Flattering speech is a pretext for greed and greed is evil. Even a Bernie Sanders fan understands this biblical principle. “Greed is the Religion of the billionaire class,” says The Angry One! Yet how Sanders knows this is a mystery to most of us. He never developed skills that would allow him to earn a living, and he has been basically inept at everything but convincing young minds full of mush that free stuff is good. But I mustn’t confuse you, the kind of greedy people Bernie likes to smear are his betters. So before you get bored, I’d like to say this is not a political post, it is more about about a greedy and likely devilish strategy.
First let’s just get this out there, there are many devilish strategies. This is just one that I have but recently discovered. I’ll show you how it is working. I’ll not argue it merits, but let’s use climate change for example. Here’s my hypothesis: Saving us all from ourselves is the reason given as justification for the proposed course of action, but this is not the real reason, greed is. And remember, “greed is evil.” Now I’ll show you an example.
Activists are modeling strategies that integrate devisive ideologies into business and politics. Some do this unknowingly, others intentionally. Incremental changes in our culture can be blamed for some of this, but recently much of it, I believe, is the work of Satan. Whether Satan’s tools can be identified as educators, ideologues, or billionares it makes no difference. I’m an investor, and this is what I’m seeing in climate change investing and corporate governance. There is a shift is taking place. And some say it is the customer that’s driving the shift. They say people want “renewable, sustainability products to invest in.” But is it so? Investment companies like Blackrock were once passive investors, but under the leadership of the liberal Larry Fink and Blackrock has now taken to demanding social reforms through “stakeholder capitalism.” In other words companies are being forced to uphold the ethical standards of the mob. But is this really mob driven? Consider this, banks are denying capital to companies that don’t adhear to their social, financial, and political agenda. Of course we all know the foolishness surrounding the of firing Aunt Jemima? And we all saw the corporate rush to belly up to the bar and give money to “black” causes. The so called ethical rush reminded me of earth day, when companies began packaging environmental slogans and niche tree hugger products took root. But this new approach is much more sinister. It smells more like Satan’s work than just man’s fallen nature. The world is changing faster than ever and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives have become code words for disrupting conservative moral values and pushing progressive academic theories. Believe me these sorts of programs are not organically spawned. There are hundreds of scholarly articles available only to think tanks and paying customers. Do you think George Soros thinks for himself? Strategies are calculated, tested, funded, and put into action after careful academic review; then the sheep are fed the poison with a coating of sugar.
So I know this all sounds conspiratorial, because it is! Only the blind cannot see how Lucifer works; his hellish forces have their assignments. Remember Christians, evil has always deceived us through trickery. We can only live our lives wisely aware of evil schemes and prepare ourselves by faithfully uniting in prayer and reading the scriptures.
“8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.” (1 Thessalonians 5:8-10)
Last Wednesday, July 1st, we hit the road again and this time we were blessed to have nearly a week away without internet or phone service.
Our journey first took us from our home in Polebridge, Montana to West Glacier where we had a parting rendezvous with friends. A group of us were greatly surprised when our friend Duke and his lovely wife showed up for dinner at the Highlander. You see Duke is very ill, and he has been couped up in assisted living throughout the whole Coronavirus thing. It was so nice to see him, no matter his condition. He was feeling pretty punk, but he basically said, “to hell with it, let’s go sit with our friends!” He really wanted to see us and it will likely be the last time all of us will together. I cannot say this more strongly, the people in our lives bring us our greatest blessings. And this is why I cannot exclude telling you about this brief stop as we headed out of town. We left West Glacier heading east at about 8:30 p.m..
Duke and Friends
We figured it was the fourth of July weekend coming up and we would not likely find any camping sites and would have to camp on some remote forest service road, but we were pleasantly surprised. Glacier Park Lodge and the east side of Glacer National Park is closed and this took the pressure off the camping in that direction. We stayed at Devil’s Creek campground. It is a small campground with maybe twelve sites and the creek running through it. It was only a pit stop for us. We stayed the night and headed out the next morning through East Glacier, Browning, and along the Rocky Mountain front to Great Falls. If you have never been out this way before Hwy 287 is a beautiful drive. The drive alone is worth the trip to Montana. We like it best when we take our old Volkswagon Cabrio convertible. We just turn up the tunes and enjoy the ride. But today our destination, in our 1961 International Metro Van, was the Crazy Mountains. We had the hammer down and were crusing right along at a whooping 60mph.
Our first stop, besides taking on gasoline, was Monarch, Montana. It was not a planned stop. There on Hwy 89, the King’s Hill Scenic Byway a sign read, “Fresh Pan Fried Walleye.” Well we don’t get much walleye on the west side of the divide so we couldn’t resist. Monarch is an unincorporated micro town, that means they have a restaurant and bar, nothing else but maybe a post office. We pulled into the Cougar Canyon Bar and Grill and split our Walleye dinner served with yummy mashed potatoes and asparagus, just as it should be served. The old building and surroundings were typical of a small town restaurant and bar, but it had a quaint deck out back with lovely views. James was the bartender and server and he put to shame all the big city servers. He didn’t hesitate asking us our names, insisted we try a certain beer and told us we could bring our dog to the back deck, then he brought her some ice water. If you were wondering, sharing food is not my thing (I like to eat). But this time we were not the slightest bit hungry, yet how could we drive by a walleye dinner? It was a great stop, the food and service was excellent! We were gastronomically satisfied and we were enjoyed being our retired selves again.
So off we headed to the “Crazies.” They call them the Crazies I guess because an Indian woman lost her husband and family to settlers heading west. It is traditionally said, “she went Crazy” afterwards. The mountains were actually called by the Crow Indians the “Crazy Woman Mountains,” but some civilized, politically correct european changed the name to the Crazy Mountains.
Our 1st night in the Crazies
The drive south on Hwy 89 was quite spectacular. There are wide open spaces in Montana, bigger than can be imagined. The land in these parts is all pretty much privately owned by ranchers, mostly cattle ranches. The ranches are huge. Many are ten, twenty, and fifty thousand acre ranches. Much of the land was cleared years ago and it has mostly been in “the family” for generations, although that is changing rapidly. We were told the change has been a point of controversy for years. They say the ultra rich and silicon valley types are buying up land whenever they can; but it’s not all bad. Luckily for those of us who enjoy seeing ranch lands they are still leased out to local cow herd owners so the out of town owners can take advantage of lower taxes; rich folk are not fools with their money. Still, it is kinda sad when ranching land is passed on to people who only visit their thirty thousand acre properties for maybe a couple days or a months per year. Most use it just to entertain their citified friends. Often they stage hunting big game with their buddies or business clients, or sometimes it’s just the cowboy experience they share for a weekend. Don’t get me wrong, the old timers with huge ranches are not poor, but it’s a different vibe. When the old time rancher goes to town to eat, they look like hard working folks because they live here and do the “ranching” themselves! The “investors” or urban cowboys I like to call them, mostly buy their properties for show and tell. Most don’t fit in, and it just does not feel right when you see them out and about on their Escalade; and they tend to fight for all sorts of public land use restrictions on locals, and they disguise their legal battles as environmental concerns. But enough of politics. You can read about this in the media.
