Fran Trascritti Devotional, God's Goodness, intimacy, Seeking God

Even in the darkest of times…

And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, four generations. And Job died, an old man, and full of days.        —Job 42:16-17 ESV

Above all, Job finished well. His horrific physical, emotional, and mental anguish did not destroy his spiritual walk with God. Despite his counsel to the contrary, Job never cursed God, never blamed God, and he never gave up. He ran the race, and he ran it well.

At the end of the day, Job lived a life full of days. He lived 140 years beyond his episodes of misery, and he enjoyed the blessings of seeing and interacting with four generations that came after him. A life well lived, a life that serves as an example to us even today.

But it wasn’t Job’s goodness that make this end so well, it was because of the grace of a comforting, faithful God. The test Job endured was because God knew Job could endure. God’s grace was made perfect in times of Job’s weakness, and times of his strength was made because of God’s presence and power. Though it may have felt like it, God never left Job, protecting his life from the evil one, softening each blow until the right time in order to demonstrate His sovereignty and might. This is why we can say that Job ended well because of the goodness of God.

You may be going through a test of sorts. It may be the darkest of times for you. Sure, it may not be a test to the extent of Job’s, but it may feel that way. If so, let me encourage you: Rest in the comfort of the Lord, draw on His strength, cry out to Him for comfort, and trust in His power. He brings joy in the morning, light in the darkness, and hope to difficult times. He is surely with you even today so you, too, can finish well.

Pastor Fran

Fran Trascritti Daily Reading, Devotional

This is How We Fight Our Battles

With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. 2 Chronicles 32:8 ESV

When Sennacharib attempted to invade Jerusalem, Hezekiah made ready his defenses. He stopped up the springs, he repaired the wall and built an extra wall, and he mustered the men of the city. Yet, ultimately, in the face of an overwhelming enemy, Hezekiah trusted in the Lord through prayer and supplication.

What happened next was nothing short of miraculous. An angel went into the camp of the Assyrian army and destroyed hundreds of thousands of men. In disgrace, Sennacharib returned to Assyria, and was soon killed by his own sons. The threat was removed and Hezekiah and the people of Judah got to watch God do it all, and He did it for His glory.

What Hezekiah realized and what we can see now is that the battles of earth go beyond the physical. The enemies of God, after all, only see and fight in the physical world, while God does battle in a much greater realm. And no earthly power would ever overtake the armies of the Lord.

Even more, our battles are not just in the flesh. The enemies of God in the spiritual world are on the attack as well. This is why we must fight a spiritual battle with a spiritual army, putting on the armor of God and relying on the Spirit of God to fight for us. The battle, after all, belongs to the Lord!

Praise God, that though we are weak, God is strong. Though we fail, God never fails. Though we get weary and tired, God remains ever vigilant.

Trust in God in complete faith. Let Him be your shield, your plate of armor, and your sword for battle. Abide in Him and His Word of truth. He will be your shield and strength.

This is how we fight our battles.

Pastor Fran

Fran Trascritti God's Goodness

“Thank you, God, for taking my truck.”

It could have been worse. Much worse. A few weeks ago, I gave my son my truck keys and offered to let him use it to go to the store. His van was covered in snow and was parked in front of my other son’s car. I was glad to loan my truck for a few minutes, and we even watched our granddaughter while he and his wife went to get some food.

No more than five minutes passed when I received a phone call: “someone pulled in front of us,” he screeched. “I didn’t even see her… the truck is wrecked.”

image

I quickly got down to the scene of the accident and saw what he meant. Of course, it was very clear that the accident was not in any way his fault. The truck was surely going to be totaled, but I was worried more about the other driver and them. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt.

As I later reflected on the accident, I continued to remind myself of several things:
   1- Everyone was fine
   2- I was fully insured
   3- Trucks can be replaced

However, one thing stood out above all else: when I was at the scene of the accident, one of the police officers told me plainly that if they were in something other than a big truck like mine, they probably would have been hurt. For that, I praise God.

Soon, my prayers to God over this has been to thank Him for taking my truck and saving my family from harm. God always knows better than us, and maybe, just maybe, this whole chain of events occurred so He has a new testimony of His providence and provision. If so, I thank God for that!

Psalm 138:7, “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life.”