STAND STILL

In our study today we are going to go deeper into the heart of God searching for more wisdom and understanding regarding the events now transpiring in the world. But more importantly the events transpiring in our individual lives.

"Why are these things happening to me?" is the question many model Christians are asking today as they try to carry on in the face of trials, temptations and persecutions such they have never experienced before in their lives.

In times of such crisis the most frequent and common cry coming from God's people is "Lord, intervene. Stop this terrible experience immediately. I can't stand it." Well, I think we all have been there at one time or another. Oftentimes we may even feel like comparing ourselves with that ancient patriarch who cried out to God for answers in the face of overwhelming disasters one on top of another. Even his wife told Job to curse God and die it was so terrible. Although the majority of us have probably never experienced such total devastation as Job, we have experienced periods of chaos, disorder and utter helplessness in which we could see no way out...no light at the end of the tunnel. But always remember that the darkest hour is just before the dawn, so don't give up. Pray. Wait. Listen. The answer will come.

During the last 40 plus years of preaching the gospel for our Blessed Redeemer I have seen many such crisis. Yet, God has brought me through each one victorious and stronger than I was before. This is the way our God always operates when we put our complete faith and trust in His Divine power to save. The Bible is filled with stories of crisis and victory, crisis and victory. These were recorded for our comfort and benefit today as we face the greatest crisis of all times. "A time of trouble (distress, calamity, crisis) such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued/delivered." NAS. Dan. 12:1. The very first part of that verse stated that at this same time "Michael, (Christ) will stand up for His people." So, we have this wonderful promise of deliverance for us plus many old testament stories of deliverance. So, let us look at some of these experiences and then claim the same promises and receive the same victory.

In Exodus 13:18 we read that the Israelites "went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt." This word is from Strong's, 2571. This is the only place the word is used in the entire Bible. The word "harness" is only used five times, and in the OT only, The meaning is always clear, referring to a literal harness for a horse. But here the word is used in the past tense, "harnessed." In 2570 the Hebrew word is "chomesh," meaning to be "stout," which could be interpreted to mean "obese" or "strong." "He is a stout man," meaning he is strong. Since the Israelites worked hard every day as slaves it is not likely they were fat. On the contrary, they were probably in pretty good shape. This idea is supported by the literal interpretation of "chamush," meaning "staunch or able bodied." It is a past participle of 2570, "stout." So, when Moses writes that the children of Israel left or went up "harnessed" out of the land of Egypt he is simply saying that they left Egypt in good physical condition. They were healthy. Now, beloved, the reason I am bringing this to your attention is that virtually every modern translation I have checked interprets the word "harnessed" to mean "equipped, dressed and armed for battle." I do not agree with this theory because: 1. Pharaoh did not permit the Israelites to have swords or any kind of weapons. 2. When would they have had time to train in the use of these weapons? Or been permitted to do so? 3. Their fearful reaction to the appearance of Pharaoh also indicates that they were not armed, let alone trained for battle. Nor did Moses command them to get swords ready to defend themselves. Their only defense was prayer and trust in God's protection, the same situation we are in today.

Later on in Joshua's time we read about Israel being "armed," Joshua 1:14. After 40 years in the wilderness it is possible that many of the Israelites had accumulated swords and spears and had practiced using them. But the original Hebrew word in this text still lends itself to the meaning of "stout and able bodied." Now, we need to ask ourselves a very serious question here. "Why would the translators want to impose the meaning of 'armed' or 'equipped' in the context of these Scriptures?" Just think about it for a minute. Let our own intelligences and simple logic reveal the truth. What kind of a God do these translators believe in? Of course, they believe in a killer God, just like Elijah and John the Baptist. Therefore, their interpretation would be influenced by their personal belief. That is why Kenneth Taylor, author of the Living Bible, translated the phrase "First day of the week," in I Cor. 16:2, as "On every Lord's day," thus making the first day of the week (Sunday) the Lord's Day. You will also discover that he paraphrased Exodus 19:24 to conform to his belief in a killer/destroyer God. "Lest he break forth upon them," was translated in the LB "I will destroy them."