Shield’s River Road
What we experienced as we drove to the Shield’s River Campground was awe. The views are big screen material. Huge views of green grassy ranch land with well fed black angus and elk grazing. And the partly sunny views of snowy eleven thousand foot peaks made our day. We arrived late in the day and set up camp.
Cattle Land
The next morning we got up early, around 6 a.m. and soon after we walked up the road and into the mountains for a hike. There was a little bushwacking at first, but we finally got into the open spaces and headed upwards. The fields were wet with the morning dew and the sun made the grass sparkle like it was adorning a million diamonds. As we gained elevation we ran across an old unused logging road. Still ascending, I spotted an elk butt, then a second one. If you have never seen an elk butt once you have seen one you will never forget what they look like. The elk did, at first, not see us as we stood silently enjoying the moment. Our dog Ania was with us, but she was lower in the grass and could not see or smell the elk. We slowly made our way closer and eventually we all made our introductions. Surprisingly, our dog pretended she was only curious as she looked upon the two wild beasts and they likewise at us. We decided to ease our way forward and get a few photos. Within about 50 yards the elk seemed to become a little concerned and slowly moved away uphill. Ania, off leash, was even closer. She kept looking back at us as if asking, “Do you you see these two things mom and dad, what am I supposed to do, they’re not deer, they’re not grizzlies?” The elk finally trotted uphill and out of site. Ania had some great smells when we reached where they had been. We continued a little farther and we got some great views of the mountains and wildflowers then started back down the mountain. This time down a gully and into a big natural field, then back to the road. That hike we figured was four plus miles. It wasn’t a hard hike by any means, but the unusual thing about it was the ground was just beaten up with uneven elk tracks. It has been a wet spring and when the herds come through it apparently they mess up the ground and make it difficult to walk. There seems to be a large herd of elk here.
Ania and Elk
When we got back to camp it was mid morning. We had our tea (for me) and coffee (for Jackie). We ate our donuts and later we had lunch, took a nap, wandered about, and read a bit for the rest of the day. It was very peaceful. A bit later, I’d say about 5 p.m., a couple drove up to our campsite in a ATV asking the usual questions. What kind of vehicle is that? What was it used for, etc? But this time our guests turned from gawkers to unusual acquaintances. You see the whole reason we drove to the Crazies was to scope it out for bowhunting season. Jackie has a friend from high school who married a doctor in Washington state and he recently retired. He has been hunting the Crazies for quite a number of years. But he thinks he’s getting a bit old to be hunting such wild country all by himself so he asked me to hunt the Crazies with him this fall.
New FriendsElk sausage, white cheddar, and cheep wine!
So back to our meeting the couple. They turned out to be ranchers leasing grasslands at the neighboring “rich girls” ranch. I call it “show and tell property.” Our friend in Washington also met the same couple some time ago and he has been driving over and helping them out for apparently years. He mends fencing, puts up hay, and does general ranch hand work. Our friend was a doctor, not a blue collar guy, and he just loves the hard work of being a ranch hand. So he drives over a couple times a year and helps the rancher out for free. He gets to work hard, ride horses, and accomplish things for others. People actually do this sort of thing! So now we also have met the rancher and his wife, and we had a nice chat.
Ther is always a bushwacking hike or it wouldn’t be exciting.
The next day we went for a ride in the van around a big forest service loop road. We crossed a stream and looped back to camp. We just hung out the rest of the day. The next next morning we drove back to Wilsall and had lunch at “The Bank.” A locally owned bar and restaurant. The owners are also cattle ranchers and the beef they serve comes from American Aberdeen and Angus cattle. They are grass fed, no hormones, and locally butchered at a certified USDA processor in Columbus, MT. So the whole process is under their watch. The owner and ranchers daughter was our server. She told us about her families Muddy Waters Ranch and the farm to table concept they followed at this little bar 40 miles from Livingston. The food was great!
The Bank Bar and Vault in Wilsall
Later that evening we again ran into our new friends and invited them to join us down by the river for some chilled wine which we has cooling off in the stream. They agreed. But to our surprise they brought their own and one upped us by bringing cheese, crackers, and elk sausage; and I might add processed and seasoned to perfection. We had a fire going in the fire pit but it started to sprinkle so we moved under a huge old pine tree by the stream. The tree kept us completely dry, it was a Montana sized spruce. The evening went on which chats about our mutual friends, ranching, and of course hunting and fishing. But what fascinated us most was the cattle ranching. These folks had 800 cattle and twenty two thousand acres and still needed to lease land to feed and hay their herd. They, as usual, said, ” we cannot find all the ranch hands we need for such operations, but we have one helper that has been with us for more than twenty years.” Ranch hands as part of their pay get a little cabin. Forman get a house on ranch property and decent pay. They said, ” you’ve got to realize a ranch hand may not get city folk wages, but they also don’t have the expenses or the time or opportunity to spend all that money. It’s a decent living!” I didn’t quite figure out how the money works but I did figure the owners occasionally sell a prize bull, their calves, and some steers go off to slaughter. It was very interesting learning about ranching, laying down fences in the fall, putting them back up again in the spring, and mending them to keep the cattle from escaping. They had just trucked all 800 cows in a couple days to the grass ranch. We ran into a part of the herd as we headed to town and watched the cattle for quite a while. There we a bunch of them crossing the road. They had never seen such a van before. In fact the ranchers said they had never seen many people before that day. They also said, “Every cow has it’s own personality,” God sure is an amazing God! The rancers wife said when they first move the herd from home to the spring grasses and let them out they tend to follow her around till they become comfortable in their new surroundings. She said, “It can be a little frightening with 800 cows following you around,” ya think?
Second campsite by the stream
Well, I can’t remember everything else we did but I do remember we saw a moose and took a lot a pictures. We wanted to capture the feeling. A very warm feeling at that.
After a few days a good hair wash is needed.
