GET OVER IT!

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / 3 Comments

We are living in the day of the offended. Everybody seems to be offended at something or someone. When we speak we have to choose our words carefully because we are afraid we are going to offend someone by what we say.  We have to be careful what we name our business because for sure we will offend some people group by whatever name is chosen. Telling jokes of any kind is out of the question because you can be assured someone will get offended. We can’t be too patriotic  because we might offend someone of another culture.  And you sure can’t mention Jesus, the Bible or exhibit a cross or some non-ChristianGetOVerIt group might get offended and sue you. Shucks, there are even some politicians who get offended if you talk about abiding by the Constitution of the United States.  Everybody seems to be offended at something.

Now I think I am as compassionate as the next person and I don’t intentionally go around trying to offend anyone, but in the day and hour in which we live we have become too hyper-sensitive of offending someone and being offended. Classes are taught on how to be tolerant and not offend anyone. Please, give me a break. Last time I checked this is a free country where free speech still exists. My advice to all the easily super-offended people out there is the same advice my father gave me many years ago – GET OVER IT! We need to have classes that teach people how to GET OVER IT.

I saw on the news the other day where a woman from New York is suing her employer because her drive to work is too stressful. How is that her employer’s fault? My advice to her is – GET OVER IT! Millions have to drive to work every day in stressful traffic, but you don’t see them suing their boss. Go get another job if you don’t like the drive.

Pressure is being put on the Washington Redskins to change their name because they say the name is offensive to about 10% of the population. Does not the First Amendment still grant free speech? The owner of a football team can name his team whatever he likes. My advice is – GET OVER IT. If you don’t like the name of the team don’t pull for them, go pick a team whose name you do like. The only offensive part of the name to me is Washington, which is the part I think they ought to change for they offend me every day!

Being involved in sports all my life I have seen parents get upset and offended because someone who has won a championship gets a lot of press or has won a lot of awards through hard work, while their child, who is not willing to put in the work, doesn’t get the same attention or press. Well, GET OVER IT. Maybe if little Johnny or little Mary worked as hard at achieving goals as they do at complaining they might be on the receiving end of some of those awards. Awards are not an entitlement but must be earned.

As a minister for over forty years I have watched Christians pout if they get criticized or they don’t get their way or don’t get what they think is a “prime” job in the church. My advice is GET OVER IT. Let each Christian, without pouting or jealousy, perform in the function which God has gifted us and the Body of Christ would be a better witness and have a more powerful impact on a lost world.

When circumstance and situations go contrary to us, we too often bristle up like a porcupine, sulk and feel sorry for ourselves. GET OVER IT. We live in an imperfect and fallen world and everyone has contrary circumstance visit their lives. Don’t sulk, but dig your heels in that much deeper, trust the Good Lord and don’t give up.

While we are not to compromise our Biblical beliefs, there are many instances that occur in our lives we just need to get over it. We need to quit being so sensitive and wearing our feelings on our sleeves.  We need to quit thinking everything in life is supposed to go our way all the time. It is nice when it does, but when it doesn’t GET OVER IT and move on.

We have turned into a nation of victims instead of being persons who are victors. When the Pilgrims landed in the New World the first winter half of them died, but the ones who remained refused to throw in the towel. Their motto was GET OVER IT and don’t give up. Many of the 56 brave men who signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, lost their livelihoods, families, homes and some their lives. Their motto was GET OVER IT and don’t give up.

We need to quit being a nation filled with a bunch of weenies that get their feelings hurt and offended at the drop of a hat over anything and everything. GET OVER IT. When the  little boy was asked what he would do if he fell down on the playground anDealwithItd scraped his knee he wrote, “Get up and deal with it.” Out of the mouth of babes comes wisdom. If we fall down on the playground of life just get back up and deal with it. The best things in life happens to those who don’t sit around waiting for good to happen, but learn in life the best things happen to those who when life seems unfair and we are offended, GET OVER IT and move on. Life is too short to do otherwise.

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

GIVING THANKS FOR THE UNSEEN HAND

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / Leave a comment

Last week  as I was driving to a doctor’s appointment, I was listening to a Gospel station on the radio. About half way to my destination a gospel group, whose name I never did catch, began singing “The Unseen Hand.” They were singing it a cappella. It is truly a compelling song that causes one to prayerfully reflect upon the truth contained within its composition. It has always been a favorite of mine. As they sang, they did so with such deep conviction, with such inspiring accord, thaGod's handst as I drove down the road my soul was stirred, my spirit worshiped, my heart became full, and my eyes became moist.

