“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made unto God”
(Philippians 4:6)
and NETWORK OF PRAYER
June 19, 2009
A NON- DENOMINATIONAL VERSE BY VERSE STUDY OF THE WORD OF GOD
CURRENT STUDY: “On the Romans Road”
A Study of the Book of Romans.
Get ready for another lengthy study period!
COMMENTARY PROVIDED FOR THOSE COMMITTED TO STUDY WITH US
Meeting are conducted at the home of Pastor & Mrs. Jerry Jones
1210 North Orchard Drive – Burbank, California 91506-1110
Call (818) 843-2112 for Information
Please keep this prayer list close at hand, visible, as a reminder to pray faithfully during the week and until a new list is prepared. In fact, it wouldn’t hurt to keep these prayer lists and pray over them faithfully. Also, feel free to share them with others.
Donna Godden – Tarkio, Missouri
Donna had rods and pins inserted in her spine on May 28. She is recovering in the hospital and will need weeks of recovery when she gets home. Pray that this operation will have been totally successful. Donna is improving and is in touch with Dr. Jones by way of e-mail rather often. She thanks you for your prayers.
There are three aspects to the subject of FAITH that need to be looked at. There are
the FAITH TALKERS…people who can talk faith that never really can produce the hard
evidence that they are a person living by faith. Talk is cheap we’ve heard it said. Then, there are the FAITH WALKERS. These people say it and mean it. They get up and start walking the faith walk. They walk right into the face of the storm. They do not back down from what my father called “Old Slough Foot” – the Devil. And, then there is the third group…the FAITH FIGHTERS. These people understand what it means to “fight the good fight of faith,” as Paul wrote to the young preacher, Timothy. They fight for what God’s Word promises them. They fight for what they feel in their heart is right, what is the will of God. These people are real “scrappers” – fighters. God help us to become like the third group…”faith fighters”…not warring after the flesh but after the Spirit. That works!
If we don’t ask we will not receive. If we do not seek we will not find. If we do not knock, the door will not be opened unto us. THINK ON THESE THINGS!
-- Dr. Jones
Doris Neisler– Newbury Park, California
Doris has been hit hard by a bladder infection that sent her to the hospital.
She is now at home recovering on strong antibiotics.
The Jake Burton Family – Viera, Florida
Jake just lost his job unexpectedly. This is a disaster for this family (Dr. Jones’ granddaughter).
Please help us pray that Jake will find work quickly.
Pray for MARSIE STUART and Linda Van Heerden
SIGN AND BE HEARD – Ayshire, Scotland
These fabulous ladies are involved in this new business to help people who cannot speak to be able to learn the sign language. They work with schools and places of employment. These ladies are part of Dr. Jones’ Internet ministry.
Sister TERRY GARDNER passed away recently, apparently from a heart attack…unexpected and without warning. Please pray for the Gardner family. Terry was just laid to rest. Pastor & Mrs. Jones had the joy of pastoring Terry for a few years.
Calm seas NEVER produce able seamen. – African Proverb
CLOSING PRAYER FOR THIS WEEK’S HOME STUDY GROUP AND NETWORK OF PRAYER AROUND THE WORLD
Dear God…You KNOW that I am finite. I KNOW that you are infinite. I KNOW, and I acknowledge, that I know very little compared to the fact that You are ALL-KNOWING. I confess that I am truly limited in my abilities…You are not! I confess that I am pretty much limited in time and space…You are not! Thank you God that you are all-knowing, all-powerful, and everywhere present. I cannot make any claim to any of these supernatural qualities. I just need to tell you these things. I have the need to be totally transparent with You, my Lord. Now, in my childlike way, I plead with you to never leave me. I beg you to provide for me all that I need so that I may live my life so that it will please You and when my journey ends here it will literally end at Your throne. I confess my inadequacies, even my sin, and I thank You for being so gracious to me. Amen!
Dr. Jones – Burbank California
Pray for him as he continues to deal with the loss of his wife of 58 years, 7 months, and 7 days. GOD IS helping him to deal with this unbelievable loss. Thankfully, people have been unbelievably helpful in being around, calling, having him to breakfast or dinner, etc. Some have called. There is much to be taken care of when a spouse passes…legal matters, for example. Dr. Jones is believing GOD to fully cover the cost of Sister Jones’ passing. Pray about this and if you wish to be part of helping meet this need please do so. Pray for the needs of PARSON TO PERSON MINISTRIES to be met. We dare not let God’s servant or the ministry go lacking. God would not be pleased with that. And, feel free to contact Dr. Jones by phone at any time: 818-843-2112.