One more thing I personally contemplated. It’s a bit political but an interesting observation. Ranch land out here is generally not good farming land. If you look closely my photos show lots of green grass land. The ranch land is what makes the contrasting colors. On it there are vast opportunities for recreation, and the beautiful vistas for photography. I cannot imagine this land more beautiful. Just think about this, less ranch land and more wilderness is not always more beneficial. And if we were all vegans, well, we would at least need cows to create this kind of beauty. And finally, if cows create global warming, well for now that’s a trade off I cannot accept. This beauty is worth something.
Sweet Cows
Well, that’s it for the Crazy Mountain’s. We headed out and had breakfast back in Wilsall at a neat little restaurant located in a school bus. They called it “The Little LeBuski.” We had a breakfast burrito and a carmel roll. It was a decent breakfast.
Le Buski
On our way home we traveled through Townsend and Canyon Ferry Montana on Hwy 12 and stopped at the reservoir. When we got to Wolf Point I revealed my sneaky plan to my wife. Just up ahead was Craig Montana. It’s basically at the headwaters of the Missouri River and some of the states biggest fish are caught on the Missouri. We found an outfitter and scheduled a 1/2 day trip of fishing. She had no idea this was in my plans. She took it well. Unfortunately we could not go longer than a half day float because we were with Ania, our dog. She needed to stay in the van while we were out, so we found a shady campsite opened windows and the sun roof, put up our umbrella over the sunroof and headed out fishing the next morning.
Reservoir at Townsend
Neither one of us had ever nymph fished. Nor had we ever run into 24 inch plus rainbows. We learned a lot from our guide. I being the more experienced fishermen, caught one whitefish and one very nice rainbow. But several got away and two broke my line. They were very tough to get in the boat, and I had not enough experience with fish this size on a 5 weight fly rod. Jackie unfortunately got skunked, but I think she had a great time. She likewise had hooked a couple fish on her line, but the were so big and she so anxious to land them that they too broke her line too. Live and learn. We also both learned a lot about how to “mend” a line. It basically means making sure the line does not interfere with the fly. The fly and line need to float in a neutral position to make the presentation of the fly as natural as possible. It takes a lots of finesse to land big fish that a thousand other fishermen have tried to land.
Fishing the Missouri
We left Craig about 2 pm and headed home. The highlights here were the absolutely gorgeous ride home and the pizza we got at John Henry’s Bar and Pizza in Choteau Montana along Hwy 287. Note, I’ve mentioned Hwy 287 a couple of times. I did it for a reason.
HWY 287
Back in West Glacier we picked up a 26 yr old hitchhiker making his way to Polebridge to begin a solo hike to Seattle and the Pacific Trail. We wished him well, and we are hoping he won’t run into too many grizzlies and we don’t catch the Covid from him. So this trip was only a 6 days but full indeed. At about 8 p.m. Monday July 6th we arrived home. We saw our beautiful home and thought, we are certainly blessed. We have had a wonderful time together in the old van since we retired, this trip included. It is especially good when we are disconnected… And we are glad we can share these good times with you.
I’m sitting here looking out my window, listening the Willie’s Roadhouse and thinking again. Warmed by the sun and feel good country songs, I’m sipping my tea and thinking pleasant thoughts. You see my life has been fully lived and the abundance of blessings I have received is humbling. At present it is difficult to think I could have any complaints. Because I don’t.
Yet often my mind turns to others and my butter gets churned. “How can they think that way?” I ask. Did God forget to give them sense? And even for the ones that have it, I would think they would get tired of visiting the ole Hangover Tavern? You know, that place that promises a solution to their problems, but ends up just making them feel sick. Then there are those friends with whom I mostly agree, but on certain matters cause me discomfort or even distress. (Why again are we friends?) For now the view out my window seems a much better friend, especially when it’s sunny in Montana.
But then again there are people who would for sure have their troubles solved if they would only follow my advise. The kind of advise I’m convinced they have been told time and time again. Advice like, learn to be kind, communicate well, and develop some skills and these will make your living not so hard; and stop depending on politicians and judges for your happiness; stop jumping on every popular race baited bandwagon; and for your own sake start reading your bible everyday, your worldview will change for the better.
These truths go for christians too! These christians, are actually my biggest source of consternation. You know the ones I am thinking about. She’s the blue blood who thinks President Trumps twitter feed is too base and reposts “woke” criticisms by that progressive Christian News feed. She’s hoping the President will be replaced by the radical left’s puppet, “Sleepy Joe.” The guy who she hopes will bring the civility of a type of Obama in exchange for expanding antithetical Christian doctrines and postmodern liberal theology. All because to her, “feelings” are more important than policies.
In unmuted defense there were also times in my life when I was unable to find the scent and continue chase. I hope and pray this is her case too (“she/her” is figurative, not a real person). For I too have been wayward, and at one time very lost lost.
Recently, I have found disconnecting from our television, radio broadcasts, and even avoiding many Facebook posts refreshing. While here I am writing on social media, it would probably do you best to stop reading and follow my example rather than continue reading; you know I’m right! I know I’m right!
But for our gluttonous desire to be “in touch” and learn all we can about the ways of the world I find more desirable getting up early, reading my bible, attending church, doing some physical work, eating well, being kind to my neighbor, having some fun, and loving on my wife is a healthy way to live. So not knowing what is being promoted minute by minute by the media is living life blissfully ignorant.
Still, I cannot help imagining what the media is portraying about Trump. Don’t tell me! But I can be almost certain they are talking about his racist behavior, incompetence, about his response to coronavirus, or about his upcoming “stupid” rally. You noticed, I could not imaging anything other than what they are saying about Trump. He is their obsession. It is their goal to ruin him. And this is all that is being promoted in the news. It is why I have shut them off!
My Morning- Not The News
With a sharp aim there can be another way. If we read our bibles and pray for our friends and enemies, well, then you would know it’s wrong of them to do this evil and forgiveness is a healing balm. And how wrong it is to dwell on such things? God, I think, wants us to live a quiet and peaceful life, He actually wants us to be clueless about some matters. Today this is exactly what I’m doing. It’s time to go haul some brush, eat some pizza, visit some friends, love on my wife, and thank God for my family and my many blessings.
Well, not exactly! I don’t know Governor Whitmer but is she a bad person? Is her heart desperately wicked, and her policies wickedly political? Let’s explore!
Her state has become the center of the Covid crisis not because it ranks first, it actually ranks fifth in total covid cases. But the firestorm in Michigan ranks first in public interest because the governor has made public health decisions into opportunistic political gravy.
It seems the minute that the governor was perceived to be a potential running mate for Joe Biden the craziness began. It was like she started to put on more makeup, buy prettier dresses, and she suddenly found the flattering light of the left wing media satisfying. The beast in her was awakened. Do you remember the Incredible Hulk coming out when he became angry? Well the real Gretchen “comes out” when the lights turn on and the left fawns at her newly found so called strength and celebrity, especially when it can be seen as defying President Trump. This is the evil within, and beware it can affect us all.
