With America’s economy in shambles and so many people facing financial pressure, I thought I’d look up some of the Bible’s best promises about God’s provision. If you’re anxious over making ends meet, here’s a list of verses in which God promises on the authority of His goodness to meet all our needs. These promises have conditions, of course, for they’re given to those who faithfully love and serve Him. But the promises themselves are of greatest benefit to those who are struggling in the Red Sea, that is, in a sea of red ink.

• The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want—Psalm 23:1.
• Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing—Psalm 34:9-10.
• No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly—Psalm 84:11
• I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread—Psalm 37:25.
• And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus—Philippians 4:19.
• Do not worry, saying, “what shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For… your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you—Matthew 6:31-33
• He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?—Romans 8:32
• God will provide—Genesis 22:8
• So Abraham called the name of the place, “The-Lord-Will-Provide—Genesis 22:14.

Read through this list with pen in hand, circling the verse or verses that most encourage you. Look up any passage you’ve circled and read it in its fuller context. Then memorize and claim it for yourself as an act of faith. If you’re a pastor, consider using these verses as a Sunday morning Scripture reading, or a responsive reading. Or you can hammer them into a sermon outline.

Here are my teaching notes from KALEO last night as we covered the opening vision in the book of Revelation.

• 1:9:  John the Apostle was exiled 40 miles off the Turkish coast on the island of Patmos. He was the elder statesman of Christianity, the last surviving member of the apostolic band. The Roman government wanted to minimize his influence so they banished him to this island; but God used the forced exile to give us the book of Revelation.
• 1:10: “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.” Some interpret this as “I was caught by the Spirit into the Day of the Lord to see coming events.” But the simplest understanding is that as John was worshipping and Spirit-filled on Sunday, he began receiving this series of visions and revelations.
• 1:11: This book is addressed to seven churches in western Turkey (ancient Asia Minor). As Bishop of Ephesus, John probably kept an itinerary and preached regularly in these seven churches. The order given in this verse follows the common postal route of that day.
• 1:12-16: This is the first time John had seen his Friend since Jesus ascended into the sky on Ascension Sunday 60 years before. Now he again saw Jesus, enthroned, resplendent in glory. This is a literal view of Christ, although some symbolism is overlaid across it. It reminds us of how Jesus appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration. The most wonderful thing about this vision is that the risen, glorified Christ is seen walking among the seven golden candlesticks, which represent the churches. Jesus is walking among His churches during the church age. At TDF, He is walking through the Celebration Center, through the Life Group areas, through the offices, through the nursery, up on the catwalks. He is present as we gather together.
• 1:17-18: His first comment to John was: “Do not be afraid.” Why should be be unafraid at the onset of the End Times? Because Jesus is the First and the Last, Alive, One who was dead, but is now alive. He is the living one. He is in charge.
• 1:19: This verse gives us the outline to the book of Revelation. Write:

1. The Things You Have Seen (chapter 1)
2.  The Things that are Now (chapters 2-3), which describes the present condition of the churches.
3. The Things that will take place later (chapters 4-22)

There is an alternate way of looking at this verse. It depends on whether you put a comma or a colon after the word “seen” in verse 19. It could be Write the things you have seen:

1. The things that are now (chapters 1-3)
2. The things that will take place later (Chapters 4-22).  This is not a big difference in interpretation. While most Greek experts prefer the latter, most English students of the Bible (including me) prefer the former, giving the book of Revelation a three-fold division.

• 1:20: This is a good example of how the book of Revelation interprets itself. The seven candlesticks are symbolic of the church, and the seven stars are the seven “angels” or “messengers” to the church. This could refer to literal angels (meaning that every church would have an angel assigned to it); or to the messengers who would take this book to the seven churches; or to seven leaders of these seven churches.

An African proverb claims, “Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.” We love smooth seas and sunny days, and if we had our way there’d be no storms, no clouds, no sorrows, and no losses. But Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:22, NKJV), so we’d better learn to be good sailors.
 
But in that verse – John 16:33 – Jesus didn’t close His mouth and stop talking at the end of that phrase. There’s not a period after the word “tribulation.” In my Bible, there’s a semicolon:  “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
 
Praise God for that semicolon! All our losses are temporary; all our blessings are permanent. In the power of Christ, we are more than conquerors. Nothing can separate us from His love. All things work together for good. Those who wait upon Him will renew their strength, and we can do all things through Him who strengthens us.
 
Here’s the full quote from John 16:33: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Before the word “tribulation” is “peace” and after the word “tribulation” is “cheer.” Jesus Himself is the opening and closing: “I have spoken” and “I have overcome.” And we are “in Him!”

One of the most important but underreported stories in today’s news is Turkey’s disturing move toward hardcore Islam, as indicated in major political shifts of recent weeks.

For years, Turkey has been one of the more “moderate” Islamic nations, thanks to its military, which has staunchly maintained a secular, democratic approach to politics as was instituted by the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Now the military has fallen, and hardcore Islamists may begin phasing in a new Islamic fundamentalism. Turkey is a member of NATO, is strategic to the Middle East conflict, and has the seventh largest economy in Europe.

This could well be another of the dominos falling as we get ready to usher in the events described in the book of Revelation. It’s not hard to see the pieces fitting together.

PS – For more on this story, read today’s article in the New York Times. For more study into the book of Revelation, join us Sunday night at TDF at 6 for KALEO.

Here are my teaching notes from KALEO last night as we covered the prologue of the book of Revelation.

