Brown's Daily Word 7-30-09

Good morning,
Praise the Lord for the way He is faithful, powerful, and always merciful. One very familiar verse of Scripture is found in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. I have been reflecting on this passage lately. "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, ’My Grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the Power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then I am strong."
From the moment we are born into this world, life happens. Sometimes it happens to bring us through the valleys of life. Sometimes it happens to carry us to the mountaintops of life. The bottom line is that no matter what, whether peaks or valleys, life happens!
The story is told of a pastor who was taking a morning walk. He came across a woman pushing a baby carriage up a hill. She was struggling with it a bit, so he offered to push it up for her. It was a rather unwieldy baby carriage, so it was no easy job to get it to the top. Once they had reached her house, the woman thanked the pastor for his help. The pastor replied, "Do you mind if I take a little peek at the precious baby that I have been pushing all this time?" The woman laughed and said, "Pastor this isn’t a baby that we have been struggling with, it’s my husband’s weekly beer supply." Life happens.
Recently we have read about tragedy and death that have visited some well known "celebrities". I read about American actress, Mary Tyler Moore (Born: 1936). She was, at one time, America’s sweetheart! It would be easy to believe that her life was always charmed, but the truth of the matter is that it wasn’t! She was married as a teenager and then divorced. Her sister, in college, overdosed and died. Then Mary got married a second time and divorced. She remarried the same man and got divorced again (three marriages with two men). Then, her son accidentally shot and killed himself. In her despair, she turned to "booze" and became an alcoholic. She got off it but, contracted Diabetes as a result of her drinking. Now, the Diabetes has affected her eyes; and, there is a good chance that she will be blind by the end of her life. She was America’s sweetheart, but not without deep, deep heartaches! She summed up her life experiences like this, "None of us gets out of here without pain."
The Apostle Paul gave an interesting expression in our Holy Scripture when he said, "there was given to me a thorn in the flesh." Many of us have had the experience of reaching for a rose and drawing back when our finger or hand has been pricked by a thorn, but that is not what the Apostle Paul is talking about!
According to one authority, the Greek word here for thorn is "stake." Then it is not referring to a tiny thorn such as those found on a rose, but a shaft of wood sharpened at one end to be used in battle to impale someone. In other words, the Apostle Paul felt that he was stabbed by a sharpened wooden stake, by a messenger of Satan, "to torment me, to keep me from being too elated."
The Holy Scriptures do not describe for us the nature of the Apostle Paul’s thorn (or, "stake") though some have speculated that he had epileptic seizures. Others think that it was an acute pain or chronic sickness. Whatever his thorn was, the Apostle Paul knew "None of us gets out of here without pain!" The Apostle Paul knew better than most of us that life does not always go the way that we plan, but he also knew that pain is not God’s last Word on the human condition! There is hope for the sufferer. There is victory for the anguished of heart! We are Almighty God’s people as the followers of Jesus Christ, and with the help of Almighty God we can deal with any thorn, any obstacle, or any heartache!
Notice that the Apostle Paul called his thorn in the flesh "a messenger of Satan." It did not come from Almighty God! Almighty God was not seeking to get his attention through his discomfort, whatever that "thorn" might have been! Yet, Almighty God could use his pain and his suffering to make him a stronger man, and to make him a blessing to others!
How can the weaknesses, the insults, the hardships, the persecutions, and the difficulties be a blessing? How can these "thorns of the flesh" be turned into blessings, or "thorns of Grace!" For one thing, thorns can give us empathy for others and so can help others relate more easily to us!
The late great conductor, composer, author, music lecturer, and pianist, Leonard Bernstein (1918 - 1990), once said, "The painful process of growing up is simply the constant, ever-widening realization that you are not the center. It’s painful. That’s why adolescence is painful. Maturing is a painful process."
Let us then understand that thorns can give us a special sensitivity to Almighty God! The same pain that drives some people away from God, draws other people closer to Him! Those who are drawn closer to Him understand that He shares their suffering! Pain can ultimately bless us. It may cause us to have empathy for others, to be more approachable, and to experience a new sensitivity to God Almighty!

A note from a long-time friend in the UK
Hallo Brown, I too am rejoicing in a new grandchild !! No 3 born yesterday, 28th at 9.15 am. I had the priveledge of looking after Oliver and Poppy while Mother gave birth and then welcoming Matilda and Zoe, my daughter, with Julian the proud Dad back to their home. How good is the Lord and mighty in all his wonderful creation.

With love, prayer for your final treatments and blessings on you and Alice.

Sue ( UK)

A note about Sue( Sue was born in Orissa, India. Her parents were Dr. and Mrs. Stan Thomas. Dr Stan Thomas was a renowned medical missionary and a great surgeon. He was a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. He served the Lord at the Moorshead Memorial Christian Hospital for 30 years. After returning to England in 1968, he became a full time pastor. Mrs. Joyce Thomas was my 6th grade English teacher.)


Orissa,India Update

Some 30,000 Christians are still homeless, living day to day in refugee camps. They have spent summer, winter, and monsoon seasons in the refugee camps. They cannot return to their homes, which have been completely destroyed. There is no such thing as homeowners insurance there, so rebuilding is out of the question for most, if not for all. My brother, Patel, remains in jail. His incarceration began on July 18, 2008, and we still await the results of the court hearing - his trial is underway currently. My mom, niece Lisa, and nephew Kenny live in a rented apartment in Bhubaneswar, a city of about 2 million inhabitants, located about 175 miles from the village. The family is not able to cultivate the farm and the fields that belonged to my grandfather and my father.
We serve an amazing and awesome Lord, who is, and shall remain, upon the Throne. He is the same Lord who parted the Red Sea so that His people could cross on dry land. He is the one who provided manna and quail to sustain His people in the wilderness for 40 years - and neither their clothing nor their shoes wore out in that time! He made iron float. He cast out legions of demons. He raised the dead. He set the prisoners free. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
The 14 Hindu extremists who were the accusers of my brother, Patel, have come before the judge and refuted their previous testimony against him. They now concede that they had falsely accused him. The primary accusation was brought by a business owner whose business went bankrupt over the past 11 months. This has led him to believe that the Christian God has come down upon his business to destroy it. Thus, he was led to confess to the false charges. We are trusting that Patel will be released in the next couple of weeks. Please keep praying for the Lord to have His way.
We praise the Lord for His majesty and power. He speaks and Satan trembles. My mom, who is about 82 years old, finds that for her living in the city is like a fish living out of water. She spends much time in prayer and worship every day. Her health remains good. I am able to talk to her by telephone a couple of times a week, and she is very encouraging.
A couple of weeks ago a man drove by here on a rainy day and handed me an envelope. He said that its contents were to help rebuild Mom's house back in Muklingia. I opened the envelope and found that its contents were $1000 cash. I was in tears. Another dear brother wrote a beautiful e-mail of encouragement, stating how the Lord has used my life to bless his family. He offered to help my mom to rebuild her house, and to support the Lord's work in Orissa. Praise the Lord for the way He provides for us in ways both small and great.
In spite of intense persecution continuing in Orissa, the Lord has blessed us to be able to continue to send support for His ongoing work there. Currently part of our support goes to the Mooreshead Memorial Christian Hospital in G. Udayagiri, Orissa, where 150 nurses are being trained and health care is now being provided. The student nurses attend chapel every morning before classes and clinical work begin, and gather every Sunday for corporate worship and praise. They live in the hostel there. Dr. Harashita Naik, MD is the lead doctor on site, specializing in surgery. Praise the Lord for the way that we can be part of God's mighty deeds in faraway places.
Presently the children's home is open with 15 girls on a very limited basis.