Decisive Moments in My Life

  

Decisive Moments in My Life

 

Have you given thought to defining a time in your life that changed your future?  It maybe one does not give thought to such things at a younger age, but the other day it came to my mind that  I should put it on paper for my grandsons and others in the family, and friends.

 

·      I was 23 years of age and found a young lady who agreed to be my life partner.  We were married on August 27, 1965, but before that, I remember a Bible verse I learned in VBS: the borrower would be a slave to the lender.  Jan and I agree we would not go into debt for anything other than a car or a house.

Why was that a key decision? It required us to wait, and often what we desired and wanted was not a want when we had the money to pay for it.  For 43 years, we have had no debt.

 

·      At the age of 26 in Victoria, Texas, I put the Key into the door of the Christopher Inn.  I heard a voice that said tonight is the last night I will deal with you.  It was not an audible voice, but for six months I had been at a bible study with men who knew the God I only knew about.  I had been trying to make a deal with God, and I knew that was the voice of God speaking to me.

 

What did I do may a dash for the hotel bible and it opened to Romans 10::9-10 was where my eyes went; “If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”  That night, I acted on that, and Jesus came into my life. I was a new creation, with a new eternal destiny, no longer just a Baptist on a church roll, now my name was written in the Book of Life. 

·      Hurricane Celia hit Corpus Christi on August 3, 1970, and we were told by the local press that it covered the whole gulf and the max winds would be 75 to 80 miles per hour.  Our 3M office was on Shoreline Drive, and I was helping tape windows.  Jan and I and our daughter, a newborn just a little over 2 months old, live in Odem, Texas, about a 30-minute drive in a 12’ X 60’ trailer on 5 !/2 acres.  And I heard that voice again, it said, " Take your wife and child and leave.  And we did, and that was a very important moment.

 

·      · The next significant moment was coming back to our home, not only was it not there, but only a twisted frame and a company car that was totaled.  It was a very dark moment, and a Scripture came to my mind as we looked down the 300 ft road that led down to the house, it was 1 Thessalonians 5:18, I had been using it to thank God for flat tires, and miss sales, but today that voice said, now give me praise.  The verse, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”   That day, I looked at my wife and daughter, and it was clear that what I put real value on was in the car with me.  So, that moment was pivotal in so many areas of our lives, and I did as the Lord requested.

I was a marginal salesperson at that time. By the end of that year, I was in the top 2 percent of a sales force of 2000.  When I went to G.E. Supply, I had never been in that store, and I gave my list of things I needed from the electrician who was wiring our 1250 sq. ft house that Jan’s brother had designed for us.  The counterman said this is a big list, and a man in a suit tapped me on the shoulder and said Young man, did your home get damaged.  I told him what happened, and he said to give him our cost,  and it seemed that everywhere people were helping us with a lower cost. It became very clear that God was going before us.  We did get a few surprises, like only $1,300  for our trailer, and none of our contents were covered.  We got a HUD loan of 9,000 dollars at 3%, and by the time the house was built, it was paid for.  Still amazed at our Lord’s blessing.

·      The death of my dad was a devastating moment; my cousin and her husband came to our place one night, and I was keeping Natalie, and they told me my dad had been taken to the hospital from the plant, and they would watch Natalie till Jan came home from her bible study. The speed limit was 70, and as I dove in, I was only going about 50. My dad had not been in a hospital, and I began to ask the Lord, why am I going so slow, and once more He made it clear my dad was gone to be with Him.  At that moment, I knew my role was to be there for my Mother.

 

·      A major moment was at the end of 1982 when I was told that I would no longer have a job in the Business Products division, it was going out of business.  I had been there for 16 years, and once more it came as a shock that I would be looking for a job.  My boss assured me, and my friend David, we would be in high demand by the other 50 divisions of 3M I was not a believer, and yet the phone calls began, and after much thought and prayer, I went with the Electrical Products division.

