail creature of humanity is so important to Him.

Through the knowledge of the law of God, the soul of man finds wisdom that is above his own. The sinful nature of carnality impedes the heart to know the right answers and when men seek to follow their own wisdom, disaster follows. History is replete with the wasted efforts of those who deny the law of God for their own. If God created man, He alone knows what is best for man. The commands of the Lord give greater wisdom as a constant guide for truth and the right things. Men often disregard what the Lord calls right and find their truth faulty. Understanding the word of God overshadows the generations of human wisdom with greater clarity and purpose. The testimonies and insights into the law of God are the greatest knowledge man can achieve. Following the will of the Lord will exalt the soul of man to eternal truths that will bring him greater peace, hope, and promise.

Loving the law of God protects the heart from the harmful effects of sin. There is a consequence to sin because it is the transgression of the law of God. When the Lord created the world He established many laws that define the nature of the world. The sun is an exact distance from the earth for a purpose. Gravity is the force that attracts the physical to the center of the earth and without this law, the earth could not survive. Denying or rejecting the law of gravity will bring death. Sin has the same consequence. The law of God is given to protect man from the harmful effects of sin but when men deny the word of God they suffer a great consequence. Keeping the word of the Lord will restrain feet that are swift to every evil way. That is the purpose of the law to protect man and ultimately give life to the soul as obedient children of God.

The grace of God’s word must be instilled in the heart and this requires diligence. Understanding the word of God is not a ‘caught religion’ but a ‘taught religion.’ God has revealed Himself through the natural world and more fully through the revelation of words. Without this final revelation, man could not know the character of God, His love for men and His plan for their redemption. Knowing the judgments of the Lord requires teaching, learning, examination, and constant study. There must be a desire to learn what God says like longing after honey that is sweet to the taste. The law of God is not burdensome and distasteful. It was created to give life to men and through this life eternal joy. False ways will be rejected when the heart is full of the sweetness of God’s word. When a man spends his time meditating upon the word of God, he will begin to love the law and make it his meditation all day. His constant guide will be the spiritual honey of God’s love that refreshes the soul, nourishes the spirit and unfolds the beautiful face of God. Oh, how I love your instructions! I think about them all day long.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. (1 Timothy 4:1-5)

Departing From The Word Of God

Truth is older than error but error is more readily accepted than truth. The failure of the human mind has been to accept one body of truth. Satan’s first attack against the will of man was to ask the question, “Has God indeed said?” The devil knew he could not force the woman to eat of the forbidden fruit but if he succeeded in tempting her to accept a lie as truth, his work would be accomplished. God had clearly told Adam and Eve they could eat of every tree of the garden and were forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The commandments of the Lord have never been burdensome or difficult to understand. Satan deceived Eve into accepting error more than remaining true to the word of God. His tactic has remained the same. The first step of sin always begins with departing from the word of God.

Apostasy is an individual challenge every man faces as he is daily confronted with the decision to obey God or follow his carnal desires. The problem of apostasy becomes a global pandemic when men begin to pervert the word of God to create systems of faith that depart from the faith once established by the Holy Spirit. Paul warned the early Christians a time would come when men would depart from the foundations of truth, to follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. God knew the nature of how men would handle the word of truth and foretold through the Holy Spirit of those who would pervert the truth of the gospel. It is clear the gospel can be corrupted by the wisdom of human reasoning. Like Israel of old, being unsatisfied with the word of God, men add to and embellish religion to fits his own needs and wants. This falls more into the desire of pride and the carnality of man-made religion. Israel wanted to be like the nations around them and succeeded in destroying the nation of God through idolatry.

Satan will never be able to destroy the church of Christ but he will make every effort to corrupt and change the doctrines of God to fit his pernicious purpose. Men will rise up who are hypocrites and liars clothed in the garments of religious jealousy. At first glance, it seems incredulous that honest men would follow such unashamed lies as false religion but the reason is that their consciences are dead. They will teach men it is wrong to be married and establish dogmas that prohibit the eating of certain foods. This was certainly the case with the formation of the Roman Catholic Church which numbers are estimated at 1.2 billion adherents. It would seem clear in the letter to Timothy that Paul (through the Holy Spirit) is alluding to the Roman and Greek apostasy. Sadly, Protestant churches today are illegitimate children of the whoredom of apostasy following in the same paths as their mother.