Characteristics like the want of power and control are evil indeed. Many people find themselves in positions of power but usually get there from good motives. A true sense of public service is not uncommon when people aspire for public office. Some people see injustice in the political system and enter the frey out a sense of duty or calling. Yes, God calls some to public service. And of course some of you will stop reading if I say I believe God called Donald J. Trump to be our president – actually I think He did. But give me a chance, read on, CNN is not as interesting. You can hear their spiel over and over, day after day. I think many of you will be pleasantly surprised by my conclusions.
Remember I started out with the premise that God does not care about the Michigan Governor. Well that’s not exactly true. He does care for her. In fact if you believe Jesus, he came from heaven to die for Gretchen. Yes, even for her sins of promoting abortion, locking down her constituents for political gain, the private wickedness in her heart, and for hating all God fearing, Trump loving people who want to feed their families. God works this way you know. Well at least Christians know it. The Bible says, “Such were some of us” swindlers, idolaters, perverts, homosexuals, drunkards, revilers, thieves, and even greedy bastards (like most politicians). So Gretchen does not have any trait that the average Christian did not at some point in their lives possess. But does this let her off the hook? Not at all!
So back to, “God does not care for you Gretchen.” My headline, like so many political headlines, is misleading, but there is a whiff of truth in it or it would not have gotten your attention. So let’s straighten everything out. To Gretchen (though she will unlikely read this), and to all the democrats who think she is doing a great thing by extending lockdowns, God does actually care about you! He loves you very much. But what I am certain of is that He does not like her policies. The policies that protect her political ambitions and negatively affect the health and well being of the people she is required to serve. Sure it’s tough to please everyone, but we are not talking about pleasing everyone. We are discussing sin. It is sinful to hurt people intentionally. Her policies can actually be targeted to help my friends who live in Michigan, in places where the virus is stable and descending the curve. The blanket put on the fire does not need to smother every community and every business she alone deems unworthy. Timing is everything too for some people.
The American spirit, prayer, and genuine love for others can overcome this virus. It’s apparent the governor “don’t get this.” But if she does get it, this too is sin if she does not address it. It’s called a sin of omission. Sometimes one’s bad intentions can be hidden, but in this case I believe the governor’s bad intentions are being broadcast to gain favor from the loony left and elevate the governors political status and national celebrity. God does not care about our political ambitions, he ordains them; and He gives us the responsibility to do good and punish wickedness. Repent and do good!
Finally, we freedom loving people do not hate the “governess” like she and her supporters hate Trump (but she treats us like children). We actually hope she will do what we did long ago. We asked God for forgiveness. We received His grace and through faith we put our trust in Him (not politicians). Now we feed the poor, help the widows, and go to restaurants to enjoy the fellowship of living. And we buy things to better ourselves and our families (when we can). When faced with obstacles we look to God first, then we pray for our leaders to do the right things and we adjust our habits to protect our neighbors. We love our enemies, we hope and pray that they will turn to God and seek His wisdom and His Guidance. When our government officials seek God He provides. So truly God does care for YOU, Governor Whitmer, but he also wants you to care for Him and His people.
What a joy it has been for us this past week. At the height of the craziness we had friends from Las Vegas come visit us. Yes, we broke all the social distancing rules! And we broke the Govenors lockdown rules, before he reluctantly lifted them.
You see, my friend Jim has prostate cancer and his wife is a quite famous Las Vegas singer/entertainer. Jim was about to start radiation treatment and like the rest of us he was cooped up and going stir crazy. After a visit with his doctor, permission was granted him to take a little break before his radiation treatment begins, and he called me to see if he and his wife could come visit us for a while.
Well, it took me about three seconds to think it through. What if I had it? What if he had it? What if he gets it on the way here? It was a thousand mile drive, surely he would meet somebody with it or touch something incubating the dreaded Corona Virus. But my thoughts were short lived. In fact, I murdered them. “Of course Jimmy,” I said, “you and Genevieve are more than welcome to come stay with us, to hell with the virus and the lockdown, you have cancer and God’s in charge!” We both laughed!
Most people will not agree with me, and many of you reading this will be angry with me for “putting others at risk.” Some, by knowing the circumstances may give me a pass, but others will likely try to shame me for my stupidity; in other words, for my lack of conformity.
Let me say what I have said before, “this virus is more about scaring people and government control than it is about real danger,” at least for most of the population. If you have a brain at all you can see in hindsight the actions we are taking against it are gravely out of proportion and are destroying the lives of thousands and the prosperity and health of millions.
I feel like I’m in a nightmare and I’m screaming “They are lying to you, and I yell louder and louder, wake up sheeple!” The Cults of State, Science, Media, and Politics, are led not by the best and the brightest, but by the followers of demons, greed, power, and lies. Yes, there are some sane and righteous voices, but the leftist, radical, elitist crowd led by the prince of this world, Satan, are drowning the rest of us out! None of these are a bit concerned for the poorest line cook or cashier who can’t make their rent or pay their bills, heck they hardly care for the old people in hospices, they only seem concerned that their deaths be labeled Covid 19. They only want Trump out and themselves in. They are certainly not sympathetic toward my buddy Jim taking a break before the greatest challenge of his life. The guy has a pacemaker and cancer for God’s sake! How does locking him down help him? How much further will their power hungry, greedy, self centered, aspirations go? And don’t give me the line that this epidemic is worse than the flu! The numbers don’t actually bear that out, yet! I’m still watching Sweden, I think they might be the winner in the end. But if I’m wrong, and I could be about some of it, it’s still true that more than half the world’s population have been scared into submission. Even my guy Trump has no way out of this, they led him down primrose street and would destroy him if he changed course suddenly. I think he has finally seen the folly of following these so called “scientists” and their fake projections. He wisely gave the responsibility back to the govenors and is letting them squirm and flail like slaughtered chickens. I fear you, not me, will face months of their lunacy, and we together will forever lose freedoms we all cannot even imagine.
I think some believe this is just a big extended holiday. The ones with big bank accounts and “work at home” orders that is. The ones who wear masks and look at you with evil eyes if you don’t. And don’t tell me working from home is more productive. Permanently free to work from home means permanently poorer in my book.
