Rush Hour :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: July 27, 2024 by RR10

Do you like driving in rush hour traffic? It seems as if life today is a bit like driving during rush hour. We don’t want to be in the middle of it, but we’re stuck. The stress we feel is overwhelming. Rush hour is always a bad time of day to travel. The traffic is slow, but everybody is in a hurry to get home. Horns honk, people change lanes, and tempers rise.

I’m thankful I live far away from traffic. Stress is hard to deal with, and I’m sure William A. Dunkerley (aka John Oxenham) had his share of stress, even in 1917. He may not have had rush hour traffic, but there were wars and political unrest. This song is very relevant today, over 100 years after it was written.

MID ALL THE TRAFFIC OF THE WAYS

‘Mid all the traffic of the ways,
Turmoils without, within,
Make in my heart a quiet place,
And come and dwell within;

My mother was a very sweet lady who loved the Lord. She had more than her share of heartache, health problems, and pain, but her faith never faltered. Somehow, she was able to find peace even in her worst problems. She had what she called her “God place.” This was a spot under her heart, and when she felt peaceful and calm there, she knew she was in line with God’s will. Over the years I’ve come to understand that feeling of peace, in spite of turmoil without and within.

God doesn’t want us to feel anxious and stressed. He created humans and knows what stress can do to us. It can cause high blood pressure, ulcers, bad attitudes, and much more. Jesus knew that life in this world would bring turmoil, but He also knew that faith in Him would bring peace.

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

A little shrine of quietness,
All sacred to thyself,
Where thou shalt all my soul possess,
And I may find myself;

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by life? People make demands upon your time. You have your job, your family, your friends, and they all want a part of your time. It can be even more complicated and stressful if you act differently with each person you are with.

For instance, at work, are you known for your hard work and dedication or for your gossip and dirty jokes? When you head home to be with your family, do you switch to being a Christian example of a husband and daddy and maybe even a deacon in your church? Have you left the job problems and work attitudes at the job, or did you bring them home with you? If you bring them home, then your home life will be stressful. You might ask yourself, “Who am I”? Are you a Christian who represents Christ at the office as well as at home and when you’re with friends?

The way to truly find yourself is to make time for God. Take time during the day to pray and then listen for God to speak with you. Let Him show you who He wants you to be. Make time for reading Scripture and just basking in God’s love. Remember, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12). As you face life and its turmoil, remember, as a believer, you are a child of the King.

A little shelter from life’s stress,
Where I may lay me prone,
And bare my soul in loneliness,
And know as I am known;

Do you think that it shows weakness to need to retreat from the stress in life?

An interesting Biblical account of seeking shelter from life’s stress is Elijah. Elijah felt the stress of being a prophet of God when Jezebel and Ahab were ruling the Northern Kingdom of Israel. They were evil and had no love for God. Elijah had served God and tried to thwart the evil worship of demonic gods that Jezebel and Ahab had brought to the Northern Kingdom. Now, they were mad and persecuted Elijah with the intent to kill him. Elijah felt alone and was angry with God. He prayed that God would allow him to die. God still had plans for Elijah.

“And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee” (1 Kings 19:7).

It can be easy to criticize Elijah for being in a snit, but instead of death, he needed “a little shelter from life’s stress.” He was led to Horeb, the mountain of God.

“And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9).

Elijah was away from the things that were causing him stress and bitterness. He was feeling sorry for himself – as if he was doing so much for God, but God was ignoring him. We need to be cautious when trusting feelings. God never ignores us but doesn’t always jump to give us what we think we deserve. In this cave, far from the stress of life, Elijah was able to pour out his heart to God.

“And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life to take it away” (1 Kings 19:10).

Do you ever feel like that? As if you have done so much for God, but people around you are blessed that don’t serve God?

Elijah had much to fear because Jezebel was an evil woman and wanted to kill Elijah. Elijah was only seeing the immediate danger but forgot that God had allowed him to do some amazing miracles and protected him from danger.

When things in life get overwhelming, do we blame God for not doing enough? Do we forget that He gave His life so anybody who truly has accepted the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ can have eternal life?

God was about to give Elijah a lesson. First, there was a very strong wind that rattled the mountains and broke rocks. “…but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake” (1 Kings 19:11b).

Too often, we look for big signs from God, but he chooses to speak quietly.

“And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12).

Elijah needed that shelter of the cave in order to hear God’s quiet words. It was there that his resolve to serve God was renewed, and God gave him clear directions for what he was to do.

Stress in life can cause us to stray from God and feel isolated. When you feel that way, find a quiet place where you can pour out your heart to God. Then, stop looking for big, loud signs and listen for that still, small voice. God will speak to you, and there will be peace in your soul and a stronger resolve in your work for the Lord. Be sure you are listening for God’s will and not ignoring what He wants for you because it doesn’t fit your agenda.

A little place of mystic grace,
Of self and sin swept bare,
Where I may look upon thy face,
And talk with thee in prayer.

“Mystic grace” might seem like you’re looking for some Eastern meditation or yoga. Those things aren’t of God and must be avoided. Grace of God is a spiritual gift and comes from true faith in God. We tend to avoid the supernatural and the mystic because we want to avoid the evil that can lurk there, but we forget that the God we serve is supernatural. We must be sure that we know God’s voice instead of a Satanic one, and the way to do that is to study Scripture. God will never lead you to do anything that is opposed to His word. If you think God is telling you to rob a bank and give the money to the poor, that isn’t God’s voice you hear. If you feel as if He’s telling you that a sexually deviant lifestyle is fine, that isn’t God’s voice you hear.