The Bible is the word of God. Everything needful for man to understand the mind of God is contained within the pages of the Bible. There is no other book that comes from the Divine. The book of Mormon, the Koran, the teachings of Buddha and all other books that claim to be of divine origin are false. Jesus declared that He is the only way to the Father, He is the only body of truth and life cannot be found outside of Jesus Christ. The faith once delivered to the saints is the revelation of eternal truth and the only truth that will save the soul of man. Jesus died to deliver the grace of God into the hearts of men. Accepting, following and teaching any doctrine that is not found in the Bible is the doctrine of demons and deceiving spirits. The Holy Spirit declared this truth. Anything else is departing from the word of God.

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God. (Psalm 42:11)

My Hope Is In God

Discouragement can come from many quarters of life and challenge the faith of the people of God. No one is immune to the struggles of life. The rain falls on the just and the unjust and the problems of life surround the righteous as easily as the unrighteous. What makes a difference in the life of the Christian is the knowledge that while the storms gather there is a God who is greater and more powerful. This comes from the knowledge the Creator of the world is the same protecting Father who will not allow His children to be carried further than they can withstand. Nothing that man faces can overcome him when he seeks the favor of the Almighty. God holds the universe (all of it) in the palm of His hand. What on earth can be greater than the expanse of the universe that the will of the Lord cannot answer? If God has a name for every star in the heavens, there is nothing He cannot accomplish in the life of His child. There is nothing to fear when God is at hand.

Life is filled with bright, sunny days of glorious splendor. Some days come that are filled with dark and brooding clouds of despair, uncertainty, doubt, and fear. It will discourage and dishearten the strongest of souls. Sadness can permeate the spirit of man with its tentacles of despair. Above the realm of man, the throne of God gleams with the brilliance of eternal hope for desperate souls seeking refuge. The rainbow surrounds the throne in appearance like an emerald showing the downtrodden that God rules and He reigns over the affairs of the earth. All the creatures surrounding the throne cry out, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.” This is a declaration there is nothing to fear. Hope is found in the Lord God.

The sons of Korah wrote a psalm yearning for the presence of God in their anguish. They faced a time of despair and longed to know the glory of God’s throne. Like a deer longs for streams of water, they longed for the presence of God in a time of dark clouds that overshadowed them. Their thirst was for God to nourish their disquieted spirits from the parched desert of despair. There was no reason to be discouraged. They had no reason to be sad in their hearts. With divine clarity, they had put their hope in God. Praise came from their lips as they embraced the presence of God to lead them through the dark travails of life. God was their Savior. He was their God.

Uncertainty creates a greater pain in the heart when life is filled with so many certainties of joy and pleasure. There is fear with the COVID-19 virus that has unsettled the world. For many in the world, this has only changed their lives to the fear of the disease. In the prosperous communities of America, it has created havoc in the lives of those who trust in the uncertain riches of life, the pleasures of life and the enjoyment of prosperity. There is greater fear at the loss of what was considered unbreakable and normal in life. Because of this virus, the world of frivolity, recreation, popularity, and carnal pursuits have been turned upside down. Orders to stay at home, businesses closing, and industries crippled are common. The future looks uncertain for those who cannot see God in their yesterdays. Serving the Lord is not a prosthetic that is put on in case of an emergency today for fear of tomorrow. Trusting in God is the armor worn every day before the dark clouds come.

If God is not in the heart before the dark clouds, it will be difficult for a man to endure. Hope in God comes from thirsting after God and seeking His will today. The power of knowledge is what helps the soul endure the hard times and understand the joys of the good days. Hope in God. Praise God. Trust in His divine power to see His children through whatever life brings. There will be sadness, tragedy, and heartache but it will be measured by the loving arms of the Heavenly Father who knows, understands and cares for His children. Though the clouds of darkness spread across the sky my God still rules and He hears my cries. One day He will send His Son and wipe away all tears, remove all sorrow and take His children home. I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Looking For A Quiet Life

Paul had sound advice for Timothy and the brethren at Ephesus that people of God should heed in the year of this great confusion. There have always been challenges to the life of those who seek to follow the will of God and none are exempt from the impact of world events. The plan of character for the Christian is something that goes beyond the boundaries of time. Paul urged the brethren to pray for everyone because everyone needs prayer. All men need the providential grace of God to intercede on their behalf and to learn to depend on Him. Jesus died for all men so that all men could see the glory of the Father and come to salvation. Christians are to pray for everyone so they can find the promises of God.

Supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks should always be on the lips of the children of God. The world is in darkness with no hope and no promise of a brighter tomorrow apart from Jesus Christ. Prayers should be given by saints to seek God’s blessings on all men to see the power of God to know the love of God in Christ. The life of the person of character is defined by his relationship with the Divine and his interest in the salvation of all men. This is the forefront of prayer. Paul especially urges the brethren to pray for kings and those in authority. It must be noted and taken very seriously that God is not interested in political affiliations. The Holy Spirit directs that a Christian must pray for the government in power at the time and when Paul wrote the letter to Timothy it was the corrupt, immoral and hedonistic Roman Empire. For the Christian today it means the President of the United States and all those in authority whether on the Federal level, State or local governments. This does not regard itself to party lines. For the children of God who elect to follow a certain party line, they are obligated to pray for those in authority whether that person is in their party or not. To refuse to pray for the President and those in authority because of political posturing is sinful and rebelling against the will of God.

The purpose of prayer is for the nation of God to be examples of living a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. Using social media to despair, malign and spew hatred for political posturing does not lead to quiet living and brings peace in the world. It shows a character of ungodliness and irreverence for the authorities that are ordained by God. Prayer should be the first thing that comes from the lips of the Christian and then the action of prayer through the daily lives of those who have subjected themselves to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In times of national and global concern, the people of God should be the standard that all other men seek to emulate because of their spirit of gentleness and purity. Jesus told the eleven shortly before He sacrificed Himself for all men that the world would know the power of the gospel in the lives of those who became His disciples. Love for one another and love for others will the hallmark of the church to show the world that God loves them and seeks their salvation. The Lord desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. This is done when His people pray for all men, for kings and all who are in authority. They show Christ living in their lives as gentle people, seeking peace and showing God’s grace and love. A quiet life comes from imitating Jesus Christ.

Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. And the Syrians had gone out on raids and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” (2 Kings 5:1-3)

Faith In A Dark Time

Joram (also called Jehoram) was the ninth king of the northern tribes of Israel following the division. His father was Ahab who did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, even more than any of the kings before him. He married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and he began to bow down in worship of Baal. Ahab would rule Israel for 22 years unleashing a plague of ungodliness, murder, and idolatry. The prophet Elijah said of Ahab that no one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the Lord’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel.

When Ahab died his son Ahaziah ruled the kingdom for two years. He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, following the example of his father and mother and the example of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had led Israel to sin. He served Baal and worshiped him, provoking the anger of the Lord, just as his father had done. Ahaziah died by the hand of God for seeking the counsel of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, instead of the Lord God. Because he had no son, his brother, and son of Ahab, Joram became king. He did evil before God but not like his father and mother. The king continued to lead the northern tribes in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

Somewhere in the hill country of the northern tribes, a devout family of God found joy in the birth of a little girl. They would cherish this little girl as a gift from God in a dark world given over to wickedness. No king that would rule the northern tribes were righteous. From Jeroboam until the Assyrians arrive in 722 B. C., the inhabitants of the ten tribes of Israel were living in a world dark with great wickedness. The leaders were wicked, the religious leaders were corrupt and the world was filled with ungodliness. One family struggled to keep their faith in God and teach their little girl to trust in the power of God. And then one day a cloud of dust appeared over the horizon and the worst nightmare for any family living in the northern part of Israel came true. The army of the Syrians attacked the cities and villages to loot, plunder and take captives. Included in the sweep by the Syrian army was the family of this young girl.

Nothing is known of the family of the little girl. Were they killed in the Syrian raid or taken captive with so many others? Did they survive the attack and live in the mountains away from the raiding parties? The scriptures are silent. What is known is that on one of the raids under the command of Naaman, the young girl was taken captive. She was given the servile task of working in the home of the Syrian commander’s wife. Her life would never be the same. For many who found themselves slaves of the Syrians, there would be resentment, hatred, and scorn. If anything tragic happened to the Syrians, they would rejoice. This was not the case of the young girl serving the wife of Naaman.