• 1:1:  Revelation is a book to be understood.  The title of the last book of the Bible is taken from the first verse.  The Greek term is apokalypsis, from which we get our English word apocalypse.  But the Greek term doesn’t mean apocalypse; it means unveiling.  The prefix (apo) means from. And the root word means “to hide.” So the term actually means to remove something from hiding, to reveal, to unveil, to disclose a mystery that has been hidden.  So the first phrase of Revelation tells us that God intends for us to understand this book. It is readable, understandable, and enlightening.  We can study it and figure it out.
• 1:1-2: This is a book to be shared.  Note the channel of transmission: This material was given by God the Father to God the Son, and from God the Son to an angel; and from the angel to John; and from John to the seven congregations in Turkey; and from them to us; (and from us to those with whom we share it). This is a pass-along book, a book to be shared.
• 1:3:  This is a book that blesses us.  Revelation is the only book in the Bible that contains a specifically-stated blessing for those who read and heed it.  This beatitude is repeated at the end of the book, as well (22:7).
• 1:4:  This is a book that starts with greetings from the Trinity.
• 1:5-6: This is a book that begins with a Doxology.
• 1:7: This is a book that begins with a hymn.
• 1:8: This is a book that begins with a declaration from Christ.

Notice how many different types of communication John packed into the prologue of this book: A title sentence, an explanation about its transmission, a greeting, and doxology, a hymn, and pronouncement.  The great theme of it all is the unveiling of Christ at the end of the ages.

Liberal scholars and minimalist archaeologists are standing on their heads today, trying to figure out the latest headlines from Israel.  Even the left-leaning National Geographic is admitting the sensational nature of the discovery and announcement by Dr. Eliat Mazar regarding the wall Solomon built around Jerusalem according to 1 Kings 3.  Verse 1 of that passage says:

Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh King of Egypt and married his daughter.  He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem.

The National Geographic headline is: King Solomon’s Wall Found—Proof of Bible Tale?

The second sentence of the article says: “The discovery appears to validate a Bible passage….”  This story is all over the news.  Here are some links if you want to read more about it here and here and here.

While in Pigeon Forge last weekend, I discovered a new sport – Zorbing.  It’s a New Zealand invention.  In essence, you bounce down the side of a mountain inside a rubber ball.  It puts quite a bounce in your step. It reminds me of when, as boys, we used to roll down the hill at Roan Mountain in a barrel. I’m a firm believer that one should never grow up.

Listen to my radio interview with former TDF member Andy Farmer on Missouri station KNEO on Thursday and Friday (February 25 and 26) at 1 pm central time.

In his classic book, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, Dale Carnegie told the story of Robert Moore, one of 88 men who sank in the submarine Baya of the coast of Indo-China in 1945.  While on patrol, they were detected by the Japanese Navy.  The Baya battened its hatches, went down 150 feet, turned off all the fans and electrical gear, and tried to be absolutely silent in the water.

Suddenly six depth charges exploded all around them, pushing them down to the ocean floor.  The men were terrified as hour after hour depth charges exploded all around them. The sailors were ordered to lie quietly in their bunks, remaining absolutely calm.  But the men were so frightened they could hardly breathe, and at any moment they expected the vessel to be ruptured.  With the fans and cooling system shut of, the air inside the sub was over 100 degrees, but Robert Moore said he was so chilled with fear that he put on a sweater and jacket.  He was coated with a cold, clammy sweat.

The attack continued fifteen hours, and those fifteen hours seemed like fifteen million years.  Robert’s whole life passed before him, and all his prior worries seemed to fade into insignificance compared to this.

How big all those worries seemed years ago! But how absurd they seemed when depth charges were threatening to blow me to kingdom come.  I promised myself then and there that if I ever saw the sun and stars again, I would never, never worry again.  Never!…. I learned more about the art of living in those fifteen terrible hours in that submarine than I had learned by studying books for four years in Syracuse University.

Robert Moore and the men on board the Baya did survive the attack, and he came away with a different perspective on life. 

One of the ways to live with less worry and more joy is to consider what might have been, then rejoicing that it wasn’t. If you’re needing a little more joy and thanksgiving today, just think of all the disasters the Lord has prevented, all the trials that have not come, all the diseases you don’t have, all the heartaches that haven’t appeared.  Things could always be worse; so be grateful they aren’t.

And thank Him for His shield of favor.

Winston Churchill, famous for his quips and quotes, once said:  “There is nothing more exhilarating than to be shot at without result.”

In other words, it aids our spirit of gladness and thanksgiving to consider all the things that have not happened to us.

One day, according to a time-honored story, St. Francis of Assisi longed to see his brothers. They agreed to meet in a remote monastery in the Umbrian mountains of central Italy. After arriving and enjoying their reunion, each reported what he had experienced on the road.

One Franciscan brother who had traveled on muleback said: “God protected me in a miraculous way. When I was crossing a narrow bridge over a deep mountain gorge, the mule jumped. I fell and narrowly escaped falling over the wall of the bridge into the gorge. God by his love saved my life.”

A second brother said: “I had to cross a river and I slipped and fell. The waters carried me down the river. But God in his grace provided a tree which had fallen across the river. I could grasp a branch of that tree and pull myself ashore, thanks to God’s miraculous mercy.”

Then St. Francis said: “Let us thank God for his wonderful works. I did experience the greatest miracle of all on my way. I had the smoothest, most pleasant, completely uneventful trip.”

We should rejoice in every safe and uneventful trip as gladly as if saved from a near disaster.  Thank the Lord for His constant oversight.

PS – The Francis stoy is from John H. Townsend, in Pulpit Digest, September/October 1979, p. 53.  On a personal note, I’m speaking this weekend at a retreat in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  Be in prayer for Joshua Rowe as he preaches at TDF, and for our all-music night of praise and worship.