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Yes! There Is Good News!

Bill Rollins has been publishing each week a column in the local Elk Horn, Iowa paper for the past several years.
Note the original publication date on each blog post

Yes! There is Good News!                                 8.12.17

12/11/2020

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“I will say it again: Rejoice!” In the last article we were considering the Apostle Paul’s remedy for finding ourselves living in sorrow and grief. In Philippians 4:4-7 we find him telling us twice to rejoice. But he tells us to rejoice “in the Lord” and he tells us to put on the attitude of gentleness. This is interesting advice so far but he then goes on to tell us that the Lord we are calling on for joy is near.

In the book of 2 Chronicles 15:2 the prophet Azariah gives Asa, king of Judah a most precious message. He says, “The LORD is with you when you are with Him.  If you seek Him, He will be found by you …” This is a great promise that is echoed throughout the bible. Moses understood that God would never leave him, not forsake him, and the same thing was echoed in the book of Hebrews 13:5. When we call out to God and truly draw near to Him, He will be there with us. Earlier in the book of Hebrews in 4:16 we read, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find help in our time of need.” Yes, Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord for He is near.

In this quote from Paul’s letter we are next told not to be anxious about anything! And isn’t this why we sometimes find ourselves in sorrow and grief – because we are anxious about the future? We have had a loss and what will the future hold? So, what is Paul’s remedy for this anxiousness? “But in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Did you notice there is a threefold expression of how we are to approach God? Let’s look at the first two: Prayer and petition. Sometimes we think that when we might need something from God, we go to Him in prayer. But prayer is not a request. It is actually defined in Greek as a word of sacred character. It is devotion before our God. The word “petition” is better defined as, “requesting a particular need or benefit”. Paul uses both words as we: 1) Pray, i.e. Approach God with the worship, honor and praise due to the Supreme and Almighty Creator of the universe. And 2) Petition, i.e. We present our request to be separated from our anxieties, and the turmoils we face and so enter into the rest that our Savior promised us in Matthew 11:28.

What about that third expression in the above quote? What about “thanksgiving?” There is a line in a song that may help us here: “I thank God for the storms He’s brought me through. For if I never had a problem, I wouldn’t know that He could solve them, I’d never know what faith in God could do.”

Sometimes we wonder why God brings trials upon us. They hurt. We feel alone. They cause us anxiety. There was a time in my life, some 38 years ago when I found myself all alone. I won’t go into details, but suffice it to say, I’d never experienced anything like it before. At that time I realized there was only one place to turn. I turned to God, in praise, with petition, and with thanksgiving. And as I look back on that day, I realize it was one of the happiest experiences of my life. I found out just how close God was to me.

Yes, there is still more good news to come – God willing!

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    Author

    Bill Rollins resides in Elk Horn, IA, with his wife, Sally, and has pastored the Church of God of Omaha, NE for more than 35 years.

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  • Home
    • Spring Feast 2022
    • FOT 2018 >
      • Feast Schedule
      • Feast messages
  • Essays
    • Psalms of Ascent >
      • Psalm 120
      • Psalm 121
      • Psalm 122
      • Psalm 123
      • Psalm 124
      • Psalm 125
      • Psalm 126
      • Psalm 127
      • Psalm 128
      • Psalm 129
      • Psalm 130
    • Yes, There Is Good News!
    • Timely Comments - Blog
    • Christian Walk
    • Holy Days >
      • Passover >
        • children's lessons
      • Days of Unleavened Bread >
        • children's lessons
      • Pentecost >
        • children's lessons
      • Trumpets >
        • children's lessons
      • Atonement >
        • children's lessons
      • Feast of Tabernacles >
        • children's lessons
      • Eighth Day >
        • children's lessons
    • Holidays
  • Current Sabbath School
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  • Hebron
    • Hebron - 2014 >
      • April 2014 - Michael Deering's visit >
        • Photos from Michael
      • May 2014 - Tom Benzen's visit >
        • Gardening photos
      • July 2014 - Apples >
        • More Apple Photos
      • August 2014 - New orphans
      • September 2014 - Education >
        • September photos
      • October 2014 - Cyclone
      • December 2014
    • Hebron - 2015 >
      • January 2015
      • March 2015
      • April 2015 - Passover
      • October 2015 >
        • Ice Cream photos
    • Hebron - 2016 >
      • January 2016 photos
      • Passover 2016 >
        • Passover photos
      • Pentecost photos 2016
      • July 2016 - Evening Prayers
      • Apples - July 2016
      • Aug 2016
    • Hebron Building Project >
      • photos of building project
    • Hebron 2017 >
      • Pentecost 2017 photos
      • July 2017 lunch photos
      • Nursing/regular students
      • Lunchtime - Oct 2017
      • Feast of Tabernacles photos
      • October Thank You
      • Nursing Students
      • December photos
    • Hebron 2018 >
      • Passover 2018
      • Baby boy!!
      • Feast of Tabernacles 2018 >
        • Feast photos
    • Hebron 2021 >
      • Photos January 2021
      • February photos
      • December photos
    • Hebron 2022
  • Career Direct