Faith in a dark time is where the young girl found the faith that God could do the impossible. What is remarkable about the young maiden is that she grew up in the world of Ahab, Ahaziah, and Joram. There were few influences of goodness and righteousness. Somewhere in all the putridity of sin that surrounded them, the family of this young lady taught her to trust in God. When she saw that Naaman was a leper, she implored her mistress to have him go to the prophet in Israel who would heal him of his leprosy. This was an incredible belief. Leprosy had no cure. Jesus would later remark many in Israel had leprosy in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman. The little girl believed in something taught to her by her parents. She saw faith in a time of darkness; not only in her life but she could see hope for her master to take away his leprosy.

Life can be a challenge and when the world gets turned upside down it can be hard to see the good in it all. Ironically, the early church grew strong in the face of persecution which shows how the faithful work through the times of difficulty. The generation of the early twentieth century was known for their hard work, frugality, and courage. This came from the rugged times of the Great Depression, and two World Wars. Dark times are meant to test the mettle of men and no time is as clear as the present. Faith does not disappear in the darkness, it shines as light. The faith of the young girl who changed Naaman’s life was a light in a dark world of sin. Children of God must be the light in a dark world to show others why God’s way is the way of peace, security, love, and hope. The darkness that hangs over our world will end one day because behind every dark cloud the sun continues to shine. Faith must shine from the hearts of the disciples of the King who reigns and the God who rules. Let your light shine and let the world hear your trumpet of faith – loud and clear.

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’” Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:1-8)

Continue To Pray And Do Not Lose Heart

It is easy to lose heart when the dawn looks so long away and the night is dark with uncertainty. The struggle of prayer is to couple the petitions to God with the need for patience, endurance, and faith. Men are impetuous with their desires wanting quick solutions, instant answers and questions answered. Prayer is the ultimate test of learning the will of God is not matched by the impatience of man. Time marches on at the same rate every day with every second counting every minute creating the same amount of hours in a day. The problem with the carnal spirit is to demand time to speed up and to serve the needs of man. It becomes where prayer is demanding rather than asking or pleading. Many lose heart in prayer because they are not patient to the will of God who has a greater knowledge of the need.

Jesus understood the plight of men’s desire for an answer in prayer. One of the most important lessons He taught His disciples is that prayer requires more than just a casual request. He taught His disciples that prayer is continual and while the lips voice the desire of the heart, the spirit of man must wait for the grace of God to answer the prayer. God could answer every prayer the instant they are offered but He chooses not. Often (more often than not) prayer becomes a test of faith. The parable Jesus taught was the need to never give up seeking the favor of the Father.

When the widow came to the judge, she had one thing in mind. Her utmost desire was for justice to be meted out against her adversary. The lesson of the parable is not the evil judge or the reason for the widow’s request. Everything about her attitude and the need of her heart was paramount for the lesson Jesus was teaching about prayer. The judge rebuffed her at first and gave no heed. She did not give up. The widow continued her assault. In time, the judge knew how intent the widow was in her request and he granted her wish because she troubled him by her continual coming.

The persistent widow is a divine example of how tenacious the heart must be in prayer. God wants to see and know how serious the petitioner will be in his desires. How the Father will answer prayer is unknown to the mind of man. Examples are found in the Bible where the Lord answered prayers quickly but often there was much time between the petition and the answer. The point is that prayer must be accompanied by a heart that is persistent in the petition without losing heart. Prayer is expressing to a loving and compassionate Father the needs of the child and that child must show his or her faith by how much they devote their will to prayer.

Do not give up and do not lose heart means that God hears the prayers of His children and He will answer those prayers – in accordance with His will, His knowledge, and His plan. What is man that he is mindful of the ways of God to demand anything? Prayer is pleading the promises of God. If the Father answers prayer today, that is a blessing. When many days, months or years go by for the answer of prayer, God is still glorified. Prayer is seeking the blessing of God and leaving that request with him – without instructions on how to answer the prayer. The greatest part of prayer is having faith to leave prayer with God. Do not lose heart and do not give up. God answers every prayer of those who insist on their faith upon Him.