The Seed Of Faith, The Fruit Of Praise

The seed of faith, the fruit of praise!

Illus. from the book Guide posts, “ His mysterious ways: miracles of healing”

What I remember most about the summer of 1934, when dad got his tonsils out, that’s how hot it was. The middle of July in Blackwood, Virginia, and we hadn’t seen a drop of rain or felt a cool breeze for days.

The ground was parched, the flowers drooping. Normally, I could at least cool down with a ice cold drink. The iceman hadn’t been around for weeks, and the last block of ice in our icebox have long since melted.

My dad was recovering from his operation in the downstairs bedroom when mom rushed out to the kitchen telephone. She called The doctors office. He’s hemorrhaging badly, she said, urgency was in her voice. What can we do?

Then I heard her repeat the doctors instructions. Ice, make a compress of ice and pack it around his throat. But there was no ice to be found for miles around.

We lived 10 miles from town. Dad couldn’t be moved and mom didn’t dare leave him. She tried wrapping dad‘s neck with cloths drenched in Coldwater, but it was of no use.

His throat kept swelling and he was still bleeding. Tears feeling her eyes, mom said brokenly, “Lord, you take over. I’m lost and don’t know what to do.” I was worried so I wailed a prayer of my own, “I said God please help my daddy, please God.”

Mom took me in her arms just as the wind begin to blow, the sky grew dark as dusk, then simply opened up. The overwhelming hammering noise on the roof was quite deafening. My mother then kissed me on the forehead.

She grabbed a pail and ran outside. Soon she was back, and in 15 minutes my father’s bleeding had been stopped by the large balls of ice she collected, which had miraculously fallen from the Heaven scent hailstorm.

So lift your hands and praise the Lord, for He is good, and His mercy endures forever! (Psalm 106:1)

Nothing is impossible when you stop trying to figure things out on your own and put your world, and your future in the hands of God!

Hebrews 13:15

15. Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

Sacrifice infers, doing something even when you don’t feel like doing something. TBS here, it is the fruit of giving thanks from our lips!

What is fruit?

noun

1. 1. ?the sweet and fleshy product of a tree or other plant that contains seed and can be eaten as food.

Our Faith is the seed, our praise in our time of need, is the fruit produced from the seed of our faith! Both together moves God to supply the harvest of the miracles we desire!

TBS that God inhabits our praise and worship! Simply put, God loves and enjoys the fruit, our faith, praise and thanksgiving Produces!

Illus. by Kyle Rye

SIT DOWN AND ENJOY LIFE

There was a rich industrialist who was disturbed to find a fisherman sitting lazily behind his boat.

"Why aren't you out there fishing?" he asked

"Because I've caught enough fish for today," said the fisherman.

"Why don't you catch more fish than you need?" the rich man asked.

"What would I do with them?" said the fisherman.

"You could earn more money," came the impatient reply, "and buy a better boat so you could go deeper and catch more fish. You could then purchase nylon nets, catch even more fish, and make more money. Soon you'd have a fleet of boats and be rich like me."

The fisherman asked, "Then what would I do?"

"You could sit down and enjoy life," said the industrialist.

"What do you think I'm doing now?" the fisherman replied.

God didn’t make life complicated. But the fall of man and sin with the accusers relentless help, has made life seem complicated and at times overwhelming!

Psalms 55:22,23 MSG

Pile your troubles on God’s shoulders—

    he’ll carry your load, he’ll help you out.

He’ll never let good people

    topple into ruin.

But you, God, will throw the others

    into a muddy bog,

Cut the lifespan of assassins

    and traitors in half.

And I trust in you.

God says, cast your troubles on me and I’ll take of your troubles, and the ones who cause you trouble as well!

Psalms 91:9-11 NKJ

9. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,

Even the Most High, your dwelling place,

10. No evil shall befall you,

Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

11. For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.