Archive for the ‘Miracles’ Category

30 Jun

It’s His Plan

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Blessings, Faith, Miracles, Planning, Trials, Trust.

Hello all,
We continue to recover from our car wreck. The bumps and bruises are healing, and we continue to attest to God’s providence and protection in all of this. Weather-wise, in the past ten days we have recorded 6.5 inches of rain in our high-tech gauge. After what was a long, dry spell, we are grateful for abundant moisture.

In feedback from last week’s column, it was pointed out that it sounded like I was promoting the idea that God protects us from everything all the time. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that. What it does say is that in this world there will be hardships, including death and dying. There is sickness and disease, pain and sorrow. Sometimes He protects us from harm, but sometimes He doesn’t. Whatever the outcome, God is never surprised and His perfect plan is being carried out.

Let me share some informative scriptures with you: Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds (James 1:2). Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of glory that God has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12). Notice that James said when you face trials, not if you face trials.

Peter wrote this, concerning trials, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (1 Peter 1: 6). Also, Peter said, “Dear friends do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12).

The words of Jesus after telling His disciples of trials to come: “I have told you all these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

In Romans 12, Paul reminds his readers to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12).

We may say, If I had done this or that, taken a different road, or chosen a different route, this would not have happened. But as I have said before and continue to say, it is all in God’s plan and through it all He is fulfilling His purpose in each life and in each experience.

Trusting Him,
Pastor Jerry

23 Jun

God’s Protection

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Faith, Milestones, Miracles, Praise, thanksgiving.

Hello friends,
We had one of those weeks you remember for a long time. The weather has been very warm, but we also had some rain. My opening sentence has nothing to do with the weather but with a memorable happening. It started as a normal week, with a couple of doctor’s appointments.

On Wednesday, after our appointment, we decided to tour around and check out some local campgrounds. We had been talking about taking the camper out for a few days but wanted to look around first.

Our first stop was Davis Creek, south of North Loup. Then, we took some dicey back roads, courtesy of Google maps, to Sherman Reservoir. After lunch in Loup City, we went to Ravenna with the idea of visiting Buffalo County Park. We have been there before and wanted to check out the improvements since we last visited.

As I started to turn onto the road to the park, we collided with a pickup I had not seen. Airbags in the car deployed with a loud bang and we came to a sudden stop. I never want to have that experience again!

The car was totaled, but neither we or the other driver had life-threatening injuries, although we were bruised and sore. Over the next few days, we found more bruises, but we are slowly healing. Know this though,
airbags are great but work better if used with seatbelts also.

In all this we are thankful to God for His protection. This could have turned out much worse without it. As I reflected on this, scriptures came to mind that assured me of His guiding hand upon us.

Psalm 121:7-8 reads, “The Lord will keep you from all harm—He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever more.”
Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. And let us not forget Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…”

Our experience last Wednesday was not “luck”, but the Lord taking charge for his plan and purpose. He’s not done with us.

All praise to Him,
Pastor Jerry

12 Feb

Giving/Receiving

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Blessings, Contentment, Hope, Miracles, Possessions.

Hello friends,

After a busy week, it is good to spend Sunday afternoon relaxing and reviewing the past few days. Maria has gone back to her mom, dad, and baby brother. We enjoyed her visit, but we are not as young as we once were. I had my first cataract surgery on Thursday. I’m surprised by the improvement in my sight and looking forward to getting the other one done in two weeks. As the song writer has said, “I can see clearly now” (at least in one eye)!

Last week, I wrote about giving to God and quoted Jesus’ words on giving. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33):

The apostle Paul wrote, “And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 CSB).

Notice Paul said that God would supply all your needs—not all your greed, or even all your wants or desires.

The writer of Proverbs 30 prayed, “Give me neither poverty nor wealth! Feed me with the food I need. Otherwise, I might have too much and deny you, saying, ‘Who is the Lord?” or I might have nothing and steal, profaning the name of my God” (verses 8–9 CSB).

You see, God is not some celestial Santa Claus giving us all the things on our wish list. Contrary to the idea that we do not get the things we want because our faith is weak, faith allows us to wait upon the Lord and depend on His goodness and grace to provide the things we really need. I have found the things we think we cannot live without are things that would do us harm if we were allowed to get them.

From Hebrews we read, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 10:11).

“So, we fix our eyes on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal “(2 Corinthians 4:18).

The bottom line is, believe in God, He is faithful and true. Trust in Him and see how He supplies your needs. There is a big difference between what we want and what we need. God knows which is best for us.

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

22 Aug

Seeing Clearly

Posted by sandhillspastor in Change, Faith, Freedom, Gospel, Miracles, renewal, Salvation, Trust.

Dear friends,
We had a great weekend, grandson Alex and his fiancé and her little girl akibg with our grandson Ethan visited Saturday evening. Sunday morning, we traveled back “home” to Sybrant Community Church, then spent the afternoon with dear friends. Good times!

On a recent morning, I awoke to heavy fog over the lake. As the sun rose, and the fog began to lift, I was able to slowly see the trees and buildings more clearly. It reminded me of the process of coming to faith in God and his salvation.

When the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ begins to shine in our hearts, we get a glimpse of who He is, and why he came. It may be just a spark at first, but as we begin to respond to that spark the light will become brighter.

