God Intervenes!

For Saturday, March 21, 2026:

1 Samuel 16:1 NLT: Now the Lord said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.”

God no longer favored Saul as Israel’s king (a problem of Saul’s own making.) It was time for a change of regime. God wanted to anoint a new king, and he had someone specific in mind. He sent Samuel, a Holy man and Prophet, to do the anointing.

Samuel hesitates. “If Saul finds out, he’ll kill me!”

As you might expect, God has a plan to keep everyone safe. “Bring a heifer, and tell everyone you’ve come to sacrifice to the Lord. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and go home with him. One of his sons is to be the next king! I’ll show you which son to anoint.” God’s not against deception and a little white lie if it keeps everyone safe and furthers his cause!

Our God, omniscient and omnipresent, always knows what’s going on. He knew all of Saul’s deceptions and schemes. He knew when it was time to set things right.

God still has those same perceptive powers nowadays. He knows what Russia is doing to Ukraine. He knows what China is doing to Taiwan. He knows what Iran is doing to its neighbors, a false god retaliating against our Creator God. I pray that God would step up and settle these matters, but only He knows the best time.

We’d be better off having God anoint leaders for our world!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Plucked out of Danger!

For Thursday, August 1, 2024:

2 Peter 2:9 NLT: “So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment.”

We are either on God’s side, or the wrong side! Sheep are separated from the goats, and God keeps track of who’s on which list. On the day of reckoning, the wicked will see condemnation, while the righteous will be plucked out of harm’s way, rescued as part of God’s eternal plan.

When the entire world was evil, Noah was warning against God’s impending judgement. So Noah and his family were plucked away from the evil and rescued from the flood. God takes care of those who believe and are loyal. Likewise, Lot was plucked out of Sodom and Gomorrah. This righteous man was saved while the sinful cities were turned into ashes.

At that time, the percentage of people loyal to the Lord was dismal, and God instituted a plan to raise that average. By sending Jesus to rescue mankind, God put his new plan in motion. We think of our God as a God of second chances. And third chances, fourth chances, etc.

God’s plan worked like this: Jesus would take the sins of the world to the place of the dead, giving mankind a fresh start. And without the burden of sin, believers would be suitable residents of the eternal kingdom, forever in God’s presence. That gift of a second chance is called ‘grace,’ an unmerited gift from God. We receive it by faith, faith in who Jesus is and belief that everything will work out just like Jesus said it would!

Place a lot of faith in the wisdom behind God’s plan!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship