“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:13-14).

Last Thursday we received a message from Helen’s family that they couldn’t get a hold of Helen’s mom, Esther, who is a healthy 84. They went to the house and knocked and called her phone. They could hear the phone ringing but no one came to the door. We called the police department to do a wellness check on Esther.

When they went into the house they found her on the ground. She was breathing but unable to speak or move. They rushed her to the hospital where they determined that she suffered a stroke. They operated on Esther to clear the clots in her brain.

As soon as we found out about Esther, Helen took a flight out that evening to be with Esther in Los Angeles.

As of the writing of this entry, the surgery went well and they were able to clear most of the clots. However, there is permanent damage and we will not know the full extent for a few days. As of Friday evening, Esther is able to respond by moving her finger or blinking but she is still unable to speak and she is unable to move the right side of her body.

Having said all this, the Kim family is counting on your prayers. Helen will be with Esther for the foreseeable future until we know about the future prognosis for Esther and the family decides what to do about Esther’s future care.

In the midst of all this, we have peace. No matter what happens, Esther is God’s beloved daughter. We know God knows what is best and we completely trust God. Currently, we are praying for healing and recovery. Should that not be God’s will, we know Esther would love to be with her husband who passed 2022 during Covid and be reunited with Jesus.

God is good. Thank you for your prayers.

“But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn…When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head he was displeased” (Genesis 48:14, 17).

What a strange scene. Why would Jacob/Israel cross his arms while blessing the sons of Joseph? The firstborn always gets the lion share of the inheritance and the blessing. It’s the firstborn who carries the family lineage.

Jacob/Israel had believed that his son Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. That’s what all his other sons told him, when in actuality the other sons of Jacob/Israel wanted to kill Joseph because of their jealousy. But when a caravan of Midian traders came along, instead of killing Joseph, they sold him to be a slave.

Fast forward a few decades. Joseph is the second in command in all the land of Egypt. There is a famine in the land. The only place where there is food is in Egypt. Jacob/Israel sends his sons to Egypt to buy grain. The brothers who sold Joseph into slavery don’t recognize their brother Joseph who is now a ruler in Egypt only second to the Pharaoh. Long story short, Jacob/Israel is reunited with his lost son Joseph. And before Jacob/Israel dies, he blesses Joseph’s sons. But instead of blessing the firstborn, Jacob/Israel blesses the younger son. And this displeased Joseph very much.

You can read about it in Genesis 48.

So, why am I telling you all this? Because this is one of the clearest demonstrations of God’s grace and God’s providence. You see, the question we want to ask in situations like the one described above is to ask, “Why?”

Why did Jacob/Israel bless the younger son and not the firstborn?

You want to know why? There is no why! Jacob knowingly blessed the younger son.

Why? There is no why!
Why did God choose Israel? There is no why!
Why did God choose you? There is no why!
Why does God continue to forgive and bless repeat sinners like us? There is no why!

God simply does. That’s grace. That’s providence. If you’re God, you get to do stuff like that.

When it comes to God’s grace and God’s providence, there is no point in asking why. That’s the wrong question. The only thing that is proper in response to God’s grace and providence is gratitude. Give thanks!

Wow! This grace thing is truly amazing.

“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

I dare ya!

See if you can find a single passage in the Bible that says, “worry about it”, “stress over it”.

If you can, I owe you a Snickers bar.

But I know my Snickers bar is safe with me because you won’t find it in the Bible.

But look at the way we typically deal with problems. Yup. You guessed it. We worry and stress. What does worry and stress accomplish? Can worrying and stressing over things make anything different? Can worry and stress change the outcome in our favor?

Nope.

But there is something that can. There is something that can actually make a difference.

Pray.

Something worrying you? Pray.

Something got you stressing? Pray. 

The next time you want to worry about it or stress about it, pray. Give it to God. Every time you sense worry or stress raising its ugly head, pray to God instead.

I dare ya!

The next time you want to worry about it or stress about it, instead pray. Give it to God.

Pray.

I dare ya!