Lauren – A neighbor of Dr. Jones who came over when she learned of Sister Jones’ death. Lauren has been given eighteen months to live and she is finishing up her fifteenth month. She has renal cancer and she is only 52 years of age. Now, two lumps have appeared in one breast. Lauren, in her own words, has told Dr. Jones, “I am afraid to die…I do not want to die…I am too young.” Lauren is a Catholic who is now being ministered to through prayer and counsel. The two had never met until Sister Jones’ death.
Jolene Conrad – Memphis, Tennessee
Jolene is about 70 years old and has many health issues, including several mini strokes. Through Mrs. Jones’ death, and the Jones’ connection with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, the Conrad family has now come back into the picture. The two families were in church together in Ripley and Memphis more than 50 years ago and have not been in touch since. God has something working here. Pray for the Conrad family and for the Jones family to be truly reunited and blessed in their later years.
THANK YOU FOR PRAYING THIS PRAYER…FROM YOUR HEART…WITH ABSOLUTE FAITH IN GOD’S
DESIRE…AND ABILITY…TO INTERVENE ON YOUR BEHALF, THAT OF THOSE WHOM YOU LOVE, AND THOSE WHOSE NAMES AND NEEDS APPEAR ON THIS PRAYER LIST!
PASS IT ON!
For those receiving this prayer list/heart-sharing list by way of e-mail, please forward it on to those whom you believe will join our NETWORK OF PRAYER and help us pray. Those of you who receive this at the home study group meeting on Friday evening, please make copies and share these prayer needs with those whom you know will pray. Dr. Jones will be happy to mail the list to anyone you may solicit to become one of our prayer warriors. AND…please feel free to share your prayer requests with the ministry office so that they can be inserted into the very next prayer list. THE URGE TO GROW OUR NETWORK OF PRAYER IS PRESSING HEAVILY UPON DR. & MRS. JONES.
Dr. Jones’ HEART TALKS, plus much more, can be downloaded from our website:
http//www.parsontopersonministries.blogspot.com
PLEASE ADD OUR WEBSITE AS A LINK TO YOUR WEBSITE IS YOU HAVE ONE AND WOULD BE WILLING TO HELP US SHARE THIS MINISTRY SITE WITH OTHERS. SHARE THE WEB ADDRESS WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS IF YOU WILL, PLEASE. AND, THANK YOU!
TWO OF DR. JONES’ LATEST HEART TALKS ARE:
“What Do You Do When the Baby Dies?” and
“PEACE…What Is It? How Do You Get It?”
Why not request your free and postage paid copies today?
You may respond by e-mail or via the USPS.
E-mail: his2u@charter.net
P. O. Box 6986 – Burbank, California 91510-6986
For the locals in this Home Study Group
DR. JONES CURRENTLY SCHEDULED SPEAKING EVENTS
WEDNESDAY, June 24, 7:00 P. M. at the San Fernando Assembly of God, 7th & Harding.
SUNDAY, July 19, 9:00 A. M., Trinity Church, 3310 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, California
SUNDAY, July 26, 11:00 A. M., The Pomona Corps of the Salvation Army, Pomona, California
AUGUST 8, Downey, California, a seminar dealing with Jehovah’s Witnesses issues. Details
not yet worked out. Dr. Jones will be the final speaker, challenging any JW’s present to walk
away from that cult into freedom through faith in Christ.
OTHER EVENTS WILL BE LISTED IN FUTURE EDITIONS OF THIS NEWSLETTER/PRAYER LIST
Call for details!
IT IS TIME TO REBUILD THE ALTAR!
“Kneeology” is better than theology! A Christian on his/her knees is taller than the sinner standing up! PRAY ON SAINTS! Prayer works! You don’t really have to be on your knees to pray…just PRAY WITHOUT CEASING…in the bed, in the car, washing dishes…wherever! JUST PRAY…GOD IS LISTENING! GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL! Our needs are HIS concern! A Christian on his/her knees is taller than the sinner on a pedestal.
PLEASE INVITE SOMEONE TO OUR BIBLE STUDY!
POWER TO THE PEOPLE…GOD’S PEOPLE!
Let’s help their faith to grow along with ours!
YOU MAY WRITE TO DR. & MRS. JONES AT:
Post Office Box 6986 = Burbank, California 91510-6986
E-mail: his2u@charter.net
Web Address: http//www.parsontopersonministries.blogspot.com
BLOG WITH US!
Prayer List 6 21 09
HEART TALK - PEACE
PEACE
WHAT IS IT? HOW DO WE FIND IT?
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth,give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
(John
“Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them.”
(Psalm 119:165 KJV)
Years ago, when speaking in a Wednesday evening service on this subject, the Holy Spirit gave me the best definition of peace that I have ever come across. PEACE IS THE ABSENCE OF STRIFE. Inner turmoil and fretting over the things that transpire in one’s life is the exact opposite of what God has promised – and what God has provided – for those who put their full and unwavering trust in God. The battle lines have been drawn long ago, and have been defined as conflict between the flesh and the Spirit. Attempting to deal with life’s challenges apart from absolute dependence upon the Spirit and the promises of God’s Word is futile. PEACE ONLY COMES FROM A FAITH IN GOD AND HIS PROMISES THAT CANNOT BE SHAKEN…OR FRUSTRATED…BY DEPENDENCE UPON HUMAN REASONING. Dependence upon what most people have to offer when one is called to walk through one of life’s deep and dark valleys, for example “the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23) will, more often than not, create inner strife, a troubled and worried, emotional state that is not what God provides for those who seek for it. The Bible tells us to “…seek peace, and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14; 1 Peter
On four separate occasions the Bible tells us that “the just shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans
Now, you may be wondering why I am addressing this issue. You are right, this preacher has been called upon to face the biggest challenge of my almost six decades in the work of the Lord. My wife of 58 years, 7 months, and 7 days passed from this life on May 31st. She died in my arms after having told me the night before to “Please let me go…I will be with my Lord.” Everything that I have ever believed, preached and/or taught was called into question at that time. I was faced – in one of my man to Man talk with the Lord – as to how I would react to the fact that my prayers and those of many hundreds of people had seemingly not been answered. We believed that GOD would work a miracle and completely heal her from the cancer that had come back with a vengeance. In one day short of two months she was gone. Would I turn against God? Would I lose my faith? Would I question the validity of God’s Word? Would I stop praying for the sick and for miracles after having seen God work hundreds of them? I settled that matter in my car, on my way to church. His peace filled my inner being as I promised the Lord that I would not blame Him, that I would not lose my faith in His power to heal the sick and work miracles. I would not regress, but I would rather move forward in faith and in ministry. I would continue to pray for the sick and believe God for miracles. His peace filled my being, totally. Consequently, I do not “sorrow as others which have no hope” (1 Thessalonians
How could I do that? Humanly, I should be wallowing in sorrow and grief. This is not what I am taught in God’s Word and this is not what my beloved life partner would want. I will honor my God, and I will honor my wife, by allowing THE PRINCE OF PEACE to give His peace. His peace doesn’t come as humans might expect, or even attempt to give it. It comes on the wings of obedience to His Word and continuous reliance upon Him for inner strength, the strength to stay in the fight, to stay in the race, to finish the course with valor.
This topic is endless. Let me share something that one of Lucille’s nieces (Faith) in
TODAY, I will delete from my journal two days: yesterday and tomorrow.
Yesterday was to learn from and tomorrow…well that will be the consequence
of what I can do today.
TODAY, I will face life with the sure knowledge that this day will never return.
TODAY, is the last opportunity I have to live intensely, as no one can
assure me that I will see tomorrow’s sunrise.
TODAY, I will be brave enough not to let any opportunity pass me by,
my only alternative is to succeed.
TODAY, I will invest my most valuable resource: my time in the most
transcendental work: my life.
TODAY, I will spend each minute passionately, to make a different and
unique day in my life.
TODAY, I will defy every obstacle that appears on my way,
trusting I will succeed.
TODAY, I will resist pessimism, and will conquer the world with a smile
and a positive attitude of always expecting the best.
TODAY, I will make of every ordinary task a sublime expression.
TODAY, I will have my feet on the ground understanding reality and the stars’ gaze, and thus will invent my future.
TODAY, I will take the time to be happy and will leave my footprints
and my presence in the hearts of others, not just in the sands of time.