God has given us Scripture to guide us, but we cannot take a verse out of context. All of Scripture must be taken into account in order to know God’s truth.

“Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, and precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little” (Isaiah 28:9-10).

Study Scripture in a quiet place where you can talk with God about it. Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and He will guide our study.

Get out of the rush hour traffic and find a quiet place to spend time with God. Then listen for His still, small voice. He will speak to you.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

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“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).

Peace In the Midst of Chaos :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: July 20, 2024 by RR10

As I write this, I’m trying to process the events of the last few hours. There was an attempt to assassinate Mr. Trump. Thank God he survived! The bullet hit Mr. Trump’s ear, very close to his head. I’m very thankful the bullet didn’t kill him but saddened that others were killed and wounded.

I’ve listened to many news reports, and my spirit is grieved by what many headlines say. The liberal media downplayed it as nothing more than Mr. Trump overreacting to a noise. Other headlines lament the fact that the shooter missed.

There is so much evil in America. This evil has been getting stronger and is snowballing out of control. I remember a time when news reports stated facts. When President Kennedy was assassinated, the news reported what was happening. When there was an attempt to assassinate President Reagan, the facts were reported, but now it seems news reports are more designed to sway public opinion rather than report truth. It even seems that the liberal news sources would have us believe that everything that is Godly, good, and virtuous is evil and that all sinful things that are opposed to God are good.

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20).

I will not call evil good or darkness light. God is still God, and He is not the God of chaos. Satan seeks to destroy, and he was the evil power behind the assassination attempt.

All of this has caused me to take a hard look at my own thoughts and feelings. I would like to tell you that I have a very loving and generous spirit, but in all truth, my first reaction to this horrid news was not very kind. God forgive me. After I got my thinking straight, I realized that other people were killed and wounded, including the young man who did the shooting. I’m sure he isn’t in a very happy place right now and will spend eternity in the lake of fire. Only God can judge, but seeing his actions tells me he didn’t know Jesus. That’s sad.

Brothers and sisters, there is a very evil and demonic presence over America. The battle cannot be won with weapons of the natural world. Good, strong, spiritual weapons are needed, and those can only come from God.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh; (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

The evil that is oppressing this nation is not new. It is an old evil that has harassed humanity since the beginning of creation. In our anger and shock, we must remember that we are Christians, and our first defense is prayer. We cannot force anybody to turn from the evil they embrace, but we can be sure that our own words and actions are in agreement with God. Christians must live according to God’s truth, letting Scripture be our guide. When a thought that is contrary to Scripture enters our mind, we need to pray.

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth, For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Timothy 2:1-6).

Prayer is our way to talk with God. Then we need to listen to His reply.

Could it be that this is how we can find peace in the midst of chaos? Prayer? It’s not easy to pray for someone you don’t like, but Scripture doesn’t say you have to like a person, just pray. What if we earnestly prayed for God’s hand upon the president and Congress? Do you think our prayers could make a difference? I know that there are God-fearing leaders in this nation, but there are some who don’t honor Him.

Brothers and sisters, we must pray. God hears prayer and will answer. When He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of the evil found there, it was in answer to prayer. These cities were evil beyond repair and had to be destroyed. There was an outcry against the evil in Sodom and Gomorrah, and God heard.

“And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know” (Genesis 18:20-21).

The evil there was great, but the sin in America is much like the sin in Sodom and Gomorrah. Do we cry out to the Lord against the evil found in America? Maybe God will drain the swamp, but Christians must earnestly cry out to Him. We must pray that our leaders all come to serve Jesus. We must pray against sin and that people will come to repent and turn away from sin.

The Apostle Paul was a man who prayed. He prayed for people, and he prayed for situations. When he and Silas were in Philippi, they got in trouble for casting a demon out of a woman. Paul and Silas were beaten and put in prison. Did they spend their time having a pity party and lamenting the evil there? No, Paul and Silas sang and prayed.

“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God; and the prisoners heard them” (Acts 16:25).

Now, that was a witness! Suddenly there was an earthquake, and all of the prisoners could have escaped but didn’t. Because of the witness of Paul and Silas, they all stayed. The jailer would have been put to death if they had escaped. Because Paul and Silas prayed and praised God in song, the jailer came to faith.

Paul established a congregation in Philippi and later wrote a letter to them. In that letter, he encouraged them to stand fast in the Lord and not have divisions. He wrote words that are sometimes hard to remember in times of chaos. When times get tough, we forget to pray and praise God.

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4-5).

Rejoice! Whether things are going your way or not, rejoice. Even if a mentally disturbed person takes a shot at a political candidate, rejoice in the Lord. God can see tomorrow, so why should we worry about it.

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6).

Here’s one of those words that we would understand if we lived when the King James translation was created. The word “careful” means “anxious.” We aren’t to be anxious about anything but are to pray about everything. Anxiety doesn’t solve any problem, but it does cause turmoil in our hearts. What if we rejoiced and prayed over things instead of fretting ourselves into a depression?

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus“ (Philippians 4:7).

Is that how we are able to find peace in the midst of chaos? I would say yes. Remember, Paul admonished the Christians in the wicked city of Corinth “…bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” We need to heed that advice.

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Take your thoughts captive unto the Lord, and think on things that are pure, lovely, good, and virtuous… things of God. That’s how to find peace in the midst of chaos.