As the fog lifts and the sun breaks through, we see clearly what was hidden. It is much the same when we begin to realize that we need Jesus. Sin has blinded us to the presence of God, but when the fog of disbelief begins to lift, we are able to clearly see the light of Christ.

When Jesus healed a blind man as recorded in Mark’s gospel, he healed the man in two stages. After he had put saliva on the man’s eyes, he asked him what do you see? ” He answered, “I see people, they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes… then his eyes were opened and he saw everything clearly” (Mark 8:23-25). It was a process of learning to see clearly as his faith grew. Sight was there, but it was not complete.

In the words of the song writer,
“Just like a blind man, I wandered along.
Worries and fears I claimed for my own.
Then like the blind man that God gave back his sight,
Praise the Lord, I saw the light.”

As the fog lifts and the sun breaks through, we see clearly what was hidden. It is much the same when we begin to realize that we need Jesus. Sin has blinded us to the presence of God, but when the fog of disbelief begins to lift, we are able to clearly see the light of Christ. Have you seen the light?

In His light,
Pastor Jerry

25 Jan

Stormy Weather

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Faith, God's Word, Miracles, Peace, Trials, Trust.

Dear friends,
We are living in stormy times. I say this partly because of the prediction of another winter storm coming our way. The past week has been colder, with some sunshine early in the week. The last couple of days have been cloudy, but with light winds. Such is winter in Nebraska. For those who live here, we understand this is part of the journey to springtime weather.

It is a stormy time in our country and culture, as well. We wonder what lies ahead, and to be honest, we can become discouraged as we see the storm clouds gathering. The disciples of Jesus were crossing the sea in a boat and got caught in a severe storm. There is a lesson here for us as we face the storms of life.

From Luke 8:22-25, we read: One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.
The disciples went and woke Him saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”
He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, all was calm. “Where is your faith?” He asked His disciples
In fear and amazement, they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him.”

In the middle of the storm, they forgot who was in the boat with them. They had seen evidence of His power over creation by the miracles he had done, yet there in the middle of the wind and waves, they panicked.

Isn’t this what we are prone to do? We commit to following Jesus, but when the storms roll in, we forget that He is present in the stormy weather, as well in the sunny days. He is our Rock and our Salvation in the good times and the bad.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?… For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35, 38-39).

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

17 Feb

The Creative Creator

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Attributes of God, Blessings, Body of Believers, Creation, Gospel, Miracles, Praise, Prayer, Worship.

Hello friends,
Last week, I told you of my planned heart bypass surgery. I can now report the surgery went well, and I am at home recovering. I have no rehab schedule presently, but somewhere, someone is preparing a plan. I now know much more about the process than I might have wanted to know. Word like saws, titanium plate, tiny screwdriver, screws… you get the idea. There were tubes and all kinds of wires and assorted monitors.

As I heal, I have been thinking about the wonder of the bodies God has given us. I met a man while in the hospital who claimed to be an agnostic. As I understand it, an agnostic will claim it is impossible to know God, and an atheist denies the existence of God, or even of a supreme intelligent being. My question at this point is, how then do you explain the complexity of the human body? How can you not see the hand of God in creating his own?

Oh, some will say it is the result of some random accident through which life began, or that some primitive life form ‘evolved’ to a human being. I for one, am glad for a Creator God, who not only designed mankind in His image, but that he equipped some to perform amazing procedures and others to help us on our way to recovery. In the last week, I have experienced some wonderful medical progress, and met some amazing individuals. From the doctors, ICU staff, nurses, CNAs, to housekeeping and nutritional staff. You are all special people!

Jesus is called the Great Physician and Healer, but he has some very talented individuals involved in the process. Thank you, also, for prayers for me this past week, I know they had much to with my speedy recovery from the immediate effects of the surgery and my eventual dismissal from the hospital in record time. God is King, and He is still on His throne. Praise Him daily!

It is not always God’s will for healing, but we should not fail to always pray. “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16)

Praising His goodness,
Pastor Jerry

16 Jul

God at Work

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Blessings, Discipleship, Eternal Life, Families, God's Word, Great Commission, Miracles, Salvation, Uncategorized.

I don’t have any real ‘news’ this week. It is about the same from day to day. Sometimes it rains, sometimes not. It’s windy some days, and calm at other times. Hot, but never cold; after all it is summer.

As I travel around to other churches, I have opportunity to see and hear what the Lord is doing in other places. This week, I heard about a 6-year-old little boy, who through his attending Sunday School and church, learned enough about Jesus to convince his dad to come to church. The dad, I understand, has placed his faith in Christ, and a broken marriage may be healed, all because of that little boy’s testimony. This little boy is unashamed and unafraid to tell everyone he meets about Jesus. Oh, that more Christian adults had this kind of testimony!

God is still in the business of saving souls, and he uses many ways, and works through all kinds of people. I believe one of the greatest miracles is when God, by His Holy Spirit, moves a person to trust in Christ as Savior and Lord.

I have shared the following passages of scripture many times, but they are worth repeating. They are from Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome. After highlighting God’s righteousness and His just judgment of sin, Paul points to the fact that all people are sinners in need of a Savior.

“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one… Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:10-12, 20-24).

Also, this: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

To His Glory,
Pastor Jerry