Tornado!

Living in Central Wisconsin has proved to be pretty safe, catastrophic event wise. We're not on a major fault line so we don't have big earthquakes. We're far from the tropics so we don't get hurricanes or typhoons. However, upon occasion, we have our fair share of bad weather.

We've had blizzards with three feet of snow. We've also had days of 100° heat. Still, all those pale in comparision to what we had this past Monday - an EF-3 tornado.

We've had tornadoes before. We even had one touch down near our house. But this most recent tornado was different. It plowed through one of our larger cities - Menasha (18,000+).

I worked in Neenah for nearly 20 years. It butts up against Menasha. When I visited work yesterday, horrible stories were plentiful. They ranged from "we lost a few branches" to "a big tree fell on our house and we have no power." Some residents lost everything. A local friend was trapped on the 441 bridge as the tornado passed 500' in front of her car. She and her son watched cars and semis being flipped and feared for their lives. Had they arrived just a few seconds earlier . . .

Do you know Jesus? I hope you do.

All this makes me think of Job. He too lost everything, except his faith in God.

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” - Job 1:21

Catastrophic events like this tornado can really test our faith, but they can also enhance it. When our faith turns into action, it testifies to our God.

The Menasha Piggly Wiggly gave out free water. Christ the Rock church opened its doors to all who needed shelter. Donation sites sprang up and area residents brought supplies. People "gave to one another as there was a need" (Acts 2:45).

My prayer in this horrible event was for people to turn to God as a result. Like Job said, "Blessed be the name of the Lord."

Job On Jesus

In the Book of Job, supposedly the oldest book in the Bible, there are a few verses that made me stop and contemplate them again this past week.

Job was talking with his friends about God...

"If only there were someone to mediate between us (God and man), someone to bring us together, ³⁴someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more." - Job 9:33-34

Well, Job, let me tell you about Jesus. That's exactly what He does. He is a mediator between God and mankind. Jesus intercedes for us with God the Father. He also removed "God's rod" from us by sacrificing HIS life for ours, taking God the Father's punishment upon Himself.

 Here's another verse from the Book of Job.

"I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand on the earth." - Job 19:25

That's right, Job. Our Redeemer surely does live. He rose from death to life on the third day. And you are right again when you say "that in the end He will stand on the earth."

All this stuff is from the oldest book in the Bible! And it's talking about Jesus!!

"I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, ¹⁰Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’" - Isaiah 46:9-10

God is simply amazing! He knows our hearts. He knows what we are thinking before it comes into our minds. The sooner we repent and seek Him, the better off we will be.

"To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." - 1 Timothy 1:17

Bad Day?

Do you ever have bad days? No. I mean REALLY bad days. The ones that leave you wondering, "What just happened?" or "Why me?" I usually don't have too many bad days like that but one of them sure snuck up on me yesterday.

It seemed like just about everything that could have gone wrong, DID go wrong.

Where do bad days come from anyway? Are they just a random series of bad events strung together to make one incredibly sucky day? Or does someone have something against us?

God allows bad things to happen to us. Read the Book of Job. It's true. What possible reason would a loving God have that He would allow us to undergo torment and pain? Good question. But God also rewards those who persevere. Again, read the Book of Job.

I think God allows bad days to see how we handle them. I failed my "bad day test" yesterday. That usually means that I will face that same test again someday. I hope I do better when that day comes cuz yesterday sucked. I need to be more like Job. Job had the ultimate bad day. Again, read the Book of Job. And how did he respond to the worst day of his life?

Yeah, he did some complaining. His wife turned on him and his friends gave him pages of questionable advice. Ultimately, at the end of our bad days, we need to take stock of the blessings we still have. The gifts that God has given us. Are we still breathing? Is our heart still beating? Is not God still on His throne?

We may have bad days from time to time, but blessed be the name of The Lord.

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." - Job 1:21

"I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth." - Job 19:25



Bad Day - Fuel

The Numbering of Days

What would we do if we knew the exact day of our death? How would we react? What would we do with our remaining days? Would we live our lives any differently than we do now? Or would we become changed somehow because of the knowledge of our end?

In the Book of Job we read about a wealthy man who underwent an incredible set of catastrophes in his life. He lost everything - his possessions, his children , his health. He cried out to God to leave him alone so that he might enjoy the days he had left.

"5 Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass, 6 look away from him and leave him alone, that he may enjoy, like a hired hand, his day." - Job 14:5

Job went through a lot. Would we act any differently than Job if faced with all of the troubles he went through? Job was hoping that God would leave him alone and let him live out his remaining days in peace. Iss that what we want from God?

There is another man in the Bible who was struggling in life. Someone was pursuing him, trying to kill him. Only his take on the numbering of HIS days was different.

4 “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!" - Psalm 39:4

This man's name was David. He wanted to know the number of his days so he could live them more effectively, for God.

When I read that verse this week I wondered, "If I knew the number of my days, how would I live them? Would I live them more intentionally than I do now? Would I live my remaining days with a sense of purpose to them, knowing that I would be dying soon?"

My friend Ali died of cancer a few weeks ago. Cancer patients and those with terminal illnesses often are told how many years or months they have remaining. Do they live their remaining days any differently? I think they do. My friend Ali did.

The question we must ask ourselves is, "Where do I place my hope?" In doctors? Or in Jesus? What should be the purpose of our last days? Should it be checking items off some bucket list of things to do "before you kick the bucket"? What a waste.

When I was a kid my answer to the "What would you do if you knew you were going to die tomorrow?" question was "Rob a bank today so I could have lots of money to do stuff with. Hmm, when I was a child I thought like a child.

Today, my answer is much different. My hope is found not in money or physical things. No. My hope is in the Creator of ALL things. My hope is in the one who created each of us in His own image. My hope is in The Lord God Almighty.

^"12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." - Psalm 90:12

Father, teach me to number my days so I may be reminded of whose I am and the reason you created me. I was made to worship. I was made to praise you. I was made to love you and to love others. I was not made to complete a bucket list. I was not made for selfish reasons. I was not made to entertain myself, I was made for YOU. Let me live all of my days . . . in You, Lord.

7 “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you." - Psalm 39:7

My Hope Is In You - Aaron Shust
My Life Is In You, Lord - Joseph  Garlington