Wednesday Night in our Bible Study we explored those two words:  But God!  We talked about hopelessness and despair, pressure, pain and fatigue. Dissatisfaction, Contempt, Complacency, Weariness—all the compartments of life can be affected by these adjectives.

Our nation is in a place of despair at a level not felt since the second World War.  We are in the midst of the greatest battle for truth, all while deception and lies are at an all-time high.  We are plagued with outlets of information and disinformation that obliterate trust and that wage war on the internal security of humanity.

More than ever, people are tense, people are worried, people are sad, and people are afraid.  They are short tempered, short on mercy, lacking in kindness and are unable to have civil discussion.  Wave after wave of new information on new virus variants, daily scandal, financial instability, and the dread of what’s to come have the average person on edge.  Many are far beyond that—many have had more than they can process, more than they can handle.

The straw that “broke the camel’s back” fell on the pile months ago, and in all reality, there are many people who are truly at the end of their ability to cope.

The Bible gives us incredible examples of times in history that seemed  hopeless.  These were situations in individual lives that were dark and full of dread.  Noah, Joseph, Ruth, Gideon, John The Baptist, Martha—-so many places in Scripture that points to hopelessness and despair, but then put the attributes of our God on display!

Psalm 54:4

“Behold, God is mine helper…” The Hebrew word for helper is “Ezer”, pronounced “ay-zer”, meaning to help, to assist, to come to the aid of the one in need.

The character of our God is one that does not change.  He is the same today,  yesterday and forever more.  We have a God who to this day is in the business of “Ezer!”— coming to the place you are, reaching down to the depth of where you are and providing help that only He can.

God loves you; He knows you, He understands your issues in life and He is aware of how you feel.  Don’t quit, don’t give up, keep on trusting Him for Ezer!

Take a look at the issue, the problem, the place of pain and say aloud, “But, God!”

Pastor Winston

As we come out of the Christmas season and begin a new year, I want to challenge you to take a look back at what we experienced during Christmas at Trinity Baptist Church.  In the messages, in the songs, and even in the Christmas play presented by our children’s ministry, there was one overwhelming theme, and that theme was hope.  We were reminded in several different ways how the birth of Jesus Christ launched out a  beacon of divine hope for all of mankind.

In a world that seems at times hopeless, in a society of madness and confusion, the believer can embrace a lifestyle and attitude that reflect the hope found in the person of Jesus!  Our hope for the coming year is not fixed to anything of this world.  Thank God, our hope, all our hope, peace and comfort is tied securely to the Son of God.  That is real, tangible hope that you can have going in to 2022. The world is uncertain, but we have assurance.  The world is dark but we possess the Light of the Word.  We can have HOPE!  Now— enter the coming year with renewed hope in the power of God to do through you what you cannot.

Miranda and I want to wish you a Happy, Hopeful, New Year!

Pastor Winston & Miranda Parrish

 

Tonight, my heart and burden continues, sort of in the same vein and heart of this morning. My burden is the church—our church, as we take in where we are and as we embrace the fact that the Lord could come at any minute, we must take up the responsibility that has been entrusted to us! 

This morning we discussed our axe head a depiction of the power of the Holy Spirit, we realized our desperate need to operate in that power. We must have that power—we have to have that power!

For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit. Ecclesiastes 2:26

We dive into a story of a new construction project that is taking place in a turbulent time in the history of Israel. There was a group of young men that were studying and learning in the school of the prophets with Elisha, and it came to a place where this seminary had become too small for them to live and to study.

If I assess our current situation, our projected path, if we take a core sample of the culture, I’m afraid there are some places in scripture that would define where we are, and it’s a telling thing to understand just what the implications are—the truth is, Jesus could return at any moment! 

We are truly living in the last days—history is coming to her final chapters, and as we approach that day, our hearts are to be prepared. This is NOT the time for us to quit. 

1And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.

Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye.

And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.

So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.

But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.

And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.

Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.

2 Kings 6:1-7

Hopelessness and Despair, Pressure, Pain and Fatigue! Dissatisfaction, Contempt, Complacency. Weariness that leads to giving up. This might describe your life in its entirety, or in some way, a portion of your life. The end result is a group, a generation, a people who are ready to give up! I’ve heard in my office and on the phone many times in the past 2 years, it’s just not worth it! I cant take it anymore.