Pastoral Messages (Page 8)

What does it mean that God is our help? You may even ask if God is really in control. Just looking at the world around us will lead many to conclude that it doesn’t seem like God is keeping his people from harm. How can we reconcile God’s promises to keep us from all harm with the brokenness of our lives? The Psalmist encourages us to lift our eyes above the mountains…

This is a story about Rabbi Akiva, a renowned and revered Jewish rabbi of the first century. One late afternoon, Rabbi Akiva was on his way home to Capernaum. As he walked, he was also meditating and reciting the Scriptures.  He was so focused that he didn’t realize that he had taken a wrong turn. Suddenly he found himself standing in front of the Roman fortress gate…

Last Sunday I preached in Gereja Kristus Yesus Journey on Nehemiah 9:1-38. And if you look at Nehemiah 9, much of it recounts what God has done in the world as well as in Israel’s history, with the conclusion that God truly is faithful beyond human reasonableness, so Israel re-commits herself to God as His covenant people. I was thinking about what a parallel of this…