Last week I nearly missed being the victim in what
would have been a terrible and possibly fatal car accident.
What made my car hesitate at that dangerous country
crossroads for only seconds longer than
it should have, long enough for a huge dump truck
to come roaring passed me through the intersection where only
moments before there was no traffic remains a mystery to me.
All I know is that while I did not see or hear the truck barreling
down the road that overcast morning, God surely did!
I was upset that morning after attending a health class for
dealing with Type II Diabetes, something I have been struggling
with for quite some time. The nurse conducting the class gave
me some upsetting news about the current functioning of
my pancreas, which, to make a long story short, was
later refuted by my doctor. However, when I left the
class that day I was miserable and worried and
distracted by my thoughts while driving back home.
The roaring Tri-axle wake-up call not only jarred me
out of my mood of self-pitying despair, but, as I drove on
towards home, my mind still reeling from this near miss
encounter, my heart and my mouth sang with
trembling praise, "Thank You, Father!"
Although I admit that I sometimes feel like giving up
when it comes to my personal struggles in life, I know that
God will never give up on me. He has not only created me
in His likeness and image, but, He is the Master Physician.
Furthermore, what happened to me almost a week ago
once again confirms the words of the psalmist:
"My times are in Your hands; deliver me from the
hands of my foes and those who pursue and persecute me."
Psalm 31:15
The Archangel Raphael With Bishop Domonte
Bartolome Esteban Murillo
(1617-1682)
Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts
Moscow, Russia
I believe that angels are God's special messengers, and
as Psalm 91: 11 declares, "For He will give His angels especial
charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you
in all your ways of obedience and service".
When I started researching for this post this morning,
I came across information about one of the mighty archangels
of God mentioned in the Book of Tobit, which is considered
an apocryphal book and is not included in many editions
of the Holy Bible. Although considered a Jewish folktale,
the Book of Tobit can be found in most Catholic Bibles.
In this story, Raphael the archangel is sent by
God to provide intercession for a pious man named Tobit,
who, for no apparent natural reason is struck blind,
and a woman widowed seven times named Sarah,
suffering under the torment of a demon named Asmodeus.
Both Tobit and Sarah cried out to God for deliverance
and their faith saved their lives. Tobit regained his sight,
while Sarah married his son, Tobias.
After reading that Raphael is known as "the patron of travelers"
I became even more intrigued with this heavenly creature.
Archangel Raphael, whose name means, "God heals" is,
like the Archangel Michael, a defender of the brethren.
He is assigned to keep watch over God's children,
and to protect them from all the schemes of Satan.
Raphael brings to weary heart human hearts great tidings
from the Father, messages of love and encouragement and peace,
which are spoken to us through the living Word of God, leading
the believer, through their faith, to spiritual, emotional,
and physical restoration.
"For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of
power, making it active, operative, energizing, and effective;
it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the
dividing line of the breath of life, the soul, and the immortal
spirit, and of joints and marrow of the deepest parts of our
nature, exposing and shifting and analyzing and judging
the very thoughts and purposes of the heart."
Hebrews 4:4
The Entrusted Sword
Ilse Kleyn
When we are distracted by fear and anxiety, or what is commonly
known today as "being stressed out" although we may not
realize it at the time, we are opening a door for the enemy
of our souls to walk in and wreak havoc in our lives.
The message of the angels is to have faith, and to know
that regardless of what we see and hear on a daily basis in
the lost and fallen world where we live, God is still very
much in control of everything!
The apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 8:38-39:
"For I am persuaded beyond doubt that neither
death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things
impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers;
Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will
be able to separate us from the love of God, which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Be Still My Soul
Mark Missman
I was upset that morning after attending a health class for
dealing with Type II Diabetes, something I have been struggling
with for quite some time. The nurse conducting the class gave
me some upsetting news about the current functioning of
my pancreas, which, to make a long story short, was
later refuted by my doctor. However, when I left the
class that day I was miserable and worried and
distracted by my thoughts while driving back home.
The roaring Tri-axle wake-up call not only jarred me
out of my mood of self-pitying despair, but, as I drove on
towards home, my mind still reeling from this near miss
encounter, my heart and my mouth sang with
trembling praise, "Thank You, Father!"
Although I admit that I sometimes feel like giving up
when it comes to my personal struggles in life, I know that
God will never give up on me. He has not only created me
in His likeness and image, but, He is the Master Physician.
Furthermore, what happened to me almost a week ago
once again confirms the words of the psalmist:
"My times are in Your hands; deliver me from the
hands of my foes and those who pursue and persecute me."
Psalm 31:15
Bartolome Esteban Murillo
(1617-1682)
Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts
Moscow, Russia
I believe that angels are God's special messengers, and
as Psalm 91: 11 declares, "For He will give His angels especial
charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you
in all your ways of obedience and service".
When I started researching for this post this morning,
I came across information about one of the mighty archangels
of God mentioned in the Book of Tobit, which is considered
an apocryphal book and is not included in many editions
of the Holy Bible. Although considered a Jewish folktale,
the Book of Tobit can be found in most Catholic Bibles.
In this story, Raphael the archangel is sent by
God to provide intercession for a pious man named Tobit,
who, for no apparent natural reason is struck blind,
and a woman widowed seven times named Sarah,
suffering under the torment of a demon named Asmodeus.
Both Tobit and Sarah cried out to God for deliverance
and their faith saved their lives. Tobit regained his sight,
while Sarah married his son, Tobias.
After reading that Raphael is known as "the patron of travelers"
I became even more intrigued with this heavenly creature.
Archangel Raphael, whose name means, "God heals" is,
like the Archangel Michael, a defender of the brethren.
He is assigned to keep watch over God's children,
and to protect them from all the schemes of Satan.
Raphael brings to weary heart human hearts great tidings
from the Father, messages of love and encouragement and peace,
which are spoken to us through the living Word of God, leading
the believer, through their faith, to spiritual, emotional,
and physical restoration.
"For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of
power, making it active, operative, energizing, and effective;
it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the
dividing line of the breath of life, the soul, and the immortal
spirit, and of joints and marrow of the deepest parts of our
nature, exposing and shifting and analyzing and judging
the very thoughts and purposes of the heart."
Hebrews 4:4
Ilse Kleyn
When we are distracted by fear and anxiety, or what is commonly
known today as "being stressed out" although we may not
realize it at the time, we are opening a door for the enemy
of our souls to walk in and wreak havoc in our lives.
The message of the angels is to have faith, and to know
that regardless of what we see and hear on a daily basis in
the lost and fallen world where we live, God is still very
much in control of everything!
The apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 8:38-39:
"For I am persuaded beyond doubt that neither
death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things
impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers;
Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will
be able to separate us from the love of God, which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Mark Missman
No comments:
Post a Comment