TODAY, I invite you to begin a new season where we can dream
that everything we undertake is possible and we fulfill that dream, with
joy and dignity.
TODAY, why not perform a random act of kindness?
And, if there be those you love, tell them, you don’t know when it
might be your last opportunity.
Tell them, as I have just done…TODAY.
I leave you to prayerfully consider your own philosophy toward life…and death. We are all born to live, to die, to live. I have chosen to follow the example of David following the death of the child born to Bathsheba following his sin (as Nathan the prophet described it). David besought God to spare the child’s life. He didn’t! After seven days the child died. David fasted and lay in the dirt. He refused to eat. He believed that God would be gracious and change His mind. He didn’t! David’s faith could have been totally destroyed. Thankfully, he didn’t let that happen. I will not let that happen to me. When the baby died, David “arose from the earth, and washed and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and CAME INTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, and WORSHIPED, then he came to his own house, and when he required (asked) they set bread (food) before him and he did eat” (2 Samuel 12:20). Those of his household, including his servants, could not understand how David could conduct himself in this manner. After all, Jewish custom called for a lot of mourning, a lot of tears, a lot of wailing (even with hired professional mourners). None of this happened. They could not understand. David explained it clearly and concisely. He said, “While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live. BUT NOW he is dead, wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he cannot return to me” (vv. 22, 23).
I trust that my experience with death will somehow help others to know how to deal with it when the death angel comes calling. To everything there is a time, a season, and a reason. “It is appointed unto men once to die.” This is a fact of life. How we die is much more important than when we die. How we handle death is an issue that each of us, if we haven’t before, will be called upon to deal with. Will we deal with it, leaning hard on the Lord and drawing strength from Him, bathed in THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH PASSETH – IS BEYOND HUMAN COMPREHENSION. Explain it? Impossible! Possible? Absolutely!
Should you desire to communicate directly with this preacher, please do so. Below are ways that I can be reached. And, thanks for listening.
Post Office
E-mail: his2u@charter.net
Telephone: 1-818-843-2112
Web Address: http//www.parsontopersonministries.blogspot.com
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THE BABY DIES?
OPENING TEXTURAL READING
“To every thing there is a SEASON, and a TIME, to every PURPOSE under the heaven.
A time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
INTRODUCTION
There are portions of God’s Word that, although I have read them many times, and have studied them patiently, I find them difficult to wrap my mind around. I accept them because they are the inspired WORD OF GOD. I do not have to understand all of the Holy Scriptures, but for me it is required that I accept them as the Word of God and to build my faith in God, both for now and the future on them.
The sayings of Solomon could hardly be construed as anything other than having come out of his personal experience. He is saying here that THINGS HAPPEN. We can count on them happening. He has contrasted virtually every facet of life, and we should not attempt to challenge him. We have all been there. To everything there is a SEASON…A TIME…AND A PURPOSE. Please don’t tell me that you understand this, or can wrap your mind around it, especially the “purpose” part of it. Everything is but for a season and a time. We may be able to at least partially understand this, but THE PURPOSE is more difficult to grasp. Only by faith is anyone able to do so.
He…the preacher…sums his twelve chapters of ramblings – in Chapter 12 – by saying, “Then shall the dust return to the earth, as it was: and the spirit shall return to God, who gave it” (12:7). He then gives the best advice that could possibly be given after considering all that he has said: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” (12:13, 14)
NOW, TO ANSWER MY QUESTION, “WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THE BABY DIES?”
THE BIBLICAL SETTING IS FOUND IN 2 SAMUEL, CHAPTER 12
The chapter tells the story of David’s horrible mistakes with Bathsheba, having had her husband killed in battle so that he could take Bathsheba to wife. Out of that mess, a son is born, and God speaks to the prophet, Nathan, who confronts David with what he had done and how God planned to handle the matter. When confronted, David was immediately repentant.
“And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
Howbeit, because by this deed thou has given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.” (2 Samuel 12:13, 14)
The emphasis for this message is not going to be placed upon the terrible sin that David committed…a series of sins, actually…but upon how David responded.
“David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon the earth.
And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.
And it came to pass on the seventh day that THE CHILD DIED. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice; how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?
But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, IS THE CHILD DEAD? and they said, HE IS DEAD,” (2 Samuel 12:16-19)
David’s reaction is swift and decisive. Notice:
1. He immediately besought God for the child…showing that he, for his own reasons, very much wanted this child in his life. He truly loved the child and wanted the best for the child.