The "he" in this text is referring to Satan, not the true God. If you want more proof for this please write for more information. So, we can see how important it is to study for ourselves. Personally, I appreciate the Living Bible's many insights into difficult passages in the OT and refer to it often. However, sometimes Taylor's liberated, literary license has brought him criticism. For example, he translated "Thou son of a perverse, rebellious woman," into modern slang rendering it, "You son of a bitch." Of course, the word "bitch" does indeed mean a female dog. But so many sincere Christians were offended by this phrase that Taylor decided to change it back to the more conservative translation.

Now, let's get back to our study of Israel's miraculous deliverance from Egyptian bondage. God's plans are almost always different than our plans because His ways are higher and better than our ways. In Exodus 14 we read God's battle plan for Moses. It really sounds...well, very unsound! That is why Paul tells us: "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men." I Cor. 1:25.

They were instructed to retrace their steps to Pi Hahiroth and to camp between Migdol and the Red Sea. "The king will think, 'The Israelites are lost, trapped by the desert.'" Ex. 14:3. Read the whole chapter yourself. God says He will make the king stubborn so that he will chase after the Israelites. Remember that God always takes the credit/blame for all of His creatures' actions. So, the people did as they were told, not realizing why, for God had only given Moses a basic outline of what was going to happen, but not the precise manner in which He would deliver His people. In spite of this, Moses had faith in God's Word and His mighty power to deliver because of all the previous miracles He had already seen God perform. "I will defeat the king and his army. This will bring honor to me, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord." Ex. 14:4. New Century Version. That is why Moses said to the people, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord." KJV. Another version says: "Don't be afraid! Stand still and you will never see these Egyptians again after today. You only need to remain calm; the Lord will fight for you." V. 13, 14. NCV.

"For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength:" Isa. 30:15. This is God's promise for all time. Unfortunately there are four words very sad words at the end of that verse which reveal and spell out the unfortunate history of Israel following this initial miraculous deliverance from Egypt. "AND YE WOULD NOT." But this does not have to be our experience. The Lord stands ready to deliver us today from any and all problems the same as He did Israel of old. On page 330 of "Desire of Ages," we read that OUR HEAVENLY FATHER HAS A THOUSAND WAYS TO PROVIDE FOR US, OF WHICH WE KNOW NOTHING. Those who accept the one principle of making the service and honor of God supreme will find perplexities vanish, and a plain path before their feet." This has been my experience all throughout my life and it can be yours as well.

"Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose. (Pleasure)." RSV Isa. 46:9, 10. "How rich is God's grace, which He has given to us so fully and freely. God, with full wisdom and understanding, let us know His secret purpose...His goal was to carry out His plan;, when the right time came, that all things in heaven and on earth would be joined together in Christ as the head." Eph. 1:7-10.

After Daniel was given a night vision he was able to stand before King Nebuchadnezzar to explain the King's dream. "Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night, and Daniel blessed the God of heaven, saying: 'Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes the times and the season; He removes kings and He sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who have understanding; He reveals deep and mysterious things; He knows what is in the darkness, for the light dwells with Him." Dan. 4:19-22. "The darkness and the light are both alike to thee." Psalm 139:12.

Notice that in Isa. 46:9, 10 God speaks through the prophet about His ability to carry out and/or accomplish all His purposes. Eph. 1:9-11 speaks of this same purpose which is also translated "plan." The word "design" is also used in one translation. And Paul makes it very clear in his writings, especially in Ephesians, that God's plans and purposes were made even before the creation of the world.

