TRAFFIC JAM

Sitting in a traffic jam outside St Louis, and no internet, oh dear. Always something to stop progress. Peggy gave me a Chronological One Year Bible. Pretty interesting having everything in that type of order. Reading Jeremiah which really fits in today's world. I thought it was interesting when he was arrested for prophesying doom and destruction to the Temple priest, who promptly had him arrested and beaten, put into stocks. When he was released, he said, "Look out, you will be punished for this." (Allow me some liberty in paraphrasing what happened). Think of the nerve of Jeremiah!!! How many of us would be willing to continue to stand for the Lord once we were put in jail and mistreated the way he was? Don't you think you might turn and run? I know there is not a way to know how you'd react to certain things. When we were living with kidnapping everyday in Haiti, often the discussion would be what would we do if. We couldn't have planned what to do when a young man with a gun came toward him as he turned the corner; or when the rebels came to our door wanting money and Gary was standing at the end of a gun barrel. Those are the times you depend on the Lord even though you may not call on His name at that moment. Sometimes my thoughts go to what I would do, but it won't happen in the crisis. At the moment of the crisis, God is there if we are seeking Him all the time and if it seems He's not, we know deep down inside He is, simply because He is God, Father God to me. A Father would never allow a child to be harmed or HE'd die trying to make it be so. I read a scripture this morning, actually posted it on my other blog stating that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. All things mean all things, whether good or bad, and of course, we would think in terms of the bad. Jeremiah complained even to the point of wishing he'd never been born, but at the same time he worshipped and praised the Lord for all the great things He is. Where are we in our walk with God as the world gets to be more and more against Christianity? Gary and I decided to eat in a neighborhood Indian restaurant the other day. It was his first time for Indian cuisine, I'd eaten it years ago on rather a regular basis as my deceased husband and I helped an Indian Fellowship on Sunday night (and there was always food afterward). We enjoyed the restaurant food but not the music. It wasn't because the music was Indian style, it was the repetitive words over and over and over again. So, we asked about it. Sure enough it was a worship song to an Indian god. We wondered what would happen if a Christian restaurant owner played worship music all day in his business. Would he be permitted? Or would he be afraid no one would like it and lose business? Jeremiah wasn't afraid to speak up for God, but are we? Would we risk popularity and/or losing money if it were a business? The Indian server didn't seem to mind at all that we were asking questions. And, he didn't offer to turn it off because we stated we were Christians. (not that I expected him to but I was hoping to dialogue a little more than we did about Christianaity). Jeremiah knew His God was holy, righgteous, full of justice and mercy and that he will discipline his people. I hipe that as time moves onward that we as chirstians are able to stand firm in our belief whether we are are called upon to prove who we are and what we stand for or not. We can't plan what we should say or how we'll say it. Jesus told us that when we are taken to the court, the words would be there. But, will we run scared before that time or will we realize that all things work together for our good all the time? Traffic is moving and so must I. We are almost to our destination.