What's really behind the "green"

Today is the celebration of St. Patrick's Day. For so many it is just about the GREEN, the beer, the avoiding of being pinched. But did you know, he was a missionary to Ireland!. He had a strong desire to share the love of Christ to all. Prayer became a huge part of his life.

In his short confession he described it this way: "Many times a day I prayed. The love of God and His fear came to me more and more, and my faith was strengthened. In a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many in the night. I used to get up for prayer before daylight whatever the weather--snow, frost, rain-- without suffering any ill effects. The spirit within me was fervent."

Today, i am reminded of his prayer life and the gift he leaves all Christians to pray.... as you celebrate today, wear the green (or drink it, if that's your liking) will you take a moment and remember this prayer.......

May the Strength of God guide us.
May the Power of God preserve us.
May the Wisdom of God instruct us.
May the Hand of God protect us.
May the Way of God direct us.
May the Shield of God defend us.
May the Angels of God guard us.
- Against the snares of the evil one.

May Christ be with us!
May Christ be before us!
May Christ be in us, Christ be over all!

May Thy Grace, Lord, Always be ours,
This day, O Lord, and forevermore. Amen.

God is Good; Even When Life is Bad

Daniel 1:3-9; Matt 11:17-44

When things are going smoothly in your life, you might not find it hard to believe that God is good. But if life takes a bad turn & something devastating happens, you might ask, “How could a good God allow this?” So many people i encounter who have no living knowledge of God, this seems to be their big statement or question. If you know that kind of pain, you possibly can empathize with Daniel, from the Old Testament.

Daniel’s life from teenager to old man, you can write “God is Good or God at Work.” God was directing his life whether he saw it at the time or not. And HE is doing the same in each of us.

Do you know his story? Daniel was just a teenager when he was captured as a POW, ripped away from everything warm and familiar. And as the old saying..."you know the rest of the story"

Had Daniel decided what God was like by looking at his circumstances, he would have become a disillusioned, confused and as today's kids 'angry'. Forced from what was familiar to him, Daniel’s eyes were still on God. Imagine the suffering connected with his circumstances, yet Daniel went through the fire . . . successfully. This certainly gives us hope that we can make it through our firestorm, too.

Maybe you are in a painful situation or one comes to mind right now from either your past or the present. You may wonder how a God of love could have allowed some devastating injustice. Yet I would bet on the fact that you’ve not yet come full circle. There will be a day when you will look back and see how God’s sovereign hand was at work. Truth is, He is in the center of the situation that troubles your heart right now. He’s right in the middle of it. Just because you can’t see Him, doesn’t mean He isn’t there and working all things together for good.

If not, ask Lazarus..... he knew it well, let's say, Mary and Martha helped.... Jesus had it all in his hand.