In Matt. 6:9-13 we read in the Lord's prayer a seemingly strange request that Jesus taught us to pray. "Lead us not into temptation." This seems to imply that God sometimes purposely leads us into situations which may be potentially harmful, even fatal to us and our salvation, in this age. This strikes at the very heart of the character of God for what kind of a God would do such a thing? The mystery of this verse disappears when you look at it in the light of His loving purposes for all of mankind. This portion of the Lord's Prayer often understood as a request to remove us from all temptation. This is not the point of Jesus request when we compare it with His prayer to the Father in our behalf in John 17:15 where He prays: I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from Satan's power. Because of our stubborn wills we often place ourselves in harms' way by walking headlong and headstrong into Satan's traps. Proverbs 7 is a warning to young men to not become involved with wily women of low morals. Some men's carnal nature overcomes their better judgment and they are led step by step down the road to destruction.

What I believe Jesus is trying to teach us in John 17 is to reject/renounce our own thoughts and choices we may think are best for us and instead choose to submit to the paths of God's choosing. The only way we can consistently do this is to constantly be in a humble and teachable attitude of prayer, listening for the voice of God as He seeks to guide us day by day. Isa. 30:21 is a promise that we will hear God's voice guiding us each step of the way.

From the Garden of Eden to the Gates of the New Jerusalem the bible is filled with stories about the trials, tests and temptations that come upon the human race. Unfortunately the majority of individuals and nations failed these tests miserably and were seriously hurt and/or destroyed. Three nations which serve as prime examples of this are Egypt, Israel and Babylon. There are also cities and individuals cited in the Scriptures with an incredible amount of detail regarding the reasons for their failure or success. The most outstanding success stories recorded in the bible are found in the lives of Enoch, Joseph and Daniel. I mention these three specifically because there is not one negative comment recorded against them in their lives. In stark contrast, we see the many sins and failures of others written in blazing letters all through the corridors of history. And yet, when everything is all said and done God looks at them all as if they were saints. That is truly amazing. For proof I share this one text which I learned from Elder Morris D. Lewis. "And rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes." I Kings 14:8. It could only be through the life and death of Jesus, with His shed blood on Calvary's tree, that made such a statement possible. I Kings 15:5 is a repeat of this idea with sort of a P.S. tacked on at the end, "save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite." Why? Because this was such a blatant crime committed with the full knowledge that he was doing the wrong thing. And he certainly suffered the consequences of his actions. "Be sure your sin will find you out." There is always a pay day for sin and the price is always high. "God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth he shall reap." Sowing and reaping involves choices. And there are always consequences for our choices.

Yet, in spite of this God claims to be in charge of all of our choices because He is the Creator. He knows the end from the beginning and knows ahead of time everything we are going to think and do. "Even before a word is on my tongue, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether." Psalm 139:4. RSV. But there is more. "Thou hast closed me in behind and in front, and hast placed Thy hand upon me. This is a knowledge too wonderful for me, too inaccessible for me to reach." Psalm 139:5, 6. ML. The Living Bible says: "You both precede and follow me, and place your hand of blessing on my head. This is too glorious, too wonderful to believe!" LB. But there is more. "Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Thy book they were all written, The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them." Psalm 139:16." "You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breath. Every day was recorded in your book." LB.

Next the Psalmist in a further burst of emotion tells God how happy he is that He is thinking about him every minute of every day. But then he thinks of the wicked in contrast and declares: "Surely you will slay the wicked, Lord!" In other words, David, with the OT belief of a God who destroys, (The killer God concept) is telling the Lord that to the same degree/extent that He loves the righteous, He must hate the wicked and destroy them. This was the belief of both Elijah as well as John the Baptist. But when Jesus came He taught "You have heard that it has been said, You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you (only) love them which love you, what reward have you? Do not even the publicans so? Be you therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Cf. James 2:1, which tells us that God Himself is no respecter of persons.