I very much fear, and somewhat hope, that millions will simply cease to obey the facist totalitarian rules which no longer make sense. Luckily, Montana has pretty much averted the pandemic and we did not have to bear arms just to eat lunch. The people here wisely disputed long ago that living in populated, drug infested, crime ridden, virus incubators, governed by liberal Democrats is a good idea. We are free in Montana, at least I am. I never felt threatened by goofy government officials. I was free (but encouraged otherwise) not to invite my friends to love on them. I chose freedom, and so did they. We laughed, sang, and prayed together. We went on hikes, ate pizza and pastries, even eventually got to drink a beer, eat out, and yes, sit down inside at our favorite restaurant. “The Big Scare” is over for us.
“We will not live in your fear!”
Bob Graham
Our friends left us today and they have left us better people. If you are a “not at risk person,” I encourage you to invite some friends over, take a risk. CNN and the Democrat party has lost its fight with us, we know your game. Howl all you wish Don Lemon, whine all you can Nancy Pelosi, threaten and tell us we are deplorable, but we do not trust you. We trust in God, we love our neighbors, and we will not live in your fear!
P.s. Pray for my brother in Christ Jimmy and his lovely wife Genevieve, that their days ahead will be filled with joy.
Oh Bob! I can hear the moans even before I write these words. “Aren’t you being judgmental?” “God does not destroy people, people destroy people, God is good!” Well I say, turn with me to Psalm 94 and whence learn.
This Psalm is both a prayer and a complaint. Unjust rulers, cruel oppressors, troublesome people are having their way with God’s children.
I know vengeance belongs to God. I also presuppose that comfort is our reward when the wicked are destroyed. And yes, you weak minded honey bun eaters, I often pray that the wicked get their just reward! In modern terms we have many examples of evil magistrates. Our govenors are currently inflicting their constituents with bitterness, our foreign enemies are inflicting us with troubles, our media is inflicting us with persecution and lies.
While it is sometimes our duty to fight back with guns, God either way will not fail us. He always avenges, “He is the Lord God to whom vengeance belongeth.” But I also know that the Lord suffers for the troubles of his people. Like, our troubles are not unknown though it may seem that God hides himself. Some think He is not capable of executing His judgement upon the wicked and our oppressors. Is this is true? When have you and I gathered, crying unto God for justice? I think we complain more on Facebook than in prayer. Maybe we can learn how to address evil and evil people in this Psalm?
Remember the wicked are the proud, they not just people who have different opinions, opinions different than ours. They boast of their atheism and worldliness. They crush the poor and mock the faithful. They lie for gain. They deceive and promote their worldview. They boast in themselves, not God.
So why does God not send down fire from heaven and destroy these infidels when we pray? They are jerks, idiots, morons, haters, prideful, and perverts. He must know most of the reporters at CNN are some of these? He must know that Pelosi is a hypocrite at the very least, a wicked witch for sure (everybody knows this)! The Psalmist complains just like me! “How long Oh Lord are we to suffer their insolent boasting, their triumphant killing of babies, and the hateful division their feet bring upon the righteous?” How long can You endure it?”
When I ask these questions in prayer the answer comes easily. The injured, the believers, come to a point where we are forced to complain. Maybe it’s just age, after all these years we have had enough? Anyway, we come to a point where whatever we do is not enough. Our voices are not heard, our letters to the editor not read, our posts not “liked.” So what do we do? We must turn to God! We know the persecutions and sins of evil politicians will ultimately end in judgement, but at this point we realize our prayers are now meant to provoke God to punish our oppressors, our votes have little value.
So listen up, why do we not pray like the psalmist? These evil people will “break in pieces thy people.” They will “affect thine heritage.” You know what they are saying right? They are saying, “your god will not rescue you, he will not respond to your prayers.” When these wicked people get power in their hand they become cruel enemies. The best of them have only have civility and humanity as their gods. But their senses have been cauterized, their consciences seared. This makes them exceedingly fearless, secure in their political ideology. Relativism become justification. They certainly do not feel the judgement of God when they do evil.
We must not underestimate evil powers. We need to be wise, instructed by Gods word. The wisdom of these people is like vain folly. However they are seen by their peers, or however they see themselves they are little more than brutish beasts. Their honor is in themselves and their kind, not in God. “They are a mere breath.” Can you see to where I have progressed? I’ve just finished verse 11.
I must not leave out, though it is only implied in this Psalm, that the wicked, the atheists, the evil politicians have one hope, it is God’s long suffering at the expense of the righteous. The wicked may have time to repent, and we should hope they do. We can admonish them, and lead them to Christ for the gaining of their souls. Or, through our prayers and God’s mercy for his children bring justice in their condemnation. “Ye fools, when will he be wise?” Remenber, the Lord rules, not politicians. When they sin they sin against the law written upon their hearts, no matter which university taught them otherwise.”
Now the good part! It begins in verse 12. “Blessed is the man whom thou chastened, oh Lord, and teachest him out of thy law…” This is a temporal consolation. There are no guarantees that a Christian will be given a huge yacht, a great job, or even that Trump will get a second term. But God does prepare the faithful for everlasting rest in the midst of adversity. We sometimes are “chastened” in other words disciplined by the godly rod. This punishment as some would call it is not a token of God’s displeasure, but rather it is used to strengthen us. Just as in the end we understand the wicked will be punished, the believer can take solace in the fact that they will will be eternally delivered. He is our Sheppard, “His rod and His staff comforts us.” We will not perish with the wicked. We will not have to spend eternity with Pelosi should God not show her His extreme and gracious mercy. (Just like He did for you). Condemned believes have suffered the gallows or beheading to rise gloriously unto God. But so too have evil people filled their cup with sins and have an opportunity to repent, “until a pit is dug for the wicked.”
There are many consolations for the righteous, God’s people. The world may cast us off, but God will never see us as unworthy. His son died for us. Yes, we often times suffer as Christ did for us. We are persecuted, oppressed, yet “He will not forsake us.”
Sometimes, and I believe this is true today, earthly judges have become so corrupt that they refuse to do justice and judgement for God’s people. This is their duty. And I think God, the Judge of the World has suspended, for a time, the manifestation of His judgement against the wicked and against our oppressors; and this for His own good and holy reasons. Maybe He is waiting for us to pray this Psalm?
God used David, maybe God is using President Trump to punish some? Maybe He used Trump to give Kim Jun Un his final opportunity to repent? He at least gave him opportunity to change his ways. Trump has certainly “risen up for me against the evil-doers…the workers of iniquity. ” God is rising up others too; we must be careful not to put the orange haired man on too high a pedestal. I still respect him, he has been good for us. But remember we pray to God, He is our comforter.