2. He fasted and lay all night upon the earth – not your normal behavior
for someone who had everything and the finest of things.
3. He could not be persuaded by his elders to stop fasting and get up
off of the ground.
4. He would not eat bread with them.
All of this clearly shows how traumatized David was by all of this. It shows the ultimate in grieving.
NATHAN HAD ALREADY TOLD DAVID THAT THE CHILD WOULD NOT LIVE, YET DAVID DID WHAT ANY OF US WOULD DO…HE WENT TO GOD TO SEE IF GOD WOULD CHANGE HIS MIND AND STAY THE DEATH SENTENCE FOR THE CHILD. AFTER ALL, THE CHILD WAS NOT THE ONE WHO HAD SINNED. DESPERATE SITUATIONS DEMAND DESPERATE ACTIONS…DESPERATE FAITH! As we are about to see…his praying was to no avail. Was it wrong for David to pray? Absolutely not! God is a God of mercy. David knew this. He felt that God just might have a change of heart and let him keep the child. He did the right thing by praying, but God chose to stay with His decision and THE CHILD DIED. Now…
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THE BABY DIES?
What do you do when anyone close to you dies? I honestly believe that David’s response is the right response for those of us who have, are, or will have to face the loss of a loved one. And, it doesn’t have to be because of some horrible sin, or the judgment of God. THINGS HAPPEN! PEOPLE DIE! “It is appointed unto men once to die” (Hebrews 9:27). Everyone will eventually die either a physical death or go through the change that must take place at the time of the resurrection of the dead. We WILL die! How should we handle it? A look at how David handled it should be very helpful.
“Then David AROSE from the earth, and WASHED, and ANOINTED himself, and CHANGED HIS APPAREL, and CAME INTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, and WORSHIPED: then HE CAME TO HIS OWN HOUSE; and when he required, they set bread before him, AND HE DID EAT.” (2 Samuel 12:20)
To many people, this seems almost unconscionable, not the proper course of action to take on the heels (only seven days) after the loss of someone as close as an infant son. The servants of his house did not understand David’s actions. Notice:
“Then said his servants unto him, What thing is that that thou has done? Thou didst fast and weep for the child while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.” (2 Samuel 12:21)
Clearly his servants did not understand David’s actions. He was violating all of the grieving and mourning traditions of their culture. The custom was to grieve, to weep, to even hire mourners to make loud wailings for the dead for an extended period of time. David clearly violated tradition. His response, I believe, speaks for all who understand the sovereignty of God’s actions and the hope of the future for those who are left behind, probably not to grieve and weep without end. Notice:
“And he said WHILE THE CHILD WAS YET ALIVE, I FASTED AND WEPT; for I said, WHO CAN TELL WHETHER GOD WILL BE GRACIOUS TO ME, THAT THE CHILD MAY LIVE?
But now that HE IS DEAD, wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I SHALL GO TO HIM, BUT HE SHALL NOT RETURN TO ME.”
(2 Samuel 12:22, 23)
For myself having lost my wife of 58 years, 7 months and 7 days on May 31st, these words hold unbelievable meaning, and the advice that I am asking God to help me follow. Oh, that I might have the same confidence in God and the natural fortitude to do as David did. THE WILL OF GOD HAD BEEN DONE, AND AS PAINFUL AS IT WAS, DAVID ACCEPTED IT AND MOVED ON WITH HIS LIFE.
“And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her, and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: AND THE LORD LOVED HIM.” (2 Samuel 12:24)
CONCLUSION
Indeed, God had put away David’s sin (v. 13). David accepted the sovereign will of God and responded in what I believe was the right way. God had chosen NOT to answer David’s prayer. David, being the man after God’s own heart that the writer of the Book of Acts wrote about, did all the right things, including going (first) to the house of the Lord to worship God. HE GOT UP! HE CLEANED UP! HE SPRUCED UP! HE WENT TO DINNER! And, God allowed him and Bathsheba to have another chance at bearing a son. His name would be Solomon, the son that would rule in his father’s stead when David’s life came to an end. In this action we see the gracious God to whom David prayed allowing David’s legacy to continue. GOD IS GRACIOUS and HE IS A GOD OF MERCY!
So what do you do when the baby dies…when someone close to you dies…DO WHAT DAVID DID. His actions are a wonderful pattern for us all to follow.
