First String Second String

"Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him." (Matthew 4:11)

It's happened even with me. I've shown up in church and there's a substitute preaching for the pastor and there's a let down (the air goes out of my balloon).

It's like when you go to a baseball game and you sit down in the stands and look up at the lineup on the scoreboard for the game - and you find out the best (your favorite) player has the day off. (Bummer.)

And let me go even further: It's like when you go to a party and your "clique" isn't there - the people you enjoy being around - and it's just not the same. "Why did I even come?"

But even Jesus (the First String of all first stringers) was ministered to by the angels (the second string). In God's economy the second string is the first string.

And just when you don't think it is (the first string), He'll (God'll) use it (the "second string") to try to get through to you. Mark my words.

Don't close your heart just because you think it's the second string whose playing the game (in the pulpit or wherever). That's when Jesus many times shows up in power.

After all, "'Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?'" (John 1:46)

You might also be interested in:

• Chosen (A Dream Come True)
• The Perfect Game

Angels To The Rescue

I fell off the roof. There is just no other way to say it.

It was snowing heavily. And at our house when we get upwards of 6 inches plus of snow what happens is our pilot light on the furnace goes out because the vent on the roof gets buried. So depending on how much snow we get is how often I need to get up on the roof to clear off the vent. I've been up there dozens of times (at least). When you do something that often you can take it for granted. (Know what I mean?) The bottom line is when I was coming down from the roof and when I went to put my foot on the top wrung of the ladder, it moved! The next thing I know is I was on our deck on my back.

You're wondering about injuries or bones breaking or a concussion? (I did hit the back of my head pretty hard. Snap.) But I'm relieved to tell you that I was (am) no worse for wear. Yes, I could have died. (I am ready to go, btw.) Or I could have been hurt real bad. Except for one thing: God and his angels... Praise His holy name! (After all, He knows I've got more preaching, blogging, tweeting to do! ;P)

"For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone." (Psalm 91:11-12)

Great is Thy Faithfulness

The brakes were gone. How could this be? She'd just finished a 1,500-foot mountain grade descent. The "she" was my 19-year old daughter.

And I am writing this today to glorify God and recognize His great faithfulness to us and in our lives.

It was a little after five o'clock (approximately the time of the mountain grade descent) that I remember something unusual happening. I was playfully tickling my other daughter (she's 11) and for some reason I was quoting Psalm 23 to her out loud starting with verse one: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." And I had the strange urge to continue quoting. Isn't that weird? But I don't usually do that is what I'm trying to say. I don't usually quote (and I would go on to quote) the entirety of Psalm 23 to my 11-year old daughter at just after five o'clock in the afternoon while playfully tickling her.

I mean, it was every single verse!

Don't miss the "daughter" part, the "timing" part (again, it was about the same time my 19-year old was coming down the grade) and what I'm convinced the Lord spoke to me about the next day regarding the whole situation.

I was praying Psalm 23 is what I was doing. I was praying the Scripture out loud to my one daughter, but it was really for my other daughter who was losing her brakes at just about the same exact time. I think you're hearing what I'm trying to say.

This is the God we serve. (I am tearful now.) He is a great and faithful God. He is greatly to be praised. (Oh, and by the way, my daughter was somehow able to stop her car.)

"For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways." (Psalm 91:11)