God answer’s Prayer

 

God answer’s Prayer

 

We live at a time in the history of this great nation where often it seems no one is listening.   But once more I am reminded and have proof that God loves and listens to his kids, so I want to share with you, this answer to our prayers.   My wife Jan told me about six months ago that she wanted to have a reunion for her side of the family, at our home in the Texas hill country.  I asked if she knew how many cousins and family would be coming and she said about 40 to 50 max, and we agreed that was achievable.

 

To set the stage for this answer to prayer, it is important to go back six months and give you a description of the climate conditions, we were in a severe drought and if you're not from Texas that means it has not rained in a prolonged period.  We had been in one of the driest, hottest Summers I can recall and grass and even trees were dying.   We had a record of sixty days of over 100 degrees and our creek at the bottom of the hill had not seen water for well over a year. Adding to the pain, we were under water rationing and the one day a week was not keeping the grass from turning brown or the scrubs from dying. 

 

We had been praying for rain for months and the clouds would come looking so full of rain but it seemed as if it was never meant to rain on our neighborhood.  As August approached, it seemed the list of family had grown from fifty to close to seventy and now it became apparent to the husband of Jan, the one with such small faith in a big God, that we had a very immense problem.  So, I did what any child would do I began to ask my Father for help.

 

This is what we asked for; rain to give life back to the land, for the rivers to fill their banks, and for the grass to turn green.  I did not want to be greedy, but I told God it sure would be nice if the creek had water and it was running full for the reunion on October 10.  By mid-September, we got a final count on who was coming to the reunion and the number was 110 and I was not sleeping well.  It was about this time it began to rain and the grass came back from the dead and the trees began to show some new life.  

 

By the Friday of October 9, we had 15 ½” of rain in our rain gauge at the house and my prayers had changed, the creek was running and the grass was green but what if it rained on Saturday the 10^th?  I said, “Lord you know we cannot put 110 people in our home, and we need October the 10th to be a cool but rain-free day.

 

We got 2” of rain on October 9, and the creek was making some beautiful music as it flowed over the rocks and dropped a couple of feet as it went down the hill, the grass is full of new growth and all we need is October 10, to be rain free.  October 10, has come and gone and it was perfect, we had close to 100 people in the house, and in the yard, some just sat and talked, others played washers, croquet, or horseshoes, but most just enjoyed eating and catching up on the eight years or more that they had been apart.  It is Sunday the 11^th and it is raining, some may call that luck, but they are wrong, it is not luck, it’s God my Father answering His child’s prayer.

 

Many of you joined us in that prayer and I wanted you to share in our praise to the Father for how He blessed us.  Also, we were blessed by our neighbors, who loaned us tables and chairs, and Cathy and Paul, who came and served our family in many ways that day, what a loving Father we serve.

 

Bob Rice

The young, full of himself Elihu

 

 

 

Job 34: 1 – 9

 

April 11, 2020

 

 

“Hear my words, you wise men,  and give ear to me, you who know; for the ear tests, words as the palate tastes food.   Let us choose what is right; let us know among ourselves what is good.   For Job has said, ‘I am in the right, and God has taken away my right;  in spite of my right I am counted a liar; my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’  What man is like Job, who drinks up scoffing like water, who travels in company with evildoers and walks with wicked men?   For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing that he should take delight in God.”

 

The young, full of himself Elihu has realized not only does he have wisdom that can straighten Job out, but that his three friends also could use some help.  In fact, he now is sure that Job is evil because he rubs the shoulders of wicked men and I’m not sure who he is referring to as wicked men.  He also was upset that Job is not upset that people are ridiculing him and showing him disrespect.  Could it be that Elihu is the type of man who would cross the road when seeing the man who was beaten by thieves and left to die as the priest did in (Luke 10:25-37)?

 

In verses 10 –15, it seems Elihu is on the spot about God cannot do anything wicked, that God cannot do wrong.  He and all the others were on dangerous grounds in their accusation of Job, in that God has stated Job is a man of Integrity and that no one else on the earth is close to him in being in right standing with both God and man.  

 

We often ask can or will God allow bad things to happen to good people?  I believe the account of Job gives us insight into the answer to that question.

 

“Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.   For according to the work of a man he will repay him, and according to his ways he will make it befall him.
Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice.   Who gave him charge over the earth, and who laid on him^[ the whole world?   If he should set his heart to it and gather to himself his spirit and his breath,  all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust.”

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Job 33:1-7

 

 

 

  

Job 33: 1 – 7

 

April 10, 2020

 

 

 

 

“But now, hear my speech, O Job, and listen to all my words.   Behold, I open my mouth; the tongue in my mouth speaks.  My words declare the uprightness of my heart, and what my lips know they speak sincerely. The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.   Answer me, if you can; set your words in order before me; take your stand.  Behold, I am toward God as you are; I too was pinched off from a piece of clay.  Behold, no fear of me need terrify you; my pressure will not be heavy upon you.”