It would take a few pages to share how God blessed Jan and me with that decision.  A guy who had trouble screwing in a lightbulb became the go-to guy for 5kV to 35kV splices and terminations in the industrial market in Houston and some of  Louisiana.   After 9 years, I was moved to a key account job over Utilities, and then after many big moments and successes, was told to be the lead over the Industrial markets on the Gulf Coast.  After 3 of the worst years at 3M, I was given a job with what my VP called the global market creators, only to be changed by upper management to Construction Trades.  It was a dream job, and I worked for my friend Kim Mulvey, and it was a blast.

·      When I read Proverbs 30:8-9, I ask the Lord to honor this verse in my life.  “Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches;  feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal.    and profane the name of my God.”  It was not long after that my daughter called and said Dad it if you have some money to invest, Dell stock would be the place to do so.  I asked my boss, and he said no way, not in any of those computer companies.  I was going to in vest $75, 000 and I believe God had me ask my boss, for if I had done so, I would have been very well off.  One does not know if they would be wise or foolish with a large sum of money, and I choose to believe that God honored my prayer that day.

 

·      Another defining time was our retirement plans. We were going to serve others; that is always a good plan, but it helps to include God in those plans.  First, we were going to move to Asheville, N.C., and volunteer at the Bill Graham Cove for six months, and see if that was to be our new place to serve.  If not, then off to Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs.  But God had other plans, and I made a business call on a friend from high school who was a V.P. at Valero, and I was trying to earn their business.  Buddy asked Jan and me to come to an open house where we would see people we had not seen in 40 years; we did, and while sitting on his back porch, looking at the twin sister, we made a major decision to move to that area.  We were 1 hour and 30 minutes from our daughter and those two grandsons, who came along, and we got to be a big part of their lives.  I learned it from a wise person that ask God what His plans for you are.

 

·      Jan and I have been blessed with good health. I had never been in a hospital till age 74, and that was for one night with high blood pressure.  At 79, I was told I tested positive for COVID-19 and went to Sequin, Texas, for a three-hour treatment.  Jan and I prayed about taking the vaccine and got a big no from the Lord.  The day after the treatment, which was supposed to help, my brother called and asked how I was doing. I had never felt that bad in my life, and so we were off to the hospital on December 28, 2022, not with COVID, but with Sodium way below 100.  That night, I needed help, and they had not seen anyone with sodium that low.  I believe Dr. Banks was making her rounds, and they asked her what to do. She told them how to treat me, and the next morning showed up in my room and introduced herself in this manner, Mr. Rice, I’m Dr. Banks, and this morning at 1:30 the Lord woke me to pray for you.  That is the kind of doctor you want.  Came home after 10 days, believing that was all in the rearview mirror, only to return after 14 days,​ not being able to breathe and stay till April 18, 2023.  

 

I learned that God is faithful, and over many long nights where this Scripture became my cry to the Lord, it was found in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you,  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  I often had long talks with the Lord, and my only request was to let me go home and help Jan, as she needed me.  I was also quick to say that I am ready if that is your will, but who will you send that will take care of Jan like me?  I can report that he sent me, and I’ve learned to do much that I did not know how to do, for the lady who had taken care of me for so many years.

My friend Larry York asked me to do two things when writing: first, to make clear my reason for this long letter, and second, to understand who my audience was.  

This was my reason for doing this paper: the Lord put in my heart to share the subject of Decisive Moments.  As I reflected on the subject, I began to understand that these were times that changed my life and the lives of my family.  I believe that, and I hope it will move those who read it to record in some way their significant moment.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Daniel's Prayer for His People

 

Daniel 9:1-19

 

April 2, 2024

 

Daniel's Prayer for His People

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.  I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.  We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.  To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you.  To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.  To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.  All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him.  He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven, there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem.  As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth.  Therefore, the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice.  And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

“O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem, and your people have become a byword among all who are around us.  Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate.  O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.  O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

 

Daniel, in the first year of Darius, gave thought to Jeremiah's prophecy of the seventy years. captivity.  Next, Daniel acknowledged that not only did Israel sin, but that God was Holy.  Listen and give thought to His prayer; “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,  we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 

 

 We, the people of the USA, have also sinned against God, done wrong, and acted wickedly; we have rebelled and not followed His teaching or His word.  And Lord, like your chosen Israel, have put self before our God, and the people who go by the title of Christian, are guilty of doing so.