When one meditates on the words penned by A.J. Simms one can’t help but bow in awe before our awesome Lord whose unseen hand has no doubt, unbeknownst to us, powerfully and lovingly moved in our lives many, many times. The first verse says, “There is an unseen hand to me; that leads through ways I cannot see; while going through this world of woe; this hand still leads me as I go.” What powerful, thought provoking words!

I have often pondered how many times that Unseen Hand has kept me from danger, protected me from some peril, has abruptly closed a door of service so He can open another, removed me from a situation that would have been detrimental to me knowing His presence more fully, or put a roadblock in my pathway that would have taken me off course from His best will in my life. I have often paused to contemplate how many times I with frustration cannot find my car keys that Unseen Hand was guarding me from some mishap that had awaited me down the road.

As I look back on my life there are definite times I have sensed and known without any shadow of a doubt that the Unseen Hand had intervened in my life to overrule in my situations, circumstances, and my state of affairs to guide me, protect me, and lead me. As the second verse confidently states, “This hand has led through shadows drear; and while it leads I have no fear.” It is good to be reminded of that!

Oh, His faithful hand, that constantly works and moves in our lives, should cause us to pause and worship Him. During the past year, through my journey with prostate cancer, there is no way I can explain the many “unexplained” occurrences that led me to the right doctors, the right people who I just “happened” to run into who had gone through the same experience, people who spoke the “right” words of encouragement who had no idea what I was going through, the Bible opening up to the “right” verses needed when I randomly opened the inspired Word, and the list goes on and on.

As only the “Unseen Hand” can orchestrate, all has seemed to fall in place over the last year better than if I had sat down and planned how I wanted it to turn out. Some would say, “You were just lucky. That was just a bunch of coincidences that all worked out like it has.” I prefer to say, “Praise His holy name for His Unseen Hand!” As the song proclaims on the third verse, “I’ll praise Him for His guiding hand.”

Could we not all give examples and multiply incidents how the Unseen Hand has been present in our lives? Matter of fact, we would marvel and worship in awe if we could pull back that invisible curtain that separates earth from eternity to see how many times His gracious Hand has reached into our lives with His grace-filled aid. I lift my voice in harmonious exhalation with all who with assurance and conviction have fervently sung the chorus to “The Unseen Hand”

I’m trusting to, the unseen hand,
That guides me through this weary land
When some sweet day I’ll reach that strand,
Still guided by the unseen hand

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

RUNNING WITHOUT A SPIRITUAL LIMB

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / 1 Comment

Around daybreak on Monday morning I was nearing the end of my daily run at Elkin Park, when an incident I always dread occurred. The running trail is covered with rock dust which contains small grains that can often get in your shoes. From time to time some of the grains of rock dust have gotten in my shoes requiring me to stop and shake them out. cartoon_running

Monday, with only about three minutes to go in my 45 minute run, a rock grain found its way into my shoe and got underneath my heel. Though only about the size of a pin head, it shot pain into my heel each time my foot struck the ground. Almost finished I didn’t want to stop to remove it from my shoe, so I altered my foot plant and favored the other leg a bit so the rock grain wouldn’t prick my heel with each step. I finished the run with a “hitch in my get-a-long.” If someone had seen me finishing the run it would have appeared to them as if I was running with a limp. Soon as I stopped I removed the rock grain and all was back to normal.

Thinking about the incident, I wonder how many times “spiritual rock grains” have made their way into our spiritual lives causing us to run the Christian race with a spiritual limp. The author of Hebrews warns us in our relationship with the Lord to be wise to watch out for those “rock grains” which can hinder us in our spiritual journey (Hebrews 12:1). We must not ignore them when they enter our lives or simply adjust our walk to accommodate them. The inspired writer goes on to advise us, “And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed” (Heb. 12:13). We must pray for a sensitive spirit that our “spiritual heels” will detect when spiritual irritants seek to interject themselves into our lives.

The story is told of the eloquent British preacher Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892), who could be seen daily walking the London streets. On one occasion, as he was walking across a less than busy city thoroughfare, he suddenly stopped in the middle of the street and was seen bowing his head. Upon completion of his silent prayer, as he made his way to the other side, someone asked him why he  stopped in the middle of the street to pray. Spurgeon’s reply was, “A cloud briefly came over my soul in my communion with the Lord and I didn’t want to continue until it was lifted.” You might say he had stopped to remove an irritant that if neglected could have resulted in developing a spiritual limp in his walk with the Lord.