 

My take on what the younger man Elihu is saying to Job, I am going to wiggle my lips and the words coming out will be from God, so listen up boy, and give a little more thought before you answer.

 

Job 33: 8 – 11

 

“Surely you have spoken in my ears, and I have heard the sound of your words.  You say, ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me. Behold, he finds occasions against me, he counts me as his enemy, he puts my feet in the stocks and watches all my paths.”

 

Now Elihu tells Job to let me repeat your argument about God, and Elihu does a good recall of Job’s words.

 

 

Job 33: 12 – 30

 

Elihu gives us the ways he has heard God works in a person's life, but it does not seem it is his testimony, just facts he has seen or been told by a teacher.

 

Job 33 31 – 33

 

“Pay attention, O Job, listen to me; be silent, and I will speak.  If you have any words, answer me; speak, for I desire to justify you.  If not, listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

 

One wonders if Job has fallen asleep or turned his back on the young man, it sure sounds as if something has got him a little perplexed.  It also brings out the arrogance in the young man.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The young Eihu has all the answers

 

 

 

 

 

 

Job 32:6-12

 

April 9, 2020

 

 

 

^“And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said: “I am young in years, and you are aged; therefore, I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you.  I said, ‘Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom.’  But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand. It is not the old who are wise, nor the aged who understand what is right.  Therefore, I say, ‘Listen to me; let me also declare my opinion.’

Young and old will both give you their thoughts, but my dad a very wise man, often said “Your opinion on any matter is not of importance if the person you are speaking to has not asked for it.”  Elihu to my knowledge had not been asked for his thoughts on the matter, and I’m learning he is a wise person who wholes his tongue, especially when angry.  Elihu believes God has given him insight into the matter so he must regurgitate his thoughts over the next five chapters.

As we look at verses 11 – 22, you are going to see the young man is not been happy with his three friends nor Job and will not take the same line of assumptions as the three old men had.  He believes he has the right answers to the question and feels that if he did not speak out then he would be condemned.  He also will not give any thought to the four men for their wealth or place in society, for by doing so he would not be just.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Integrity

 

 

 

 

Job 31

 

April 6, 2020

 

 

Job understood that when a man lost his integrity it was almost impossible to regain it.  I’m always gun-shy of the businessman who has to declare that he is honest, and full of integrity, for many of them have proved to be outright crooks.  I’ve been privileged to have friends who are men of integrity, but not one of them has ever put it on a business card or told me they are, I watch how they live and deal with others.  Job’s friends I believe were just managing themselves, if they had been Job they might have done what they were accusing him of.

 

Job 31:1 – 8, “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?  What would be my portion from God above and my heritage from the Almighty on high?   Is not calamity for the unrighteous, and disaster for the workers of iniquity?  Does not he see my ways and number all my steps?  “If I have walked with falsehood and my foot has hastened to deceit;  (Let me be weighed in a just balance, and let God know my integrity!   if my step has turned aside from the way and my heart has gone after my eyes, and if any spot has stuck to my hands, then let me sow, and another eat,
 and let what grows for me be rooted out.”

 

This is the predicament Job is in, he is the only one, other than God, who knows he is a man of the highest integrity, and yet to this point, God is silent.   For the rest of the chapter, he recalls all the areas he has not sinned in, such as a lust for his neighbor's wife, and more so anything of his neighbors.  He goes on to tell us how he has acted on any of the complaints of his servants and he goes on to explain something each of us needs to remember, that all of us were formed in the womb by God.

 

Job goes on to tell how he has ministered to the widow, the fatherless, and the poor, and you and I would be wise to do so for they are dear to God the Father.  He talks about not putting his trust in gold or wealth, but only in God.  Job goes on to state he has never put trust in anything but God, and if he had he should get worse treatment than he has received.  Job goes on to state that he did not rejoice when his enemy was brought low, and that all that came to his table had all they needed to eat.  In fact, he goes on to say no stranger has had to sleep on the street, for they have been given a bed in his home for the night.

 

Now he asks, will anyone hear my case?  He asks, will the Almighty answer me?  Job is bold but ignorant of God and His ways, and said, I will tell Him all my steps as if God has not seen them, each and every one.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Society will always have this kind of People

  

Job 30

 

April 5, 2020

 

 

As I began to read the words of Job in Chapter 30, these thoughts came into my mind, I know people like this, but many are not worthless, nor are their parents, they have bought into a lie.  Before going there, allow Job to share his story.  It is good to recall that it was not all that long ago that the nobles, the old and young, and the officials came to Job for counsel.  Now that he has lost his place at the city gates, his children, his wealth, out come the riffraff of society to take advantage of Job.