Another Sermon by
Dr. Jerry A. Jones
Post Office Box 6986
Burbank, California 91510-6986
e-mail: his2u@charter.net
A Message from the Parson!
Hello Everyone!
God bless you one and all! This announcement is not an easy one to make, but it has happened and there is nothing any of us can do to bring my "First Lady" back. You deserve to know and this is my reason for sending this announcement. As you contemplate all of this, listen to that inner voice of God. Pray! Come if you can! Do whatever you are divinely led to do. Believe me, I need everyone I know as I walk through this greatest loss of my lifetime. -- Jerry Jones
A Poem of Personal Affirmation from the Parson's Heart
I DON’T KNOW
I don’t know –
There are a lot of things
that I don’t know.
There are many things that
I do not understand.
There are many events in life
that I have no explanation for.
There are feelings and
emotions that I can’t explain,
But, this one thing I know –
HE IS ENOUGH
HE IS ALWAYS ENOUGH!
This one thing I know –
HE KNOWS!
He knows everything about
everything that affects my life
and that of those I love
and hold dear.
Questions…I have plenty of them.
Answers…I’m not sure that I have
a single one.
BUT, this one thing I know -
HE HAS ALL OF THE ANSWERS.
This is my absolute surrender
to Absolute God.
I have learned through more than one
deep valley experience that
HE IS THERE AND HE IS ENOUGH!
I can trust Him…I will trust Him
for it is impossible that my loving Lord
would forsake me!
On this I stake my life and my hope
for a successful solution
to every challenge, no matter
how impossible it may seem, for
HE IS THE GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE!
-
ANOTHER POEM BY THE PARSON
Dr. Jerry A. Jones
Post Office
MY AFFIRMATION AS MY PRECIOUS WIFE WALKS THROUGH THE VALLEY
OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH –
HEART TALK - Walley Walkers
“VALLEY WALKERS”
“Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4 KJV)
It is this preacher’s personal belief, one based on my own life experience and that of virtually every person that I have ever dealt with over almost six decades in Gospel ministry, that EVERYONE IS A VALLEY WALKER, at least once in his/her lifetime. In fact, some seem to have walked in the valley a lot more than they have walked on the mountain top. And, each person, at least I can speak for myself and hundreds who over the years have sought my prayer and counsel, has moments when we cry out in desperation, “Why me, Lord? Why is this happening to me?” Immediately, someone is going to say, “Where is your faith? Why can’t you trust God?” The truth is (at least in my case and with most that I know) we are. We are simply having those moments when in the darkness, dreariness, pain and suffering of the moment the human spirit, weary and drained, responds. I must say to myself, and to you, “IT’S OK!” He knows us a lot better than we know ourselves! He understands! He cares and He is not going to forsake a single one of His children.
This heart talk, then, is designed to help each of us grasp the assurance that the Psalmist expresses when he said (to the “Chief Shepherd”) “I will fear no evil, for THOU ART WITH ME.” No, we cannot see Him, but HE IS WITH US. We may not hear Him, BUT HE IS WITH US. As humans, it is not difficult to assume, for these reasons, that we are alone in our valley experience.
A colleague, and dear friend, Dr. David Hernandez of
Joseph stood in the back of the church sanctuary filled with hurt, pain, and confusion as he stared at the large wooden cross hanging on the wall behind the pulpit. He slowly made his way up the aisle to the altar unable to look away from the cross. It had some kind of hold on him that he was not able to resist. The cross seemed to have a golden glow as the reflection of the overhead lights beamed down on the cross. Joseph knelt down and began to weep. Anger began to well up inside of him as he shouted at the cross, “Jesus, where are you? How could you let this happen to me? I’ve prayed over and over again and you have ignored my prayers! My wife doesn’t love me anymore and is leaving me for another man. My children are all living in sin and there is no hope. Where are you Jesus? Where are you?”