Now here is an interesting verse, verse 17. “If the Lord had not been my help, My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.” In other words, seeking the help of men alone is no help at all. Being a “conservative” will not solve all your problems, it may even enhance them. If God had not helped David he certainly would have perished before any man could rescue him. In other words our confidence should not be in man. Man may assist God’s work if called to do so. And if we “slip up” it is God’s mercy that helps us, not fortune. We all need to therefore be courageous, rugged, trusting, etc. But in times of trial it is God who offers true courage. When we distrust our own strength, and we should, we must acknowledge God’s power and mercy. His comfort delights our soul, it is a lie to “trust in ourselves.” The world tell us this is the way to greatness! “The lord is our defense… we take refuge in Him,” not in ourselves, elites, or magistrates.
Do you want to insure the destruction of the wicked, and assure the protection of God? Nothing but saving faith can uphold a man in a time of persecution; these times are meant for us to draw close. And no matter how much it may seem that the wicked have power over the righteous, God will overthrow them. We may serve God by suffering for righteousness, but pray this, “Lord show them mercy by your saving grace” or else “the Lord will bring back their wickedness upon them, and will destroy them in their evil; the Lord our God will destroy them!””
What if it were possible that China, or for that matter any nation with evil people in charge, could immunize their own population or at least its leaders in advance of spreading a deadly virus worldwide? World domination made possible by a military made from viral bugs? Is this what China was working towards? Maybe their leaders are already immune to Covid 19 and the experiment is now in data collection stage? Don’t laugh at me! There are all sorts of scenarios that could make this believable. Why should a communist authoritarian regime try to compete against conventional weapons systems of the western world when in a bat laboratory is the power to kill off the world? With a more powerful and deadly virus than this one, and at least a year to develop treatments or a vaccine, the Chinese could be sitting on your couch, enjoying your beer and using the TP you stashed before you died. It could happen you know! It could also be that China accidentally let the bat out of the bag and this is phase one of their experiment gone ary?
But you say, then ask, “This is silly! People are not this evil are they?” Yes is the answer. Few nations have shown more agressive expansionist desires than China. They have categorically stated to their people that they want to dominate the world economically by 2025. And they have focused vast resources on building advanced military capabilities. We all know they will someday make Taiwan their own; as soon as we let down our guard or become the second rate military Obama wish for. The Chinese have an evil regime!
Look at how they abuse and dominate their own subjects. They oppress freedoms and spy on or kill their own whistleblowers; all who don’t line up with the party get wacked or go missing. All dissenters are “re-educated,” that sounds fun right? They don’t care about the environment or human suffering. They must hate God, it say’s so in their supreme law. And does anyone think North Korea is an rogue nation? They could not exist without China. China could change Rocketman’s aggressive and strange behavior in one phone call. But, for now, the Chinese use him to keep tensions focused elsewhere – you know, not on China itself. Have you noticed they have been firing missiles lately?
Why do I bring all this up? Have I joined all the conspiracy theorists and gone wacky myself? Not really. I just think it’s important to keep one step ahead of evil. If things are possible, they are likely to come true someday, and someday somebody will make a movie about it. We should call out what we see and defend ourselves. Kinda like Trump does when Jim Acosta asks a hateful or leading question in a White House press briefing. We need to be honest with ourselves and others. There are indeed evil people and evil regimes. Why don’t some of you believe this? There are harder things to believe, like thinking human nature is generally good! I believe evil lurks about because people are all not so good. Who would not want to rule the world?
If humans didn’t want to rule the world, why do you suppose the devil used one of his three temptations on this question: “The devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Is this not the picture the Chinese government is painting for it’s people? Bow down, bow down, believe in us they say! No, I don’t see my theory so far fetched. And just maybe, and indeed I am skeptical, but we may be in the movie right now, not just watching it?
It’s Easter evening, and even for me the joy I had found in the dawn is fading. The media have returned to their lectern and the assault on President Trump has begun afresh. It was an easy detour for them but a difficult one for me. I know they hate Christianity even more than this president, but I think they find it easier to hate the messenger than the message. They always take the easy path. You may ask, what do I mean by saying the president is the messenger? Certainly he is no preacher, and no specimen of saintly behavior. But yes, I do believe he is “a” messenger from God. First he is our president, and only God puts people in power over the nations. But Trump is doing more than just ruling. Today for example Trump declared he was going to watch Pastor Jefferess of the First Baptist Church of Dallas online. I suspect a few million people tuned in to hear the pastor’s personalized message to President Trump, and if they watched the whole service they got a full throated presentation of the gospel. To my knowledge this has never happened before. And just think about how many media haters tuned in to write about it! If none came to faith and only the believers were blessed, at least those will have no excuse when they stand before God! So yes, President Trump was a messenger today in an odd sort of way!
But the main point of my writing tonight is not about the president, it is about tribulations. To start, we could say this pandemic, like all pandemics, will never cease to happen. Oh joy, right! But I suspect they, like so many personal trials, are a necessary element in our redemption. In fact, if we are not fools, we must anticipate that such tribulations will not cease “until God sees the world to be redeemed or no further redeemable.” (C.S. Lewis).
But here is the catch, and I did not think this up myself, but I believe it strongly. A Christian cannot trust in anything or anyone who promises changes in our economic, political, or scientific system, and believe heaven on earth will follow! What’s funny is that although we know this by nature it still does not discourage us from voicing all sorts of opinions on how and who we need to fix all the bad things in this world. You know what I mean. They say, “Obama would be better than Trump at this, but certainly Trump is smarter than Biden. And that Fauci character is not who we need right now!” The truth is all the vigorous attempts to remove this present tribulation are absurd. When the world is fixed and when somebody or some party takes credit other miseries will take its place. (I am not saying that fixing this problem is not desirable.)
Think about it this way, we seek healing in times like these knowing that when it is over we will return to the ordinary ups and downs of life. And every now and then the extraordinary thing happens to get our attention. I say this to remind you that the vaccine is not to be mistaken for the magical potion called faith!
Living in the natural world with or without faith is never easy. We can look for happiness and security, and we should, but we must realize it will never be like heaven. In the light of day, if your eyes are even barely open, we wander about seeing pain and tribulation all around us
No matter what you call it, Chicago or Montana, there is little truly “good” about living in paradise. And if we are so lucky, we may from time to time stumble upon joy, but who is ever safe and secure? Look, I like everyone, maybe even more, enjoy a beautiful mountain range, a cello concerto, seeing old friends on a road trip, or meeting new friends over a cold glass of beer. Even a good football game can make my heart pump harder. But I do not let these joys become obstacles, yes obstacles they can be. They can, if we are not careful, obstruct our view of God’s blessings. My true home is in God’s hands, not in how or where he blesses me. And a blessed destiny is His wish for me if I let Him lead.