How about you and I? Are there “spiritual rock grains” seeking to intrude under our spiritual heels seeking to cause a spiritual limp to develop in our walk with Lord? Is it a trial, a temptation, a testing, a wrong relationship, a  secret sin, or a “tiny” trouble that has sought to alter our walk with Him? Let us not adjust our walk to accommodate spiritual irritants, but quickly remove them so as not to hinder our relationship with Him.

Turning to Hebrews again for encouragement, let us keep “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). As we keep our eyes on Him we can finish our Christian race in victory without a trace of a limp.

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

THE WASP HAS LOST ITS STINGER

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / 1 Comment

The other day a wasp got in the house. Seeing that my wife is terrified of wasps (for that matter any kind of bug) and that I am allergic to stings I wanted to put a quick end to his buzzing around inside our living quarters. As I chased the deadly foe around the house with a can of bug spray I couldn’t help but think back to a Pink Panther cartoon I once saw. The Pink Panther got a fly in his house that buzzed loudly around his head. He first tried a fly swatter but could never splat him. Then he chased him around the house with bug spray but that proved to be futile also. Desperate to rid his house of the pesky fly, he got waspa shot gun and started shooting repeatedly hoping to bring about his demise. As the cartoon ends the house lay in a pile of rubble from all the shot gun blasts, but the fly is still buzzing around the Pink Panther’s head.

While my plight was not that extreme, I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to subdue the wasp as I chased him around the living room. At last I managed to corner him and cover him with enough bug spray to end his reign of terror and render his stinger harmless.

The incident reminds me of the many incidents, situations, and events that unexpectedly come into our lives seeking to invade our peaceful existence and sting us. The “wasp” may come in the form of some temptation that beckons to us to lay aside our convictions and values and succumb to a temporary gratification that in the end contains a deadly stinger. It may be an unkind remark said to us, and if we refuse to let it go the sting of bitterness will poison our souls. It may be a lingering trial that refuses to loosen its grip on us and the sting of resentment towards life, and worse toward our Lord, can imprison our spirits. It may be a friend, family member, or co-worker whose mistreatment of us has been unfair, yet if we are not careful the stinger of unforgiveness will strangle our spiritual lives and dry up our creative flow. The list of incidents that can sting us, creating negative attitudes and emotions within us, are endless and sometimes unrelenting.

To one allergic to stings, getting stung can be deadly. As well, stings of life can be deadly to our attitudinal and spiritual lives. The Apostle Paul spoke about the “sting of death is sin” (I Corinthians 15:56). Because of the power of sin that plagues the human condition; because of our inner propensity that blurs right and wrong, “death” incidents occur and are able to sting us and afflict us causing us sorrow and grief. Who of us cannot give detailed stories of how we have experienced being stung by life’s “death” incidents?

While “death” experiences are all around us seeking to sting us, Paul is clearly referring to in I Corinthians 15 that one “wasp” that can strike fear into all our hearts, as he cries out, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (I Cor. 15:55)? Death! The grave! We have enough to deal with in life without having to talk about that, right? Yet not thinking about it or dismissing it from our thoughts will not change the inevitable appointment we have with our final Foe. What are we to do? Facing those “death” situations of life that seek to sting us is demanding enough, but how are we going to face without fear the “sting” of the last enemy we meet death (I Cor. 15:26)?

Thankfully, Paul doesn’t leave us without a solution. He emphatically declares, “But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Cor. 15:57). Whether it be from the “wasps” or the “death” situations of life that seek to sting us or from death itself, the Christ of the cross and the empty tomb took the sting of death on behalf of wayward humanity in order that we don’t have to be overcome with defeat and fear. His victory over sin and death became/becomes our victory. When we embrace Him as Lord we share in His triumph which empowers us to adequately face the “wasps” that seek to sting us along life’s journey and at last enables us to face with assurance when our final Foe seeks to instill in us fear.There is no need for defeat or fear, in Christ death has lost its stinger.

Is a “wasp” annoying you? In Christ there is power to face the stings that you may encounter in life and in Him is peace in knowing that death has lost its venomous stinger.

The wasp has lost his stinger!