 

A great prayer, maybe you would pray it for your Nation, town, your family, or neighbors.  “For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.  O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

The Interpretation of the Vision

 

Daniel 8:15-27

 

April 1, 2024

 

The Interpretation of the Vision

When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.  And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.”  So, he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.”

And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up.  He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end.  As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia.  And the goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king.  As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power. And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise.  His power shall be great—but not by his own power, and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints.  By his cunning, he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind, he shall become great. Without warning, he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand. The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.”

And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king's business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it.

 

I can only imagine David’s shock at hearing the voice from heaven saying, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.”  You and I would have hit the ground faster than Daniel.  I believe God is often speaking to us, but we will not slow down and sit in a quiet place and listen for His voice.  Blaise Pascal, who lived a very short life of 37 years, left this counsel: “All men's miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.”  It is not a new problem; he lived in the 1600s.  But Daniel knew that, and he waited on God to speak, and he did what God told him to do.

 

Gabriel explained that what Daniel had seen was something that was at the end of what is referred to as time.  The Ram with the two horns will be the Media and Persia, or as it is referred to, Irian.  The Goat that comes with one horn that is broken and four horns come out, and one grows bigger than the others, is Greece.  In verse 8, we see four kingdoms come from Greece, and they were the “four kingdoms”: Macedonia and Greece, Thrace and Asia Minor, Egypt and Palestine, and Syria and Persia.  This has taken place, and it was after the “first king” of Greece, Alexander the Great. The phrase “the vision of evenings and mornings” describes the period when this vision would be fulfilled – four centuries later, in 167-164 B.C., and in a future Antichrist.  Daniel must seal the vision because of its impact on prophecy.  Daniel sealed up the vision by recording it.  The prophecy of Daniel carries the principle of dual fulfillment.  Both Antiochus and the future Antichrist are in view.  Antiochus only foreshadows the Antichrist. 

 

This we know from the book of Revelation, we see the Man of Lawlessness.  The future Antichrist will form alliances with other nations and achieve world influence, and will attack the Jews.  The coming Antichrist will do much greater violence than Antiochus did.  The future Antichrist will gain power through a peace program.  Direct judgment from God terminates his 

rule. The verses are in green at the end or by Grant Richison.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

                Bob Rice

Daniel's Vision of the Ram and the Goat

 

Daniel 8:1-14

 

March 31, 2024

 

Daniel's Vision of the Ram and the Goat

In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first.  And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal.  I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last.  I saw the ram charging westward and northward, and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.

As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes.  He came to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath.  I saw him come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.

Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land.  It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them.  It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown.  And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression, and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper.  Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?”  And he said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”

 

I asked the lady on my phone to tell me how many years 2,300 days, and it is 6.3 years.  Once more, this is referring to a time yet to come.  The Ram in the vision was a warrior with little or no compassion.  Next, Daniel sees a male goat with one horn between its eyes, which comes from the west without touching the ground, and he not only dislikes the Ram, but it also destroys the Ram.

 

Daniel also saw the Goat becoming great and strong; it attacked all that was Holy, and the sanctuary was overthrown.  But the goat with the big horn was broken off, and four horns came out, and one was greater than the others.  I am beginning to feel as if I write like the talking heads on TV.  They just repeat what is already known.  But this is of great value for me to have insight into Daniel's vision.  One must keep in mind that in the future, it will happen, and yet today it has not.