So I must remember God refreshes after the tribulations and we must never make the problem worse by vague talk about unimaginable human miseries. In other words, stop listening to the “scientists, politicians, and media.” Remember scientists can only get tomorrows weather forecast right less than half the time. Politicians lie most of the time and the media are biased. Our surrender and obedience to Christ are not scientific, political, or media issues. Only here, living in the will of God will heaven on earth be almost found; in the loving arms of Christ we abide till he comes or we are called into His presence. Tribulations are not so bad if they take us here!
I was not alive in 1938 when Orson Welles made his radio bulletin describing a “huge, flaming object” crashing onto a farmers field outside Grovers Mill, New Jersey. Many listeners believed the Martian invasion was true. It was enough to scare the devil out of many folks, and a lot of good folks were taken in. Hysteria ensued and people got all bent out of shape, some even barricaded themselves in their homes.
It is said that Welles did not intend to throw a genuine scare into his listeners. He even had a disclaimer at the top of the show which explained that what followed would be a dramatization, and not a true story at all.
So what similarity is there between the fictional “The War of the Worlds” broadcast and the real and present danger of Corona virus? I have already said the story told by Welles was not true. They were not being invaded. But if they had been, what should have been the response? I say hysteria would be appropriate, right! I mean if I were told of alien, oily skinned, lipless creatures dripping with saliva suddenly incinerating Americans with a heat ray, I’d freak out. I’d probably run get my gun and head to the grocery store. And after this Covid experience, I’d grab some toilet paper first, then get my groceries and go hunker down. But in fact the Covid 19 epidemic is not a Martian invasion, it is a long way from it. However more and more I am becoming convinced the two events have their similarities. The response in both cases was overdone, but here I suggest the proportional response was more justified in the case of the radio show than our governments response to the real epidemic of Covid 19.
The danger we are told is that hundreds of thousands of our citizens will die if we don’t do what we are doing. That “we must slow the curve and protect our system from being overwhelmed and that our response is critical to the slowing of the curve. They say, “Exponential deaths will occur if we don’t do this together.” I understand the math. But I have many questions, like, have we actually seen all the numbers? Have our officials seen them? This is a complicated endeavor and there are many avenues of thought.
I see that they are building hospitals, putting up tents and triage units to deal with the demand that will eventually overwhelm the system. I know they have bean counters that deal with numbers, and I’m not so good at math. But so far the shelters are empty, the hospital ships in the ports are hardly used. Nobody seems to want to question the policy except to make Trump look bad, and when a wise question is asked I have heard both reasons and excuses.
I believe, and I know I will be criticized for this. Even the medical professionals in my own family will likely misconstrue my intentions; but I do not think we are being given enough information to make sound judgments. Of course a lock down is the safest course for us to stay alive. Here at home I cannot be overrun by a drunk or shot by a gang banger, or catch the flu, or the virus. But I took the time to look at the State of New York’s statistics on the conventional flue. As soon as they went into lock_down the cases of common flu declined dramatically. Ironically, the cases of Covid 19 increased. Do you see a relationship here?
Do we know how many people historically die of the common flu each day in New York? How many die each day of anything? Are they telling us this information? NO! Is it conspiratorial for me to wonder what number of those who died are confirmed Covid 19 deaths? Are they lumping in deaths of people with heart conditions, patients with cancer or diabetes, ones who would normally die if they had contracted the common flue? The question is did they die “of it” or “with it?” This is an important distinction and we are not being told which it is. I suspect we are moving people from one column to another, or maybe not.
My fundamental objection and heart felt concern is that we have received little validation from governments and scientists around the world that shutting down economies like they have will help avoid deaths. I’m not terribly concerned about a few horrible nights with a high fever. I personally do not see the correlation or the causation for a complete shut down. What have they said that proves the theory that shutting down everything is helpful? If we look at other countries we do not see one policy working better than another. In fact our policy seems to be, “Something must be done, and we are going to do it!” At first I agreed that “something must be done,” and trying everything seemed to be the answer. But what is happening now is that they seem to be throwing everything at it but also wrecking everything in its path.
“Forgive me Mr. President, I believe you are doing your best.” Yet, you are not telling us to repent and turn back to God. I think you are giving us your heart, and that’s a good thing, but listen up!
This is a tragedy, I know this. But I also know our response needs to be one of proportion. The President has said this very thing, but I’m not sure he is following his own advise. As for me, I say, “I will do everything I can to protect you as you should do everything to protect me.” This is biblical. But we must also justify the scale of the response. It is not unreasonable to take care of our personal hygiene and consider others in our actions. In fact before this crisis I washed my hands and when possible I opened public doors with my sleeve or a napkin, it was sensible. Handles are nasty! Are all Americans civilized? I suspect not! This is why some policies are authoritarian, I get it. Maybe we can maintain a portion of societal compliance, but our future is bleak if viruses like this become the norm. Do you think the average Bronx dropout or the radical teenage socialist will change their ways when this is all over? Remember a large portion of adolescents eat their own boogers! It’s a fallen world!
So what is happening? Almost every area of our lives is been rocked and affected by these mass lock-downs. The loss to our economy and our freedoms are massive. The government is preventing average people from earning a living (can you believe this?) In fact they are destroying our hopes and dreams, crushing our businesses, even keeping people from paying taxes because half the businesses have closed up shop. I have a friend in the party rental business, guess how many parties and weddings will happen this summer? He would normally do seven figures of income and employ many. The taxes that make government run are being withheld, our institutions are even starving themselves, but I’ll bet none in government will miss a paycheck! Deficits are increasing to unsustainable levels, and we are not being told how all this is going to be paid for. These are gigantic economic problems are being stored up for the future. If this nonsense of scale continues the middle and lower classes will not have the slightest chance of regaining our freedoms or our standard of living. Of course nothing will change for the ultra rich. Jeff Bezos will not miss a hundred billion dollars if all falls apart, he’s still have a few measly billion dollars left, but he is likely hedged anyway.
In the title of this post I suggest that we are not being invaded by Martians nor is this 1918 when the last huge pandemic took place amd multiple millions of people died. If it was like that, then these measures might be appropriate. A famous British journalist tells the story of a doctor who sees his patient with chicken pox and he says to him, “the only possible way to to deal with this is to cut off your left leg. This is a new treatment,” he goes on, “the treatment was developed in China and is being used around the world. And we believe it is your only hope.” So they cut off his leg and he recovers from the chicken pox; just as he would have had they done nothing or something different. In this case and ours, in the end all he has to deal with is one missing leg. This is the principal in which all countries are working today. I believe it is quite likely that this virus will eventually just go away or die down with much effort. Despite all our authoritarian efforts a natural immunity or vaccine will likely end it. Yes, a vaccine could eradicate it but that is a long time away; what is our other option?
So tell me please, I can take it, I may even need to know. Tell me with certainty that the information we have says shutting down everything and keeping people in lock-down is helping more that it is hurting, I mean is it really keeping people from dying? I’m not asking about our medical efforts, I know these help. Is all the economic pain saving lives? Is there one policy working consistently around the world that is saving lives? I ask because the stay at home policies in some nations differ widely from ours, and they are experiencing similar medical results. Hong Kong for example kept their businesses open they peaked and headed down slope, but it did not last. So now they are tightening again because the trend reversed, but still most business still remain open, what does this say about our policies? I’d much rather be in St Louis than Hong Kong, maybe being partly open would make sense? I ask why have we followed the tactics of China and not Hong Kong, or Sweden, or Japan, or Brazil? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we should do nothing or that we are doing everything wrong. What I’m asking, if you remember, is, “shouldn’t our response be proportional?” I recognize it will take remarkable persistence to control the Coronavirus, maybe even a herculean effort. But we can do it! We can elbow bump, wear masks, use hand sanitizer, and wash our hands after every contact, we have to do this after every trip to the grocery store, liqueur store, or dispensary (Don’t get me started on what’s essential). Older people, those at risk, and those who worry a lot can stay in their homes with our blessing. Even idiots could be fined or thrown in jail if they pose a threat. (This is already the rule in many cities) And business owners could keep their businesses open, people could work in scrubbed and safe environments. If a business is sloppy sue them or let the Twitter trolls #bash them, isn’t that the American way? Remember, I’m debating our response and our good intentions. I offer this mostly as a secular opinion, and offer that our policies look more like we are guessing than thinking, hoping things will stick or making sure the other side does not come up with the next great idea first. If we continue beating the dead horse I believe our response could be catastrophic. Now look at the State of Montana, this is at the heart of my argument, NY has its own issues. We have 250 cases and 5 deaths, does this justify the full extent of our shelter at home policy? For goodness sake we now have contact with way more people at Costco than we ever did before the virus. Am I willing to take the risk to listen to cello music in an outdoor setting with others separated by a reasonable distance. Heck yes! A few risks make sense to me.
Finally, I know I would be exposing myself to danger if things loosen up, and they must. I understand I will not have the satisfaction of saying I was right; I play along well. Writing this has been more like a developmental exercise of my prefrontal cortex, than a hope that anybody will agree with me. It is predictable that political spin and socially acceptable conventions will shortly declare I am wrong in my thinking, I’m prepared. Besides the savage rascal in me makes my voice small, nobody will listen who counts, and half of you think I’m nuts already. So after all this, say’s the rogue spoiler, me, “We all still know the ending.” Some of our loved ones or friends will lose their lives, our economy will be crushed, government will implement more restrictions on our freedoms, the rich will get richer, and our politicians will take credit or blame the other side for everything. I kinda wish we were being invaded by Martians, at least then we would fear a real enemy.
P.S. The above is not the religious solution. I wrote this wrapped in provocative heathen rhetoric. I’m absolutely sure if our nation would come to faith in Jesus, humble itself and pray, asking God for relief He would grant it. Problem solved!
There is a secret place, a place which the physical emotions and wants of the carnal mind cannot find. It is a mysterious place, a world apart from philosophy, politics or reason, where even if it could be found the unbelieving world would have no clue how to make use of it. However, for the believer it is a real place, a habitation, a shelter if you will, where all the unsearchable attributes of God’s truth, grace, power, and goodness dwell. Here, in this holy place, is where believers gather and trust in God. It is a warm and comfortable place, well furnished with love, ease, comfort, peace, refreshment, protection, and whatever else a soul could wish; it is here where the believer may and must dwell. It is here where promises are fulfilled.
Still, strong believers know they are not exempted from troubles. Nor will they not be exercised in their faith. Listen carefully, we Christians have many enemies but we shall never be overcome, or destroyed by them. How can this be you ask? I believe, and the scriptures agree, that if the believer seeks it and goes to God for refuge, and makes his habitation in this secret place of “The Most High,” he will not be refused lodging. And it is here that the believer can reside safely in “the shadow of the Almighty;” God is here for our protection and consolation.
So what happens when you enter this secret place? You will say, “He is my refuge, and my fortress, I will Trust in Him!” This is why you came in the first place right?
Surely to believe in God is also to believe in deliverance from sin and danger! Not the easy kind of danger or just the simple sins, but the kind that human wit and will cannot overcome. This takes true faith.
Sure, the believer is corrupted till the final day, but he is also protected from temptation and many snares. We have a defence, in his shadow, His watchful eye is on us always and He provides us the armor to sufficiently escape our enemies.
But how shall we defend against the terrors of night, or pestilence, or Covid 19? My friends I have thought this through, God has and does promise us safety even when many will fall. For the believer (me) and hopefully you, the suddenness of things should not increase our fears. The lord assures us no harm even “when a thousand fall beside us.” I know this is a bold statement, but the promise of deliverance is what I see in scripture. And none have this right, this promise, but the believer! The wicked will always fall for sure and we will watch in horror. We may also be exercised by fear, but the scriptures say, “No plague shall come near you;” not when you resided in the dwelling, the shelter, the secret place where The Most High is. Thus, we have a retreat from this virus and it is NOT our “shelter in place,” it is in our secret place “in the shadow of the Almighty.”
Are we so dull that we do not to see God at work? Are we too lazy to not see God beyond the daily briefings of government officials, doctors, and so called experts? I love Donald Trump, but God alone promises “no evil shall befall me, nor any plague come near my tabernacle.” So I have learned and believe God inserts himself between us and calamity to His good, and should we suffer our fate it is not a disadvantage to Him! In other words, my demise should it happen sooner than later, is no dissatisfaction to God should it happen to me while in His care. What have I to fear? I shall be with Him.
But should I live and if my enemies are too strong, He gives me refuge. If I am assailed, he provides a fortress. God has even given charge of His Angel’s to wait upon believers. Tell these things to an unbeliever and they will order us up a psychiatrist.
But we know the Lord prevents his children from destruction and he commands His Angel’s to remove stumbling blocks and provides ministering spirits for every believer. This is Christ working on our behalf! We have hope because we have the promise of victory over every enemy, over every plague and every virus. If we call upon Him, He promises to deliver us. “With a long life He will satisfy us. He has given us His Salvation.” And finally to induce the souls of unbelievers He has given them the gospel, that they too may dwell in the secret place and abide in the shadow of the almighty!
This narrative came from Psalm 91, myself, and various commentaries. This Chapter in Psalms has meant a lot to me these past few days. I hope you read it as well.
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