Dead silence filled the sanctuary. Fed up and bitter Joseph got up to leave when he heard three words, “He Is Risen!” It was then that Joseph knew Jesus had never left him but was always there especially in his time of need. New hope had filled his heart and he felt a new sense of strength enter his heart. All was not lost. He experienced the power of the resurrected Christ in his life. He was determined to press on in prayer for his wife and family. He was not going to give up or give in to the enemy of his soul. (End of story)
Joseph’s story is not an isolated one. There are many whose valley is exactly the same as his…marital and family challenges, the kind of pain that enshrouds a person, driving them to the absolute brink of despair, to “Wits End Corner.” The only person that can actually comprehend how dark is that valley and how excruciating the pain, is the person that either is going through it now, or has gone through it. As a side thought here (though it is related), someone has said (with regards to children), “when they’re small they walk on your pocketbook, but when they’re older they walk on your heart.” Someone reading this heart talk will be able to painfully relate to this statement.
There are others who walk in the valley of a failed career, a business that failed, a dream that simply never came true, a relationship that ended in heart break, the unexpected loss of a job. And how about the unexpected death of a loved one, a miscarriage, a suicide (either of a family member or close friend), a serious car accident, a home break in, a house fire…the list is endless.
THESE ALL HAPPEN TO VALLEY WALKERS, and that is all of us. The patriarch, Job, put it this way: “Man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1 KJV). He had earlier stated, after having lost everything (including his ten children and all of his stock), “Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward” (Job 5:6, 7 KJV). JOB WAS A VALLEY
Serious illness, such as cancer (and other incurable diseases that medical science continues to seek cures for), is a valley that many of us are called upon to walk through. And, those who walk in this valley often, like Joseph in the story that was related at the beginning of this heart talk, often react in the same way – “Jesus, where are you? How could you let this happen to me? I’ve prayed over and over and you’ve ignored my prayers.” Some have been known to shake their fist at God, screaming, “I hate you!” Desperate people often do desperate things. These are “Valley Walkers”.
My beloved wife has been a valley walker for the past twenty-five to thirty years. Brain surgery in the early 80’s to remove a tumor was the first huge valley walk that she and I had to take. God provided one of the finest neurological surgeons in
Recently, a beloved friend, Evangelist Bobby Green of
I know not why His hand is laid in chastening on my life
Nor why my little world is filled with toil and strife;
I know not why when faith looks up to seek release from pain --
That o’er my sky fresh clouds arise to drench my path with rain.
I know not why my prayer so long by Him is denied;
Nor why when ships sail on, mine should in port abide;
But I do know that God is love and He my burden bears –
So though I do not understand one thing I know…HE CARES.
I close with the confession that I make for myself and my wife. It is the confession that the Psalmist made as he ended the 23rd Psalm – “The Shepherd’s Psalm” – “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” This preacher has prayed for thousands of people and I have seen hundreds of healings and miracles. I have seen God work them even when I was ill and in pain myself. And, yes, I wonder why God sometimes seem to be unconcerned and the answers don’t come. I wait for His voice of reassurance. Why some prayers are not answered, or at least answered to my satisfaction, I do not know. I just know that He knows what is best and that He is sovereign over all creation and creatures. I know that Mrs. Jones and I are not alone as valley walkers. We have plenty of company in life’s valley. I also know that although I can’t see Him, and although He often remains eerily silent, He is still there. Mrs. Jones and I stand resolute on the promise that He made to His disciples: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Lo, I am with thee, even to the end of the age.”
Whatever our (or your) present valley experience may be, we can be sure that God is with those who walk in the valley, even the valley of the shadow of death. And, when we stop to look back over the road we have traveled, as I wrote in a poem years ago, we should be quick to declare, “I’ve had more good days than bad.” So, child of God, walk on in faith. If you feel forsaken, remember that our Lord also felt forsaken on the cross. And, remember, WE’RE GOING TO MAKE IT! We’ve walked out of more than one valley!
“And the disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents
that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents:
but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” (John 9:2, 3 KJV)
WHATEVER YOU DO, VALLEY
A GUILT TRIP ON YOU. YOUR LOAD IS ALREADY HEAVY ENOUGH!
If you have been blessed by this heart talk, please take the time to let Dr. Jones hear from you.
Share your own valley experience with him. We are admonished in the Bible to bear one another’s
burdens. Let’s do it! Dr. Jones can be reached at:
or by mail at
ALSO PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE YOUR PRAYER REQUESTS WITH
DR. JONES’ NETWORK OF PRAYER AND VISIT THE WEBSITE AS OFTEN AS YOU LIKE
http//www.parsontopersonministries.blogspot.com
God bless you! Be strong! Walk on Valley Walkers!
Where do sins go?
Pastor Jones reminded us of what happens to our sins when God forgives them and forgets them.