When THOT(THOUGHT) Fails you

Thank God for Jesus and for being BLESSED to see 2014. We are surviving the latest winter blast of -10 and windchill of -35 degrees. Welcome to South Bend. Despite 12+ inches of snow falling, we started our Sunday at Macedonia with the great members having a wonderful fellowship. Special thanks to the Deacons and Trustees who shoveled and salted the walkways as best we could trying to keep pace with the storm. Also, thanks to our BOYS TO MEN group who escorted our mothers and women into the church.

When storms come in, the church climate differs. We lose our older members and our still learning young adults tend to drop off but we pick up community members from other churches whose church cancelled so Snow services are always a great ecumenical movement of believers who just want to praise the Lord.

We continued in our series through Genesis 37-50 studying the life lessons of Joseph. I recommend Max Lucado's book You Will Get Thru This as a wonderful companion along this Biblical journey, Sunday we looked at chapter 41:14-42 and Joseph's promotion from the pit to the palace. The concentration was on Joseph's interpretation of the dream and the plan that God gave Pharaoh thru Joseph.

We shared from the idea "A Plan for a New Year". The sermonic premise for the plan was :

PLAN FOR THE BAD DAYS WHILE STILL ENJOYING YOUR GOOD DAYS
LOOK FOR THE GOOD TIMES WHILE STILL SUFFERING THRU YOUR BAD DAYS
TRUST GOD WILL KEEP HIS WORD

The Lord blessed our time in the word and we thank HIM for the souls that were added on Sunday and for those that rededicated their lives.

An idea that sprung forth from sermon prep that I believe is sermon worthy all by itself that I did not have time to fully develop Sunday was the fact that Pharaoh was driven to listen to God's voice because he couldn't find anything else to speak interpretation for him.

Pharaoh had dreamed dreams that troubled him and fueled a search for answers. What was the meaning of the cows and the corn? What is the answer to this mystery? The magicians and wise men did not have the answers. The Egyptian god Thot did not give any answers to pacify this Pharaoh. Thot was the god of dreams and wisdom. He was the scribe of the Egyptian gods. The Egyptians believed he invented hieroglyphic writing, mathematics, language, and magic. He is the one who controlled the seasons, moon, and stars. Yet, Thot failed Pharaoh!

I shouted when I studied this because there are still people who lay at the altar of THOT(THOUGHT). They believe if they can just understand it, rationalize it, have time to think about it, they will be able to deal with it.

However, maybe you are like me that the older I am becoming I am starting to realize that their are some problems that the more I think about it the worse it becomes. Pharaoh would wake up from one dream, try and shake it off and dream another. Dreams without interpretation will turn into nightmares. THOT(THOUGHT) can't give you interpretation. ONLY GOD CAN!!!!!!!!!!

There are problems that the more I have THOUGHT about it, the worse my headache became, the worse my blood pressure rose, the worse by stomach became queasy, the worse my ulcers started to bother me. Therein lies the shout. When man didn't have an answer, God had a Joseph in the bullpen of the prison ready to be called up to give an answer for God.

My word for you today is when we cannot CONTROL what we are going thru and we cannot COMPREHEND why its happening in the first place, we must CONTINUE to trust that God knows what HE is doing.

I don't have to understand the whys How's whens what's and where's of life as long as I know WHO. I know who today. I know the one that is in control and when my THOT(THOUGHTS) fail me, my mind fails me, my reason fails me there is a man of God who speaks the Word of God on behalf of God and that Word can soothe my doubts and calms my fears. That Word can lower elevated blood pressures and speak peace to my chaotic spirit and I can go to bed and sleep....................................... not because I understand but because I believe.

WHEN YOUR THOT(THOUGHT) FAILS, TRY GOD!!!!!!!!