So, the point here is that God has "scheduled each day" of the wicked the same as he has for the righteous. Proof? Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon was chosen by God before he was born the same as Daniel or any of the prophets. It took a long time but this heathen king finally was converted and gave his heart to God. Cyrus, the king is another example. God tells us that Cyrus was God's "anointed" even though he didn't know the Lord. "I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known Me." Isa. 45:1, 4.

Notice God's loving watchcare over all the earth: "The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait (look unto thee); and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfies the desire of every living thing. (and because of this) The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all His works." Psalm 145:14-17.

"Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine:" Ezek. 18:4. There are many other such texts throughout the Bible but I will refer only to one more. Psalm 72 talks about how the king will give all His righteousness to the king's son. This is another end-time prophecy referring to the Lord Jesus and His "Christos" or "Messiah." Notice that this one text refers to God's success and power through His Son to receive worship from all the leaders in the world. "Yea, all kings shall fall down before Him: all nations shall serve Him." Psalm 72:11. Compare this with Psalm 2. Notice that in v. 1 that the Kings of the earth and the rulers are trying to break away from the love of God, but they find that it is impossible, as we learned in Psalm 139. No matter where we go God is there with us. And although those who do not come to God in this age will be lost for this particular age, there will be a resurrection after the 1,000 years specifically for all of these individuals who thought they were escaping God during their life-times. And God will deal with them at that time in the Lake of Fire, which is another subject called the "Final Judgment." The original Greek language clearly defines this particular experience of fiery judgment as a Lake of Divine Purification. So, this is a glimpse into the future, after the millennium. Right now we are in the final years and months of this last age before the millennium begins. As we noted a moment ago Psalm 2 is a Messianic prophecy of the attacks by the leaders of the NWO Beast system with their efforts to either mark or exterminate every human being on planet earth.

In spite of this end game attack against His anointed people God sets His "king" or Son upon Mt. Zion. "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling." Psalm 2:8-11.

Now the reality of our present situation is that it does not appear to our human, finite eyes that God has yet been able to form such a group as described in the above text. Or if He has they have not been formally introduced to the religious or secular world. When we think of all the millions of people who have been killed in the past as well as those who have been slaughtered in the Communist countries in this century we cannot but ask the same question asked in Rev. 6:10-11. "They shouted in a loud voice, 'Almighty Lord, holy and true! How long will it be until you judge the people on earth and punish them for killing us?" V. 11 tells us that they were given white robes (their reputations were vindicated) and they were told that they must rest a little longer until they're fellow brethren in our day are also killed. So, these are things yet to be revealed. What we do know at this time from Zech. 13:7-9 is that one third of the human race will be saved when Jesus comes. This is both from the living and the dead. Also one third of the human race will die. "So the four angels were released, who had been held ready for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, to kill a third of mankind." Rev. 9:15. RSV.

This one third is killed before Jesus comes which means there will be of the wicked, one third of the human race left to see the coming of Jesus in the clouds of glory. They, of course, will die by their own hands. The brightness of His glorious coming will trigger this world wide, mass suicide phenomenon but is not directly responsible for it although the prophets always make God responsible for everything, good and bad. I have explained this in great detail in my book, "Into The Father's Heart," as well as in various articles for the last 24 years. Ezek. 38:21 reveals that "every man's hand will be against his brother." And this is the means by which the one third wicked will die...by their own hands.

Between now and that day, which cannot be far off, as we see all of the signs fulfilling more and more each day. But the most important sign is that of God's people being ready by receiving His stamp or seal of complete ownership. This is called the seal of God. In order to receive this seal we must be totally dedicated to the purposes and plans of our God. The trials and afflictions we are passing through now are God's methods for bringing us to such a perfection of character that we will truly have the mind of Christ.