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

HE NEVER SAID IT BUT I KNEW HE DID

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / Leave a comment

As Father’s Day approaches  I pause for  a time of reflection. My dad died in 2001, at age 88. I was 49 years old at the time. During those 49 years I never remember my dad saying to me the words, “I love you.” Those were words that did not easily flow from his lips. Did he love me? I never doubted that for a minute. He showed me love by his actions. Fathers-DayWords

My dad worked hard to make a living and provide for his family. It was his love for his family that motivated him to work hard to provide for us the necessities of life.

As a boy, when my father was not working, he would take me fishing and hunting. While I was never very good at either, I treasure the memory of those strings of fish glistening in the summer sun, hearing the sound of that covey of quail as they ascended from the thicket, and watching that squirrel jump from limb to limb as I missed my scurrying target.

As a lad some nights bad dreams would invade my sleep and I would wake-up hollering at the monsters that I knew were about to tote me off. My father would come into my room, assuring me they were not real. He would confidently say, “Go back to sleep. Everything is ok. You were just having a bad dream.” With those reassuring words the monsters would vanish for the night.

When in high school I ran track. I ran the mile. While my dad worked second shift from 3-11 p.m., he would get off work long enough to come watch me when I raced. In my mind’s eye I can see him now standing over by the corner of the bleachers waiting for me to run. I had no more than crossed the finish line and would glance back over toward the bleachers, but like a shadow at dusk he was gone. He had gone back to work.

While I did not think so at the time, he showed his love by disciplining me in a place that seemed to have easy access for this long reach. I see now his discipline was for the purpose of “teaching” me to make right choices not wrong ones. Wrong choices can bring hurt that lasts a lot longer than a lick or two on a certain part of the anatomy.

When I graduated from high school I received a partial track scholarship to college. I was not sure where the other money was coming from, but my father knew. He went and borrowed the money. I know, for he took me with him when he went to the bank. My dad only finished the ninth grade and he was taking out a loan so I could achieve an education he was not able to receive.

When I graduated from college my father bought me a car and told me he was proud of me. That may have been as close as he ever came to uttering those three words, “I love you.”

When I married he was my best man. As I left the church for the honeymoon he pressed some money into my palm as he shook my hand and said, “Drive carefully.”

My father was a master mechanic. He would always work on my car and check it out when I came home for a visit. Before beginning the journey home he would hand me some money and say, “Get you some gas before heading up the road.”

Through his retirement years he showed that same love to his grandchildren that he showed me. Every time the kids did well on their report cards he would give them some small gift, usually money, to let them now he was proud of them.

After my mother passed away in 1999, when I would call him to see how he was doing he would always inquire how the kids were doing. And being the mechanic he was, he would always advise me to keep my car in good running condition.

One spring day in late May of 2001, my father, who had lived almost fourscore and ten, stepped into the house after mowing his lawn and fell dead on to the floor he had walked upon for over four decades. Having worked all his life that was the way he had wanted to go.

Do I wish I could have heard my father say, “I love you?” Of course I do, but it doesn’t really matter. I can honestly say it was never an important issue with me. His love was shown by his actions and that was all that mattered.

While every day we should make sure we tell those in our families we love them, but even more importantly  may we show them love like my father showed me.

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

THE LORD IS FAITHFUL

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / 1 Comment

On June 13, it will be a year. It is hard to believe a year has passed since I got that dreaded phone call. It’s a phone call I will never forget. It was 6 p.m. My wife and I had just sat down to eat supper. I had only taken a few bites. The WXII news was coming on the TV…and then the phone rang. The news of the world had to be put on hold as I awaited news regarding myself. The phone rang one more time before I could answer it, but I instinctively knew who was calling.LordFaithful

On Monday, June 10, 2013, I had a biopsy to determine if I had prostate cancer or not. The doctor said he would call when the results came back. While only three days went by before the doctor called with the results, each passing hour of those three days was filled with anxious anxiety. I nervously said, “Hello.” The doctor didn’t mince words, he got right to the point. “Rev. Merritt,” he said, “I wish I had better news for you but of the twelve samples we took nine came back cancer.” My heart sank as I listened in disbelieve. I had no symptoms of any kind that would suggest such a diagnosis. I thought to myself, “Surely he has gotten my samples mixed up with someone else.” Even in bad news there was some good news, as the doctor added, “We have caught this very early, your prognosis is better than 90% recovery rate. We will sit down and look at what your best options are.”

