Pastor's Column 10/1/2023

“Don’t worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7, NLT

“Limit Worry, But Increase Prayer !”

Our daily experiences often confine us to a place, where everything we attempt to do is determined by what that environment permits us to do; or, where we are, causes us to think and act. It is said, a very creative tribe of people lived in a remote area, far from any noticeable civilization. The only energy source they had was fire; so every day a group was assigned to journey many miles in a dangerous and mountainous region to collect tiny flint branches from the trees which grew there. After collecting the wood and returning home with heavy bundles of branches from this arduoustrip; they were met by the village people, who applauded them. The sticks were rubbed together rapidly. The dried flint-sticks created heat; lit some dried leaves, and fire appeared, The flames became an energy source for cooking; cleaning; sterilizing utensils; treating ailments. This activity repeated itself, and was handed down to generations. Many years had passed, when a young boy was playing with some stones. One day, the boy rubbed the stones together, and did so briskly. The stones became warm; then hot. He dropped them on some dry leaves, and a fire started. The elders were amazed when they saw the fire. They wanted to know how had this occurred. The boy then showed them how he had rubbed the stones and sparks came, producing heat; which ignited the leaves. The elders realized, for all those generations, the energy source they needed was all around them; right in their village. The rocks were filled with pyrite, a natural heat source found in certain stones. For generations thevillage elders worried about the dreaded trip; rather than exploring other options to better their circumstances. Paul says we should notbecome so fixated on assuming the worst. We should pray for everything. In doing so, we can find other solutions and the closurewe need, in taking our concerns before our God.