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Acts 2:22-24 “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.”

Joshua 1:9 “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, nether be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Today is the annual date on the calendar bracketed by commemoration of the two anniversaries of monumental spiritual and practical significance – the crucifixion of Christ and the resurrection of Christ. The nature of this come-from-behind victory, planned by God from the beginning of creation, is breathtaking and almost impossible to begin to fathom. Yet it happened as the Lord foretold and preordained.

A powerful song that tells of this turnaround is “I Will Arise” – a song that I think about every year on Resurrection Sunday. The following stanza captures the concepts so poignantly:

God is the master of the turn-around, transforming brutal death into glorious life. As we consider that important truth, we must remember that He can do such miracles in our lives as well. In fact, salvation is a depiction of such a come-from-behind victory that should never get old and must never go out of style.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERCIAN CHRISTIANS WOULD JOYOUSLY AND WONDROUSLY CELEBRATE THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST AND GOD’S TRANSFORMATIVE POWER IN OUR LIVES.

I Kings 3:9-10 “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.”

I Kings 3:11-13 “And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also give thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.”

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt passed away on April 12^th, 1945 in the midst of his fourth term and at the climaxing part of World War II. Three days later he was buried, and the day after that, newly sworn-in President Harry S. Truman stood in front of a joint session of Congress.

Throughout his speech, President Truman called for the need and the necessity of Divine guidance. He closed the speech with these thoughts:

“At this moment, I have in my heart a prayer. As I have assumed my heavy duties, I humbly pray Almighty God, in the words of King Solomon: ‘Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad; for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?’ I ask only to be a good and faithful servant of my Lord and my people.”

It was said of this speech: “Truman had but a fraction of FDR’s gift for oratory, but his voice was steady and firm. For twelve years the president who addressed the world from this pulpit spoke in the intonations of the moneyed East Coast establishment. This voice was different. It was the voice of a common man, asking God for guidance, and the response was the loudest affirmation Truman’s ears had ever encountered.”

Experts have said that “the first four months of his administration should rank as the most challenging and action-packed of any four-month period in any American presidency.” Truman certainly needed the understanding heart that topped the King Solomon’s prayer list.

So do we, and so do our leaders today!

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO PRAY FERVENTLY FOR AN UNDERSTANDING HEART TO DISCERN BETWEEN GOOD AND BAD. King Solomon implored God for such wisdom, and it pleased the Lord that he did so. Such prayers, for ourselves and for our leaders, are needed and necessary. Putting this request at the top of our prayer lists would please the Lord today.

ADMIN: The quoted thoughts above come from A. J. Baime’s “The Accidental President.”

Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Hebrews 11:32-35a “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again:”

Hebrews 11:35b-38 “and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.”

The Hall of Fame of Faith is a compelling section of scripture. From the beginning of the chapter, it is clear that God’s priority is the faithfulness of His people. By faith, God is able to bring about His perfect plan.

Importantly, though, it becomes clear at the breakpoint of verse 35 that faithfulness doesn’t necessarily result in temporal success. Sometimes faith allows believers to subdue kingdoms, work righteousness, obtain promises, stop the mouths of lions, quench the violence of fire, escape the edge of the sword, be made strong, wax valiant in fight, turn to flight the armies of the aliens, and receive dead raised to life again. Yet, in other cases faith results in torture, mocking, scourging, imprisonment, stoning, dismemberment, temptation, murder, poverty, affliction, torment, and disorientation.

God focuses on our faithfulness. That is what is in our control.

The results are fully left up to Him and they are completely His business.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO FULLY FOCUS ON FAITH, THROUGH TRUST LEAVING THE RESULTS UP TO OUR ALL-KNOWING GOD. The Lord is focused on faith, without which it is impossible to please Him.

Genesis 50:18-21 “And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.”

Genesis 45:4-8 “And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye solid into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharoah, and the lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.”

Romans 8:28 “And ye know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to purpose.”

In today’s bombastic society, when we are wronged we are spring loaded to double down and fight back. Even Christians do so, ditching our discipline, tarnishing our testimonies, and forgetting our faith. In our passion for immediate justice, our perspectives are clouded and our characters are muddied. Joseph gives us a grace-filled model that exemplifies wisdom and exudes grace.

Joseph knew that God either allowed for his betrayal and used it for the greater good, or that God had actually orchestrated the entire act of treachery by his brothers to save them and many others.

While I frankly find it difficult to fathom his measured response, I am astounded by it and convicted by it. It provides a template for Christians today and throughout time.

No matter what happens to us, God is in control. Even when we are betrayed, He can use it for the greater good. In fact, He may have orchestrated it all along to save those around us and many others.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO RESPOND TO BETRAYAL AND TREACHERY WITH GRACE, WISDOM, DISCIPLINE AND FAITH. May we all respond right as God works all things together for good.

Exodus 20:1-2 “And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

Malachi 3:6 “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

John 14:23-24 “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.”

During a business trip a few years ago, I was running late to get back to the airport for my return flight. I intended to change in the airport and was still wearing my military flight suit as I raced to the airport. My rush was slowed by police lights in the rearview mirror.

As it turned out, the policeman was a huge aviation fan. We chatted for several minutes about flying and military aircraft as my timeline shrunk to make my flight. I figured it was well worth it to avoid the otherwise substantial bill of a large speeding ticket, and the conversation was enjoyable. He walked back to his police car to quickly run my license, and came back with it … and a large ticket. Though I had errored in speeding, what happened to the rapport we had built and the time I didn’t have that I had invested in our conversation?!?!

Standards! And the policeman was rightfully enforcing them!

Before the Lord delivered the Ten Commandments, his precursory statements made clear his authority: “I am the LORD thy God,” He said. And as icing on the cake, He explained that He had provided the way for His people out of captivity.

He is unchanging and His position is immutable. For us and for all of humanity, He has provided the way out of captivity by grace through faith in Jesus. But when we sin, what happens to the rapport we have built and the time we have invested in our relationship?

Standards! And He rightfully enforces them!

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WILL STRIVE TO UPHOLD GOD’S UNCHANGING STANDARDS AS A KEY COMPONENT OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. If we love Him, we will abide by His Standards!