I honestly cannot remember much of what else was said because I was numb from what I had been told. I wasn’t the first person to receive news like this and I certainly won’t be the last, but when it is you receiving the news that puts a different perspective on the situation. As I slowly hung-up the phone I tried to explain to my wife, as best as I could remember, what he had said. We both sat in stunned silence. I tried to finish my supper but my appetite had vanished like a leaf in a wind storm. The thoughts in my mind were twirling faster than a mid-west tornado. Over the years my phone has rung thousands of times, yet that phone call turned my world upside down and put me on a path of uncertainty.

For the next eight weeks my time was spent reading everything I could read on prostate cancer, talking to men who had traveled this same road, visiting several doctors discussing my best options, and finding shelter under the Wings of Christ and in the Words of Christ. I would be less than honest if I didn’t confess that there were many anxious and fearful days. There were times I felt like a trembling cat treed by a big bad barking dog. There were times I got by myself and wept. Our God wept through human eyes (John 11:35) so tears are a language He understands. Through it all the Lord was/is faithful (I Thes. 5:24; 2 Thes. 3:3) and His sustaining strength and grace was/is ever present.

After much prayer and consulting wise doctors, which I was so blessed to have, it was decided my best option was to take 43 radiation treatments. They began on Sept 10 and ended on November 7. There were times I thought they would never end, but “this too shall pass.” When my treatments started my PSA was 6.4. A month after my treatments ended my first check-up revealed my PSA had been cut in half to 3.1. Three months later, in March, I had my second check-up and it had been cut in over half again to 1.3. The goal is to get it under 1 by November. My next check-up is in July. I am praying that the goal will have been reached by then. I realize I will have to have check-ups the rest of my life. But that is ok.

It has been a year now since I got that shocking phone call and I am here to tell you, the LORD IS FAITHFUL. He has been with me every uncertain step I have taken. His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us is true. That He is a Shelter in times of storms is true. That He is our Certainty in uncertain times is true. That He is an Anchor when the ship of life is being tossed about is true. That He is a Rock that never trembles when we are trembling is true. That He who is the Prince of Peace is able to speak peace to the troubled waters of our souls is true. That He is our Foundation when we feel like we are sinking in quicksand is true. That He is our Strength when we are weak is true. That He is our Burden-Bearer when the load is too heavy to carry is true. That He is our Wisdom when our minds are perplexed is true. That He is our Great Physician when sickness invades our lives is true. That He is our Rest when our soul is restless is true. That He is our Courage when we are cowards is true. That He is our Light in our darkest hour is true. That He is our Way when we can’t see the way is true. That He is the All-Sufficient One when our sufficiency is lacking is true. That He is the Great I Am who is in the present tense of our every circumstance is true. Yes, the Lord is faithful.

We never know when that life-altering phone call or knock at the door will come. But I can assure you when you answer the phone He already knows the contents of the message you are about to hear. I can assure you when you answer that knock at the door He already knows who stands on the other side and why they are there. We can always be assured He is there no matter what we are confronted with or what we go through. He is there and that makes all the difference in the world, in eternity…and in our lives.

The Lord He is faithful.

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

WHEN A CRUMB IS ENOUGH

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / Leave a comment

We find recorded from the amazing life of Jesus a story that has always intrigued me and always results in me meditating upon the depths of its meaning. The passage reads, “Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.’ But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, ‘Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.’ But He answered and said, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’ And He answered and said, ‘It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’ But she said, ‘Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus said to her, ‘O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed at once” (Matthew 15:21-28).  crumbs

In this incident Jesus travels outside the borders of Israel into Gentile territory. The woman Jesus encountered was a Canaanite woman who was seeking healing and deliverance for her daughter. A Gentile, she was a descendant of those who had made war with Joshua and the Children of Israel when they first sought to settle in the land that was given to them by the Lord. You can imagine the disgust of the disciples as they traveled into this “foreign” territory and their even greater disgust when this woman began crying out to Jesus to get His attention. They no doubt whispered among themselves, “How embarrassing. I can’t believe this Gentile dog (“dogs” is what the Jews called the Gentiles on account of their idolatry) is trying to persuade Jesus to stop for her.”

The woman‘s desperate and persistent cries for help are rejected by Christ twice. She was not rejected because of her disrespect of Jesus, for she called Him “Lord” and the “Son of David.” She recognized His divinity and His royalty. Even so, at first He didn’t say a word in response. Have you ever felt like this dear woman? You cry to the Lord and it seems if your petitions fall on deaf ears. The fact that Jesus at first did not answer her did not mean He did not hear, and so it is with us. He is always listening but He delays His response for the purpose of working in us a greater faith and blessing.

