OCTOBER 2022 NEWSLETTER
NEWSLETTER
OCTOBER 2022
There
may be more people alive today than ever, but there are also more lonely people
today than ever– divorced spouses, homeless people, many elderly parents, and,
perhaps saddest of all, losing a loved one and living alone. This month it will be seven years since my
soulmate, Marian, went to be with Jesus, and I have been alone. She gave me a good date, 10/12/14, because
she knew I didn’t remember dates, but I can’t forget this one.
No one, though, has ever been so alone as
the Lord Jesus on the cross. “Behold,
the hour,” He had said, “yea, is now come, that you shall be scattered, every
man to his own, and just leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the
Father is with me.” (John 16:32). So then, only a few hours later, as He hung on
a cross, even His heavenly Father had to leave Him, and He cried, “My God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
(Matthew 27:46). So he died
alone, bearing the burdens of all the sin of all the world on His soul.
But because He suffered alone, no one
else needs ever be alone again. “Be
content with such things as you have: for he has said, I will never leave thee,
or forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5). So the apostle Paul, suffering alone in a
Roman dungeon shortly before his execution, could still say: “notwithstanding
the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me.”
(2 Timothy 4:17). John the
beloved, old and in prison alone on the tiny aisle of Atmos, nevertheless, “was
in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day” (Revelation 1:10) and then saw the Lord in HIS
glory. So it has always been with those
who know the Lord. For He is there, even
when all others have forsaken them, and He understands. He has already been there ahead of us, “in
all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne
of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of
need.” (Hebrews 4:15 – 16). 1.
Death
and Our Sure Hope of Heaven
For some, death is an unmentionable
subject. People often use their future
death with fear or resentment. As it
draws nearer, the range against it, saying they have not enjoyed their lives
enough yet, and have not accomplished everything on their “bucket list,” or
will miss their loved ones. Yet death
(Thanatos in Greek) is mentioned frequently in the New Testament – 120 times,
in fact – and the verb “die” (aothnesko or thanesco) another hundred 120 times.
Death is the only great certainty in
life, apart from the fact of our birth. . . .
Each one of us will one day cease to breathe, and our hearts will cease
to beat. Yet, through Jesus’ death and
resurrection, the power of death has been destroyed, and those who trust in Him
will be safe on the Day of Judgment for all eternity.
…
All through the New Testament, we read wonderful words affirming Jesus’ victory
over death. “Death couldn't keep its
hold on him,” declared Peter on the Day of judgment. He “has destroyed death and has brought life
and immortality,” wrote Paul to Timothy (2 Timothy 1:10). And to the Christians in Rome, he wrote that
“death no longer has mastery over him.”
(Romans 6:9). The writer to the
Hebrews said that, by his death, Christ broke the power of “him holds the power
of death – that is, the devil” and thus set free. “Those who are all their lives were held in
slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14 – 15). This victory can be yours too! Listen, “the sting of death is sin, and the
power of sin is the law. But thanks be
to God! He gives us victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:56 – 57) .2
A
prayer for the lonely by Anne Graham Lotz
All-Knowing, All-Seeing God, I worship
You, the one who has eyes to see everything.
You see, that which is visible in that which is invisible. Which is temporal and that which is
eternal. That which is past, that which
is present, and that which is yet to come.
And you see me. You know me. You know when I sit and when I arise. When I go out and when I come in. When I sleep and when I awake. You know my limitations, and you know my
potential. You know my thoughts before
they are formed into words. Nothing about
me is hidden from You. You are the one
who sees me.
And I worship you, the one who is
everywhere. There is no place in all the
universe where You are not. If I were to
ascend to the highest heaven, You would be there. If I were to descend to the lowest depth, You
would be there. If I were to settle in
the remote part of the planet, You would guide and hold me fast. If I were to cower in the darkness, I would
not be hidden from You since darkness is as light to You. I was not hidden from You, even when I was
formed in my mother’s womb. You are my
hiding place; you . . . Surround me with songs of deliverance.” You are always with me and promised to always
be with me, even to the end of all things.
And after the end, you will receive me to glory, where I will see You
face to face. Then I want you. Even as I am fully known, and I will be with
You. Forever.
So when I am tempted to feel lonely, when
there is no one visible to talk to or confide in, when I eat by myself, sleep
by myself and walk by myself, give me an awareness of You. Open my mind to Your plan and purpose that
give me a reason to live another day.
Open my ears to your gentle whisper that reassures me of Your loving,
personal attention. Open my eyes to Your
blessings upon blessing that fills me with joy.
Open my heart to Your love that lifts and carries me on my cell. Draw me closer to your heart as I read my
Bible and spend time in prayer. Keep me
focused, not just on the facts of theology and prophecy of Your Word. But on You.
Then give me opportunities to encourage
others who may feel lonely; widows and orphans, teenagers and single parents,
divorcees and singles, CEOs and sales clerks, prisoners and soldiers, the
elderly and the sick. Use me to
demonstrate the truth that while we may feel lonely, we are never alone. Because we have You, and You have us.
In the name of the one who is right here,
right now – JESUS, AMEN .3
God
is good all the time; all the time, God is good! Amen?
1.
HENRY
M. MORRIS, PhD., Days of Praise, Friday,
October 15, 2021
2.
PATRICK SOOKHDEO, Ph.D., DD, Lifting Up the Downcast,
P. 64,65
3.
ANNE GRAHAM LOTZ, The LIGHT of HIS PRESENCE,
P. 79,80
NOTE: If this Newsletter looks familiar, it
is. All that has changed is 2021 to
2022. I have gone through a testing time
in my life and feel I have come through with good marks and closer to God our
Father, Jesus our Word, and Holy Spirit, our wonderful good counselor. So when the Prayer coordinator calls and asks
me for a prayer request, I respond with Just a closer walk with Jesus, because that’s
where I am at present, and I sing that chorus; just a closer walk with Jesus
makes it right, all right.
I
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