The Bible clearly tells us that "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and He delighteth in his way." Psalm 37:23. The original Hebrew word for "ordered" here means "prearranged, step by step, fixed, ordained by God." So many times we give the devil credit for bringing our trials and troubles upon us. And he certainly plays his part and sometimes we play our part as well. But God knows all things ahead of time...the end from the beginning. So, it is God who allows these crises to develop. But He permits them for the purpose of shaping up our character, as we read in Deut. 8:16: "In the desert He gave you manna to eat...He sent hardships on you to test you, so that in the end He could bless you with good things." TEV. The RSV says: "that He might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end." V. 3 is the verse that Jesus quoted when Satan tempted Him to change the stones into bread. "Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." So, each of these trials are designed by the Master Craftsman Himself, who came and lived among us for an example. And He asks us to thank Him every day of our lives for everything that happens...good and bad. And then to "stand still and see the salvation of the Lord."

Now, I know this is not easy to believe, let alone do. Sad to say, most Christians get caught in the hellish cycle of sinning, confessing, sinning and confessing again, over and over again until they are ready to throw in the towel. They often run to friends, counselors or anyone who will listen to them as they weep, cry and pray. They seem to be willing to do everything but the two simple things God has asked them to do. 1. Be still and know that I am God. 2. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. God will speak to your mind and tell you what to do and what not to do. "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27. "My word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart..." Deut. 30:14.

Yes, the still small voice that spoke to Elijah on Mt. Horeb (Sinai) will speak to you if you get really quiet and listen. But if you have fear, anger, bitterness, jealousy, etc. in your mind and heart (thoughts and emotions) then you may hear the "other voice" imitating and pretending to be Jesus. That voice will probably tell us what our carnal nature wants to hear for it will be the voice of our own desires and ambition, or the voice of our flesh. Paul also tells us that "there are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification." I Cor. 14:10. Yes, friend of mine, there are thousands of voices calling for our attention...many solutions, opinions and ideas. There is the voice of our own will, ambitions, ego, dreams, hopes, fears, angers, jealousies, etc. And they are all calling...sometimes screaming and demanding our time and immediate attention. They create crisis, chaos and mayhem in our lives when we listen to them instead of standing still and listening to the calm, logical, kind, peaceful and loving voice of our Blessed Redeemer asking us, entreating and pleading with us to have faith and trust in Him. Remember the stormy sea of Galilee experience when the disciples thought they were going to die? Jesus asked them, "why were you afraid?" So, why were they? Jesus was right there on board the ship with them.

Psalm 46:10 tells us: "Be still and know that I am God." KJV. The NAS reads: "Cease striving and know that I am God." The margin says: "Let go, relax."

So, in the midst of the stormy seas of life Jesus is always with us. Not only in times of major crises such as a car accident, loss of house and possessions due to fire or storm, divorce or death of loved ones, etc. but in the small ones as well. Small by comparison, such as cutting your finger, stubbing your toe, throwing your back out, suffering a flair up of arthritic pain in your joints and many other similar problems relating to physical health. Jesus is with us through each of these as well, comforting, guiding, and healing even though we may not realize His Presence at the moment just as the disciples forgot the Master was on board the ship during the storm at sea. In fact, He schedules each of our days, as we already read in Psalm 39.

At this point I can just hear someone asking, "Are you telling me that God arranges and stages every event of our lives?" Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. Haven't we already read how He set Israel up at the Red Sea? That was a staged event if there ever was one. Only Moses knew what God had in mind but even He did not know the exact means by which God would deliver Israel from their enemies. I am sure He was just as shocked as they were when the sea opened up. So, what was the purpose or reason? What was God trying to accomplish? His goal was to development character. To teach lessons of faith and trust. That is the very reason the Lord tells us to praise Him for all things. "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I Thess. 5:16-18. Compare Eph. 5:20.

Now, I am sure someone will say, But these are only two isolated, disconnected Scriptures. How can you build an entire theory or doctrine out of just two texts? Surely God does not intend for us to praise Him for every little thing from stubbing our toes to finding a run in our hose to major plane crashes, starving children, abortions, wars and all of the other terrible crimes that are going on in this planet every day? How can He be glorified by such praise? After all isn't this the work of Devil?