 

“But now they laugh at me, men who are younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of my flock.  What could I gain from the strength of their hands, men whose vigor is gone?  Through want and hard hunger, they gnaw the dry ground by night in waste and desolation; they pick saltwort and the leaves of bushes, and the roots of the broom tree for their food.  They are driven out from human company; they shout after them as after a thief.”

 

Society will always have this kind of people, but they are not the ones that can change lives.  Do you recall the '60s, no one thought those dope-smoking hippies would someday be in charge of our Government, but out of that came Bill Clinton, I’m not sure Job would allow him around his dogs.  I sure would not have allowed him in my home, I had a daughter and wife to protect.  Yes, we as a people should be very concerned about the young people who desire us who work to give them free school, free health benefits, and even allow them to sit at home and do nothing while someone else pays for it.  Most of them are getting degrees that are of no worth to them or anyone, and yes, someday they will be running the show.  I will be gone by then, but we are witnesses to what happens when a barmaid becomes a Congresswoman, what a disgrace!

 

My dad loved history, and he often said the reason we repeat history is we never learn from it.  What can we learn from Job 30?  For one thing, learn to pray, and seek the face of God, seek His will and not yours.  Also, remember Job was so low in pain and sorrow he could not believe that God would renew his strength and vitality, and the pain of his friends accusing him of being wicked.  Job may be as many who are losing everything such as Job, and freedom to work at this time in our history of this virus pandemic.  He believed God was the one doing this to him, and he had no peace in the day or at night.  He was wrong and so are you, for God is still writing your story, so remember to give thanks, my life changed coming back home in 1970 to where our house had been, and it was all over our five acres.  As I sat in the car at our mailbox that was still standing and looked down that long driveway, the Lord spoke in a voice I could hear, and He said now give me thanks, and I did.  It is a great story of what God did for Jan, Natalie, and me after that, maybe someday I’ll share with you about a big God, who loves you in ways you cannot understand.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

He was treated like a King

 

Job 29

 

April 3, 2020

 

 

One must remember Job’s not blowing smoke, he may not even be bragging, as Sargent Friday said on a detective show on TV, just the facts, and Job is reporting the facts.  As I read this, I understood God’s words to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job?  No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil.” 

 Let’s look at a part of Job’s final claim of innocence; “And Job again took up his discourse, and said: “Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me when his lamp shone upon my head, and by his light I walked through darkness, as I was in my prime,  when the friendship of God was upon my tent, when the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were all around me, when my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!  When I went out to the gate of the city, when I prepared my seat in the square, the young men saw me and withdrew, and the aged rose and stood; the princes refrained from talking and laid their hand on their mouth; the voice of the nobles was hushed, and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.  When the ear heard, it called me blessed, and when the eye saw, it approved, because I delivered the poor who cried for help and the fatherless who had none to help him. The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.  I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban.” 

 If you have ever been in the presence of a man like Job, you observe what He says about the town men getting up when he comes to the city gates.  Job tells us that both young and old, city leaders all highly valued Job’s approval.  Job was not only a wise man, but a very powerful man and they treated him like a king. 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

 

 

 

MEN’S MANUAL

 

MEN’S  MANUAL

 

“And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” Malachi 4:6

 

God’s Judgment when men fail to be Spiritual Leaders

 

“The people will oppress one another, man against man, neighbor against neighbor; the youth will act arrogantly toward the elder, and the worthless toward the honorable.” Isaiah 3:5

 

That is happening in our time. Do you understand it’s taking place because the man has not been the Spiritual leader of his home?

 

This study will be of little value unless a man is open to examining what God desires of him and not what his flesh wants.

 

Questions for personal Application

 

How can I learn to be gentle in the way I treat my wife and family?

 

Answer:  Gentleness is a fruit of God’s Spirit.  The more you grow to be mighty in Spirit, the more you will become gentle in your words and actions.  Gentleness is destroyed by pride and moral impurity.  It is replaced by impatience and a judgmental spirit.

 

Do you Know How to Conquer a Judgmental Spirit?

 

To conquer a judgmental spirit, we must learn by God’s grace how to see the relationship between what we judge in others, and what we are guilty of in our own lives.

 

How can I teach my family to be grateful for all the things that I do for them?

 

Answer:  You can teach your family to be grateful for all the things that you do for them by learning how to be genuinely grateful for all the little which your wife children and parents do for you!  The best way to teach gratefulness is to show gratefulness.  They left out the many blessings from our Great God.

 

How can I learn to have a genuine love for each one in my family?

