Just Between You, Me, & God 5/17/2012

There are estimated to be over 6700 different languages in the world today.
Most of those are spoken by less than 1000 people. Of course that doesn’t
include all of the different dialects than can alter a specific language. Here in
East Texas, it is sometimes said that we have a language all our own. You betcha!
(You can bet on that). There are some universal languages that are understood
worldwide by everyone. Laughter is recognized worldwide as the reaction to
something funny, whereas tears, crying, or sobbing bring about an immediate
knowledge that someone is hurting, physically, emotionally, or spiritually.
Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4, tells us, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every
activity under heaven: a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and
a time to dance.” What time is it in your life right now? What universal language
are you speaking and are you sharing it with others or are you hiding it in your
heart. James 5:13 ask, “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone
happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” Oh, I left out a universal language, prayer.
No matter what language you speak or how you speak it, God always has an open
ear for your prayers. You don’t have to worry about how eloquently you speak
or if you can even speak at all because God listens to your heart. He understands
each and every language because He created all languages. 1 Peter 3:12 tells
us, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to
their prayer…” No matter what is going on in your life today, whether you’re
happy or sad, rejoicing or mourning, God wants to hear from you. He sent His
only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins in order that we might have
a one on one audience with the creator of the universe, the one that hurts when
we hurt, and laughs when we laugh because we were created in His image and He understands the language of our hearts. Take it to the Lord in prayer, He’s waiting and He’s listening. God bless you for all you do, Pastor Dean.


Pastor Dean Hanssen is the Outreach & Ministries Pastor for LHF. 

Just Between You, Me & God" 2/19/2012

“Jesus wept.” John 11:35. This is the shortest verse in the Bible and yet it conjures up a very real picture of our Savior. The occasion was just days after the death of his close friend Lazarus. The family and mourners were still grieving the loss of their Father and friend and questioning why Jesus had not come earlier in order to save his life. Jesus wept but not for the same reason as the others. He already knew what was going to happen with Lazarus, he was going to be raised from the dead. Jesus was not late, He never has been, nor will He ever be late. His timing is perfect. What He was going to do would glorify God and would help solidify His claim as the Messiah, the Son of God. The tears were more likely for those who were His closest followers and friends who still did not understand or fully believe His true identity. Jesus was a wanted man and He was there despite the fact that He could have been arrested at any moment. Once again, He was operating on His time, for He knew that it was not yet time for His arrest and trial. Through my life I have felt the very real presence of Jesus in my life and I have had those times when I felt as if I were all alone, not realizing that He had always been there, it was me who was distant, not Him. When I read this account in John 11, I often wonder, how many times has Jesus wept for me? The sin nature that I can’t control, the words I’ve said, the things I’ve done, His commandments that I have broken or just simply ignored. The weakness of my faith, my unbelief, my demanding request, and my bargaining prayers have all brought tears to the eyes of my Lord. I like to think that I’ve also caused a grin or two and possibly even a belly laugh from time to time. We are created in His image and therefore we share the same emotions. Luke 19: 41 tells of another occasion when Jesus wept as He approached Jerusalem. He was brought to tears because His own people, the Jews, had failed to recognize Him as their Messiah and would not have peace because of it. His sacrificial death on the cross for our sins is beyond our comprehension and yet we must embrace it or face an eternity of isolation from Him. As you think about the tears that Jesus has wept for you, why not bring Him joy and accept today the grace and forgiveness that is offered to a sinner like me who is really not worth crying for, but Jesus thought was worth dying for. God bless, Pastor Dean.

Pastor Dean Hanssen is the Outreach & Ministries Pastor for LHF