I have heard this criticism before just as I have heard the arguments against the doctrine that GOD DOES NOT DESTROY. The fact of the matter is that both of these doctrines are dealing with the same topic---THE CHARACTER OF GOD. In reality, this idea or theory that we are to praise God for all things is probably the most difficult one of all to accept. Why? Because it comes right down to where we live...to the very heart of the matter...our relationship with Jesus. We can discuss, talk and argue about the theological questions of whether God destroys for hours on end without the subject intruding into our personal lives. It does not demand a personal commitment, per se. But when you begin talking about thanking God for someone in the church hurting your feelings or not being appointed to a certain position in the church it becomes a different matter. Now we are dealing with the ego and pride and position, authority and power. The very things that caused Lucifer to fall in the first place. But let's come closer to home. What about praising God for your husband's affair and/or leaving you for another woman or worse, another man?! Let's praise the Lord for someone cheating you out of your hard earned money? Can you see, beloved, how deep and personal the Scriptures can become when we really begin to get serious with God and truly dig in and study His Word? This truth about Praising God for All things requires dedication and a lot of prayer. It requires total surrender of our will to Jesus.

If you think it is easy to praise God for all things you have another think coming. In fact, the Bible calls it a "sacrifice." "I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord." Psalm 116:17 Cf. Psalm 107:22. "O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever." In this Psalm there is a recurring theme. "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!" Psalm 107:8. This verse is repeated in vs. 15, 21, 31. Then in vs. 43, the last verse we read: "Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the Lord." Cf. Dan. 12:10. "The wise shall understand."

Heb. 4:7 admonishes us to not "harden our hearts." Why? Because a hard heart can never be a thankful heart. It is only when our hearts are broken by looking at the cross of Jesus, hanging there, dying for us that we are willing to give up self and let our ego be crucified with Jesus. It is then and only then that we become thankful for what Jesus has done for us. This is why Esau "failed of the grace of God." He had a "root of bitterness," in his heart which defiled him and led him into other sins such as fornication. He was not able to give thanks because of his bitter spirit. He is referred to as a "profane person." "That no one may become guilty of sexual vice, or become a profane (godless and sacrilegious) person as Esau did, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. (Gen. 25:29-34). For you understand that later on, when he wanted to (regain title to) his inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected (disqualified and set aside), for he could find no opportunity to repair by repentance (what he had done)----that is, no chance to recall the choice he had made---although he sought for it carefully with [bitter] tears." Heb. 12:16, 17.

In his book, "From Prison to Praise," Merlin Caruthers relates miracle after miracle that took place because people praised God in the face of insurmountable problems. Situations that were seemingly hopeless changed almost immediately when people, by faith alone, began praising God, thanking Him for all things. This little 106 page book has been translated into 36 languages and was a national best seller for 210 weeks. The most exciting story in the book is on page 83 about Ron and Sue during the Viet Nam War. Ron had received orders for Viet Nam. His wife was threatening to commit suicide. Of course, when Sue came in for a counseling session the Lord told Merlin that it was ok to tell her that the way to solve her problem was to praise God for the situation. This was the first time the Lord had given him permission to tell anyone that since he had learned the technique himself. But as soon as Sue heard his solution she burst into tears and ran out of his office. Ron came in the next day to find out what in the world the Chaplin had told his wife because she was worse than ever. He was hoping Merlin could get his orders changed. But instead he simply repeated his former advice. Later Ron and Sue both came to see him together. They were now desperate. Again he told them to praise the Lord for the problem. Merlin explains in detail what finally happened when they at last decided to do as he suggested. It would take too much time and space to type out all the details of what happened. Besides, I don't know if you would even believe it unless you actually read it for yourself. This is just one of many incredible miracles that happened after people began praising God. So, I invite you to write for this book for only $4.95. Thank you so much for your prayers and gifts of love. Truly yours in Jesus, Mike.