 

But the one that grew great among the four will be empowered by the old serpent, the devil, and he will be against all that is good, all that is holy, and will do his best to kill the saints of the living God.  You must reread these verses; And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown.  And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression, and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper.

Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?”  And he said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”  Jesus shows up!

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Daniel's Vision Interpreted

 

  

Daniel 7:15-28

 

March 30, 2024

 

 

Daniel's Vision Interpreted

“As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this.  So, he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things.  ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’

“Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions.  As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.

“Thus, he said: ‘As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces.  As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom, ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones and shall put down three kings.  He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.
But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end.  And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’

“Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.”

My prayer is that pastors and teachers will call all things what God calls them.  I will never forget Ronald Reagan calling the Soviet Union an Evil empire, and it was only months before it was dismantled.  It was not Reagan who dismantled it; it was God.  When we call things what God calls them, we see Him do the impossible.  

If you are putting your trust in anything but the Righteous Right Hand of our God, your ladder is on the wrong wall.  Daniel's vision is about a time that has not yet happened, but soon, very soon, we are going to see Jesus coming in the clouds, with a mighty host.

But, before that day, we will see times like never before seen in the past, and at the end of seven years, the return of Jesus to reign for a thousand years, and the old serpent, the devil, or Satan will be bound for that time.

Saints, that is what Jesus calls His followers, it is not about what you have done, but about Him, about Grace, so call yourself what God calls you.  And remember that when it looks impossible, it probably is; But God is a God of the impossible.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Son of Man Is Given Dominion

 

Daniel 7:13-14

 March 29, 2024

 

The Son of Man Is Given Dominion

“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven
 there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days
 and was presented before him.  And to him was given dominion
 and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages
 should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
 which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

I am sure you have heard someone say timing is everything. Amazingly, this week we are celebrating the Rison Lord.  Yes, He is Risen indeed.  

Do you recall John’s vision in Revelation Chapter 5, where no one was able to open the Scroll with the Seven seals, no one in heaven or earth, and John began to weep, till an elder said Do not weep, the Lamb will open the seal.  And the Scroll was given to the Lamb, and this is what happened; 

“Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,  saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”  And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Many years stood between these two visions, but it was about the same happening; it has not taken place yet, but keep looking to the Eastern Sky, He is coming back.  Soon, very soon.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

So, you believe, so you have faith!

 

So, you believe, so you have faith!

 

 

So, you believe, so you have faith!  Jan and I seem to hang out with people of faith; that is the new term going around these days.  Many will tell you they are believers!  As a person who made a living asking questions, the following seems appropriate: What is meant by “I am a believer”?  I think I know what you’re saying, but what are you a believer in?  What does being a person of faith mean? What are you putting faith in?

 

Believing and being a person of faith is the answer to living a victorious life.  Or is a victorious life found in what you believe or what you have faith in?  I am not trying to be tricky, but I hope this makes you think.  Each morning when I wake up and put my feet on the floor, I believe I am alive, and I have faith to believe I am alive in that I can do things that only people who are alive can do.  I can wiggle my lips and words form, I can smell the coffee, and with the same lips that allow words to form, I can drink the nectar of the morning gods.  What if you said, Prove to me you are alive, it would be easy, I would take you to a morgue and offer the guy on the first slab a great cup of coffee.  Would he drink it?  No, why, because dead guys do not like coffee, no, because he’s dead to coffee, and everything else, he has an earth suit, but no life.

 

Today on TV and in print, we have people saying “I am a person of faith”, well, what does that mean, Faith in what?  I could put faith in a great company like 3M, but they could be gone in a few years; it has happened to many companies much larger.  I could put my faith in a religion, but that also could be gone or change its views and ways of worship.  I could put my faith in myself, in my abilities and skills, but that is a very slippery slope.  What about the good old USA and its ability to keep me safe? We have seen great nations fall, and that is not a good place to place your faith.  Many people are putting their faith in their health or their finances, but both can be gone in a moment.  Therefore, it is not faith in faith that has value is it?  It would seem the object of our faith is of utmost importance.