 

Answer:  You can learn to have a genuine love for each one in your family by meditating on God’s definition of love and learning how to apply it to every thought, word, action, and attitude in your life.

 

What is God’s Test of Genuine Love?

 

1.    Love does not lose patience.  As a husband when did you show patience instead of getting angry?

 

2.    Love looks for ways to be kind and helpful.  As a husband when did you go out of your way to be helpful?

 

3.    Love is not envious or possessive .   How have you demonstrated contentment and generosity to your wife and children?

 

4.    Love is not eager to impress others.  When did you demonstrate contentment and generosity?

 

5.    Love is not puffed up or boastful.  As a husband and dad, how have you avoided inflated ideas of your own importance?

 

6.    Love has good manners.  If I were to ask others in and out of your family about your manners what would they say?

 

7.    Love does not pursue selfish advantage.  As a husband and dad, in what way have you not insisted on your own rights?

 

8.    Love is not touchy or resentful.  If we asked your wife when she has seen you overcome resentment, what would she say?

 

Men, these must be lifetime goals, most of us will find it impossible to conquer them quickly, but if you're serious, I mean grit your teeth and ask the Lord to humble you and be obedient, they are attainable.

 

I’ve had this on my bookshelf for many years, and it was of little help until I got tired of acting more like a boy than a man.  It is time to grow up and do things God’s way, maybe you will be willing to become a man in your wife's and family's eyes, that’s my prayer, for all of us who struggle. 

 

A good part of this was taken from a book titled Men’s Manual put out by the Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts.  I did tweak it, and I hope to encourage you in your desire to mentor men.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

A hymn Job sings about Wisdom

 

 

 

Job 28

 

April 2, 2020

 

 

 

A hymn Job sings about Wisdom, let us begin with verse 12 and it will take 17 verses to find the answer.  “But where shall wisdom be found?  And where is the place of understanding?  Man does not know his worth, and it is not found in the land of the living.  The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’ and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ It cannot be bought for gold, and silver cannot be weighed as its price.  It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire.  Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.  No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal;
the price of wisdom is above pearls.  The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.”

 

Job’s hymn explains it is not found in your wealth, not in your many degrees, many smart fools say there is no God.  There have always been men who believe they are self-made and have no need for God.  They die and take not one thing with them to the grave.  Once more, Job asks the question; “From where, then, does wisdom come?  And where is the place of understanding?  It is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the air.  Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.”

 

He tells us God knows the source of Wisdom, the answer is found in verses 23-28,

“God understands the way to it, and he knows its place.   For he looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.                                When he gave to the wind its weight and apportioned the                                                                                   
waters by measure when he made a decree for the rain and a way for the lightning of the thunder, then he saw it and declared it; he established it and searched it out.   And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

 

Where else in Scripture does it state this truth?  Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”  Proverbs 2:6, “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;”  Does the New Testament address Wisdom; James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”  Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

 

My dear reader, both the New and Old Testaments contain verses about Wisdom.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Joe discourse with his three friends

 

 

 

 

Job 27

 

April 1, 2020

 

 

 

The first six verses of Job 27 are directed to his three friends, and it is the last time he addresses these things to them.  “And Job continued his discourse:  “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has made my life bitter, as long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils,  my lips will not say anything wicked, and my tongue will not utter lies.  I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity.  I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.”

 

One has to wonder; what if God had let him in on what was taking place in heaven, would Job be like my friend who lost his farm to the bank, and was very angry?  When I asked him, who are you mad at, is it not God, at that moment I had moved over a line, and yet though his face was red and I knew he wanted to hit me, I went on and stated we both knew God could have interfered and not allowed it to happen.  He seemed to relax and said, I need to give more thought to who I am mad at.  My friend and I talked about how he was never that excited about farming, but he was now doing the one thing he enjoyed and was making money doing so.  Job never beat around the bush he knew that God took his protection off of him, yet he was a man who was upright before God and man.

 

My second thought on this was if God had let Job in on what was taking place in heaven, would he still blame God for allowing it?  Would it be something any of his three friends would have believed?

 

In verses 8 - 10, Job is telling his friends to get real; they had observed the wicked and knew that they did not look to God in good times or bad.  They will never look to God and so God will not hear their cries when disaster comes on them. “For what hope have the godless when they are cut off when God takes away their life?   Does God listen to their cry when distress comes upon them?   Will they find delight in the Almighty?  Will they call on God at all times?”

 

Let us close with verses 11 – 12, “I will teach you about the power of God;  the ways of the Almighty I will not conceal.  You have all seen this yourself.  Why then is this meaningless talk?  I wonder if I’ve been too hard on Job’s friends in that being men is part of the DNA of playing Mister fix it.  I still believe they had the religion that only bad things happen to the wicked, and so Job had to be evil.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice