Thoughts for another day

Oct. 21, 2013.

Today's verse: Jer. 17:7. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.  (KJV)

(Pls. read the above before you read further.  Thanks)

Stan was an ardent churchgoer and a friend of Bert, a wishy-washy Christian and infrequent visitor of the church. Both of them worked for the same company as technicians for a good number of years.  Though they shared many of their beliefs and their friendship also included their families, there was an essential difference: that of faith in God.  One day, their company witnessed a takeover; a new management team was installed, creating a rather tense time for all employees of the company including Stan and Bert.  Their fears weren’t unfounded for soon most employees were sacked.

Both Stan and Bert found themselves on the roads, now middle aged with no jobs.  But as soon as they were fired, Stan went to the little corner church and knelt before the Lord, weeping and seeking solace and help. He always trusted the Lord wholeheartedly and his family placed Him at the center of their lives.  He rose after a while and going home gave them the unsavory news.  Immediately his wife and kids knelt down and prayed for God’s help in this, their time of crisis.  On the other hand, Bert, shaken to the bones with the news, not knowing what to do, hit the liquor joint.  In frustration, he drank till he could no more and crashed there.  The owner then asked his men to pick him up and put him in a taxi to take him home. 

A while passed; miraculously Stan found help coming from all quarters, some giving this, some that; some willing to pay his children’s fees, etc. After a year, he started a small business with a friend and in no time started earning a lot more than the meager salary he received.  Bert on the other hand, with no trust in God, literally fell on the streets.  He shunned God for having done this in his life and borrowed heavily.  His wife started working at menial, low paid jobs and his children had to leave school. He was forced to sell the household goods to pay off his loans.  Then he met Stan one day and, narrated his tale of woe.  Stan immediately reached out and helped him and even invited him to join the business.  Soon they prospered and as they were sitting and chatting Stan gently told Bert to review his relationship with God, now that God had brought him back on his feet.  Stan told him that when they were sacked the situation for both was the same, yet he never faced any problem because of his implicit trust and hope in the Lord, who had worked marvelously all the time and led him to start the business.  He testified to the love of God he felt even when he was doing nothing and how God had strengthened him and his family through the experience.   As Stan quoted our Scripture verse to Bert, it occurred to both how true God is to His Word for truly Stan recalled, ‘blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.’ Bert realised his folly and now started to believe; and knelt thanking God, for rescuing him from all his problems.