 

The Bible has a lot to say about faith and belief!  I went looking in the book of Habakkuk.  You say what?  The prophet Habakkuk wrote the book of Habakkuk, and he is believed to have lived in the Chaldean period.  Many scholars fixed the time of the prophecy during the reign of Jehoiakim.  The main theme of the book is “The Mysteries of Providence”.  The book opens with the prophet in perplexity over the mystery of unpunished evil in the world.  Let us look in on some of the conversations going on between Habakkuk and God:  “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?  Or cry to you, 'Violence!' and you will not save?  Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong?  (I could not help but think of today and the news of a young mother of 27 and her child not yet born being killed by they believe the dad.  Sorry!)  Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.  So, the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth.  For the wicked surround the righteous; so, justice goes forth perverted.”  It sounds like Habakkuk has presented a good case in his time or ours.

 

Look with me to the Lord’s reply: “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded.  For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.  For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own.”  You can read more of what God had to say if you desire, but in chapter 1:11, God ends this statement with, “Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own might is their god!”

 

Habakkuk is a much better man than I, for he is asking God questions and has believed by faith that the “I AM” will answer and have dialogue with him.  So, we see in verse twelve that Habakkuk has a second complaint.  “Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One?  We shall not die.  O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof.”  Habakkuk has much more to say, but look at God's answer in a vision to Habakkuk.  “And the Lord answered me: 'Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.  For still the vision awaits its appointed time; (Now that a problem in our time, we want it at the moment.) It hastens to the end – it will not lie.  If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.  Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.”  

 

That is the key, “faith”, but not faith in faith, but faith in “O Lord my God, my Holy One.  The eternal God, the "I AM", the one who spoke it all into being, that’s whom you put faith in.  And who are the “righteous”?  The best definition of “righteous” is: “A person in right standing with God”.  A great example is found in Romans 4:3: “For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”  God speaks often in the Bible about “the righteous'; look at this example from Psalm 34:15, “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.”  Jesus tells us that a righteous person will have fellowship with the Father and the Son.  Look at John 14:15-16: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him.  You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”  I hope you read on to verse 20, it goes like this: “In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”  Now that is a promise!

 

Often, I have read Scripture, and it’s like my grammar; I have little understanding of what to do with what I just read.  Often, I have not stopped to ask what a righteous person is, not my definition, but God’s.  So, the righteous is to live by faith!  We see the faith lived out by Habakkuk in chapter 3:17-18 “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no fold, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”  What did he say?  If Habakkuk were living today, it would go like this: if the World Bank fails, the stock markets of the world all fail, and the food supply withers away, and you could not find food at your local grocery store, he would still find joy in God.

 

So, faith is very important; in fact, the Scriptures tell us, “And without faith, it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)  But it is not faith in faith that is very empty and has no value.  Learn from the prophet Habakkuk, who knew who he believed in because he talked with him, and because of that relationship, he also put his faith and trust in God.  This is one of many things Jesus said about faith.  “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me.  And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.  I have come into the world as light so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” (John 12:44-46)  My hope and prayer is that none who read this have placed their faith in what is seen.  The Living Bible paraphrases and puts it this way. “What is Faith?  It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen.  It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.”  (Hebrews 11:1)  

 

Often, while reading, something jumps off the page at me, and this paragraph is one of them.  “Is there any way that we can make life succeed on any other basis than faith in God’s will.  He will do it.  That’s the way it works.  But it takes time for God to work His I wills into us and supplant our own wills.” taken from “The Rest of the Gospel” by Dan Stone and David Gregory. To live a victorious life, we must first supplant our own I will " with God’s I will.  We must believe that God has told the truth and place our faith in Jesus only.  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  (John 14:6) So you believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, so you have faith in Jesus Christ to do all that he promised!

 

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice