Saturday, November 13, 2010

James 5

James 5 :1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver have rusted ; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure ! 4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure ; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

These verses speak to me a bit more recently than in years past.  The withheld pay cries out against the employer.  I shudder to consider the employer’s future.   I was up and typing this at three this morning; but as I finished and hit send, my internet connection was lost and so was my email.  It spoke to mercy I hope God gives the past employers in our lives rather than letting this serious judgment stand.  I think (I tried hard for a while to reconnect, re-submit, re-do and nothing would work…so I went to bed) my Precious Father God wanted me to receive His words that those unpaid debts to us are not overlooked by Him…even when we forgive and ask for mercy for the offenders.  He takes His children and their work very seriously, and consequently, their wages.  How much He loves us to allow us the chance to know Him better in those difficult times and still hold the offenders accountable.  How much He loves the offenders to not let them get away with sinning.  What a strong statement against the rich employers.  THE  Lord of Sabaoth is on this detail and He's a Warrior.  YIKES.  Thank You Sweet Lord for looking out for Your children.  Help me to live for Heaven’s luxury and Your pleasure.  

13 Is anyone among you suffering ? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful ? He is to sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick ? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord ; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.  

A dear friend of mine has been contending with great physical pain.  She called for the leaders of the church to pray over her and she received a great relief of pain for several days.  In the midst of that rebuke of suffering, she was mystified to discover she had a gift of tremendous peace.  My friend has struggled to experience peace for as long as I have known her.  The request was for physical healing; the answer was a healing deeper than the elders knew to seek.  Praise God for His inscrutable ways.  Now, there is a cherry-on-top-of-the-cake for this, too.  Another healing she received (and another  they did not seek) was the breaking of a 50-year tyranny of cigarettes.  This has been a struggle both physical and spiritual  for as long as I have known her, also.  But only in the requested prayer, offered in faith was she restored.  I suppose the Only Wise God has better plans for her original cause for prayer ~the pain~ than a mere healing would accomplish.  But this encourages me that patient waiting and righteous requesting are acknowledged by my God.  He knows better than I do regarding my request, He does act in tenderness towards me.  I won’t always get the answers I seek; but I always have an audience with the King.  He encourages me with faithful praying and enduring contentment in the wait for an answer.  And He’s on His way back even as I type.   Sovereign Lord, please teach me Your ways so that my contentment in the wait would be unwearied and uncomplaining and that I would be in place to receive Your deep healing.   You know best, You choose best and You do best.  Have Your way with me, again.

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