When Jesus does respond to this woman His response seems to be one of rebuke. He tells her He is come to minister to the lost house of Israel. Her being a Gentile, that didn’t include her. That did not discourage her, though, as she fell at his feet and worshipped Him and repeated her utter dependence upon Him for help. Worshiping Christ, she humbles herself before Him, for it is the contrite and humble heart that the Lord does not and will not ever turn away. Like this Canaanite woman, we must humble ourselves before our Lord; for He resists the proud (James 4:6), but He loves the surrendered heart. Ah, we must follow the worshipful example of this woman. Desperation will drive us to the feet of Jesus where we alone can find help for our needs.
In response to this woman’s humble submission before Christ, she hears Him say to her, “Shall I take food from the children’s table and cast it to the dogs?” While on the surface Jesus seems to be dealing rather harsh with her, He is trying to draw out, like precious gold, the genuineness of this woman’s faith. Her desperate need and surrendered heart looked with eyes of faith beyond what seemed like a stern remark. She humbly replied, “Even the dogs are allowed to eat the crumbs that fall under their master’s table.Just give me the crumbs that fall on the floor from your table and that will be enough to meet my needs.”

One ancient divine, commenting on the woman’s faith response to Jesus, writes, “Nourish me then as Thy dog. I cannot leave my master’s table. You cannot drive me from Thee either by rough words or by blows. I will not leave Thee, until my need is met. Give me therefore, 0 most merciful Lord, only a crumb, give me this and it will suffice. Let this one crumb fall among us Gentiles, and I will gather it up.”

The crumbs from His table were enough for her, more than the finest dishes from any other table. Even the crumbs of His grace and mercy are superior to the richest feasts found elsewhere on earth. Even though a Gentile she believed in Christ; she believed the Messiah was able to meet her need. She trusted in His Almighty power and love. She knew that He would set her daughter free and she only needed a crumb from His infinite grace for it to be so. Jesus commends her for her faith and granted her request.
While Jesus appeared to be rather harsh, by faith this woman could see the true heart and love of the Savior and His love for her. As the powerful and poetic Charles Spurgeon once said, “We may not always be able to trace the hand of God, but you can always trust the heart of God.” This woman trusted the heart of Christ even when it seemed He was indifferent. We must do the same. Jesus knew how desperate this woman was and He is always waiting to be gracious to all who sincerely come before Him with surrendered heart, who appeal to his merciful and loving heart.

To embrace Christ even when we don’t understand all His dealings with us is to eventually be filled with His graces that are found even in His smallest crumbs. Whatever our need His tiniest crumb is filled with enough mercy and grace to meet our biggest challenge and need. God’s grace is immeasurable. Since God’s grace is limitless, any crumbs falling from His table of grace contains His infinite provisions.

No matter how stern and indifferent life or heaven may sometime seem to our cries, let us remember His heart is full of boundless grace, mercy and love and waits for us to come before Him with a surrendered heart. As we do, we will discover even the crumbs that fall from His table is sufficient provision for our every need. A crumb from the Master’s table is enough.

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

TRUSTING THE PILOT

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / Leave a comment

Last week I visited my daughter and her family who live in College Park, Maryland. It is about a seven hour drive from State Road, NC, so my chosen means of transportation is flying. The flight to Maryland went off without a hitch and went as smooth as silk. Staying a week, it was time to take flight back to North Carolina. Saturday afternoon, May 31, wa????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????s a picturesque day. There were only wispy white clouds floating in a dazzling blue sky, the sun was shining brightly, and there was only a zephyr of a breeze to speak of. A smooth uneventful flight home was anticipated.

Boy was I wrong!

The plane headed for Charlotte was about three-quarters full, so I grabbed a window seat so I could admire the beauty of earth from an altitude where birds can’t soar! The take off went smoothly and the plane ascended to about 27,000 feet. Then it happened. The plane began to rock back and forth like a sideways rocking chair. Then it felt like we were hitting speed bumps in a car that was going too fast. The only problem was you can’t slow down and pull over on the side of the road! Where I was sitting I could see the wings shimmy a bit. People were looking around at each other. Everyone on board was in unison in their thinking, “What is going on?”

The pilot’s reassuring voice came over the cabin speakers to inform everyone that the plane had encountered some wind turbulence and it was creating a choppy flight. I had another word for the flight and it was not “choppy.” The pilot said he was going to take the plane up higher, to 30,000 feet, which should solve the problem. While it did lessen the “choppy” flight, it didn’t stop it completely. It just felt like the speed bumps were a little smaller.

One is pretty helpless when you are 30,000 feet in the air and the plane is rocking back and forth. All one can do is the trust the pilot. As I sat there my fate was in the hands of a pilot I didn’t even know. I was never worried that the plane would not land safely in Charlotte. And sure enough, it did. I was thankful a skilled pilot was in the cockpit.

I got to thinking, when flying you must trust a pilot you don’t even know. Your life is in his hands. You trust he knows what he is doing. You trust he will get you through “choppy” occurrence that may be experienced during the flight. You trust he will get you to your destination.

If we can so easily trust a mortal pilot who we don’t even know, why do we find it so difficult to commit our lives and “the keeping of our souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator” (I Peter 4:19)? As our eternal Heavenly Pilot He knows all and sees all. When we experience “choppy” situations and circumstance in our lives He is there to see us through them. As the Captain of our salvation (Hebrews 2:9-10) He never leaves or forsakes us. He is our Pilot, our Guide, our Sustainer, our Strength, our Comforter, our Surety, our Mediator, our Redeemer, our Great I am, and the list of all  that He is to us goes on and on.

I need not fear what turbulence I encounter in life, my Pilot is flying the plane. He has proven in my life over and over again that I can trust Him and commit myself to Him in full confidence. There are times in life He has to take us higher and draw us closer to Himself. As we soar high with Him He enables us to endure the “choppiness” of life with peace and an inward sense of His presence. As we daily trust Him there is no need to doubt we will not reach our intended destination and the unfolding of His best for our lives. And when the plane ride on this earth comes to the end of life’s runway, our soul will take flight in the arms of our Heavenly Pilot, carrying us beyond the gravity of this world to touch down in a Land where all turbulence will cease.

The only true and eternal refuge in life is to daily commit ourselves to our Heavenly Pilot. The words of an old hymn says it well: “Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us, O’er the world’s tempestuous seas Do you want a pilot, signal then to Jesus. Jesus Savior,  pilot me.”

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

WATER OUT OF THE ROCK

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / Leave a comment

I do my early morning runs at the Elkin Park. The rock-dust mile oval is convenient, but can get monotonous at times. The park now has opened a new trail that runs along the Elk Creek with a bridge built over the creek and continues on for about a mile on a freshly laid rock-dust path. The new path cut through the woods along the babbling waters of the creek makes for a scenic and relaxing run.

As I was running the other day I noticed along the new path was a picturesque sight I captured with my cell phone.  Passing a rock-faced hill I noticed in the middle of the barren, dry and lifeless rocks there was water trickling out and around the water’s outlet was gwateroutrock 009reenery. Even amidst the deadness of the rocks there was life giving waters providing, producing and sustaining life.

I paused to reflect upon what I was seeing. My mind traveled back in time to the plight of the Israelites as they made their way through the dry desert toward the Promise Land (Exodus 17:1-5; Is. 48:21). They grew thirsty on the dusty path they were traveling and cried out to Moses for water. Moses, at the command of the Lord, struck a Rock in the dry and barren desert and water began to gush out to quench the thirst of the people. Paul tells us that the Rock was a picture of what Christ came to do for us (I Cor. 10:4).

As we travel the dusty roads of this life, in the midst of the parched and waterless circumstances that at times visit us all, as we pass the barren and lifeless rocks that sometimes surround us — in the midst of it all there is a ROCK who provides for us life-giving Water. His name is Jesus Christ. He is not only the Rock, He is the Water out of the Rock. His water provides just what we need.wateroutrock 010

First, His water out of the Rock provides salvation for the weary sinner. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, but in Christ the waters of His grace can wash away our vilest sins. The religions of this world are like barren rocks that have no life in them, but Christ is the water of life that invites us to not embrace religion but to embrace Him in a life giving relationship. Christ is the only eternal water that flows from amidst the waterless man-made religious rocks of the world, and He alone can wash away our sins.

Second, His water out of the Rock satisfies the longings of the weary soul. People, like the Woman at the Well (John 4), are looking for peace, love, relationship, hope, joy, something to put their confidence in, etc. What the soul of man longs for is found in Christ, for He is the water out of the Rock that can quench the thirst of the weary longings of the soul. Jesus invitingly says to the weary soul, “Whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).

Third, His water out of the Rock is sufficient in weary situations. Situations and circumstances come into all our lives that drain us and leave us feeling parched in spirit. The water of life found in the Rock of Christ is sufficient to sustain us no matter the situation. When our spirits seem to wilt in the heat of life’s situations, Christ is there with the Water of Life to revive us and keep the “greenery” of our spirits vibrant with life – His life.

Fourth, His water out of the Rock is our strength in the weariness of sickness. If we live long enough all of us will face the foe of sickness and disease. It is inevitable. Sooner or later we will sit in the doctor’s office or talk to him on the phone and listen in stunned silence as he delivers bad news to us. I have been there, I know. Where do we turn for strength as we face an uncertain future? The answer is simple, we draw our strength from the Water out of the Rock. He is there to strengthen us with His life healing waters. And thankfully, His water supply never runs dry.

Fifth, His water out of the Rock will eventually be our Stream that carries us away from the weariness of life’s struggles. The Psalmist says that when Moses “smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed” (Ps. 78:20). Will the swelling stream of life eventually carry us away from the struggles of this life? Unless the Lord returns we will all find ourselves sailing upon the stream of life until it merges into eternity. The question is, will we be sucked downward by the undertow of death’s swelling tide or will we find ourselves docking safely upon heaven’s eternal shores where the struggles of life will be ended? The answer to that question depends on whether or not we are drinking from the eternal water that flows from the Rock.

Yes, Christ alone is the life-giving water that flows out of the rocky hillsides of this world. He beckons us to come to Him and drink (John 7:37). As you and I walk the dusty paths of this life, as we are confronted with the rocky barren hillsides that seem to wall us in, just remember that One greater than Moses has provided for us a Rock from which flows an endless supply of heavenly water that is available for us in every situation and circumstance we encounter in life.

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

GIVING THANKS ON MEMORIAL DAY

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / Leave a comment

Memorial Weekend has arrived and Memorial Day is Monday. There are several stories on how Memorial Day actually began. More than a few cities claim to be the birthplace of the now national holiday. One of the first observances in honoring the war dead occurred in the southern state of Mississippi. memDay

On April 25, 1866, in Columbus, Mississippi, a group of women were decorating the graves of Confederate soldiers who had fallen in the battle of Shiloh. A grief-stricken mother, after decorating the graves of her two sons who died fighting for the South, walked over to two mounds of dirt at the corner of the cemetery to place flowers on the graves of two Union soldiers. As she respectfully placed the flowers on the barren graves, someone said to her in a rebuking tone, “What are you doing? Those are the graves of Union soldiers.” Responding in a voice filled with compassion and sympathy, the mother softly stated, “I know. I also know that somewhere in the North, a mother or a young wife mourns for them as we do for ours.”

Such a loving act of kindness was one of the seeds that were planted in the soil of a fractured nation that grew into what became known as Memorial Day. In May of 1868, three years after the Civil War ended, Decoration Day was observed when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers in Arlington National Cemetery. General John Logan stating, “Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.”

Each year afterwards more and more states recognized Decoration Day, honoring all those who lost their lives in the Civil War. By the turn of the 20th century Memorial Day ceremonies on May 30 were being held throughout the nation. After WWI the day was expand to honor and remember those who died in all American wars. In 1971 Memorial Day was declared by Congress a national holiday, being observed on the last Monday in May.

It is only fitting that on this special day we pause to honor those who have faithfully served our country and the some 1.2 million American service men and women who have died in our nation’s wars. It has been said of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country, “Not only are they commemorated by columns and inscriptions, but there dwells also an unwritten memorial of them, graven not on stone but in the hearts of men.”

Because evil seeks to suppress life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, freedom always comes at a price. Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter written to William Stephens Smith, November 13, 1787, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural [nourishment].”

Samuel Adams, a Founding Father who helped draft the Articles of Confederation, stated, “The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards.”

This country just didn’t happen; it began on July 4, 1776 when 56 brave men signed their names to a document known as the Declaration of Independence pledging together their lives that we might have the United States of America. Let us not forget our Founding Fathers sacrifices and those who have served this great country and those who shed their blood that freedom might still flourish.

While it would be more than wonderful if no more wars were fought, we live in a world where liberty must be defended as long as freedom-hating tyrants exist. As Americans we may not always agree with the wars that we as a nation find ourselves involved in, but we must always rally around those who put their lives on the line to keep us free from tyrannical rulers and those who seek to oppress freedom and liberty. These freedom-defending men and women are the real heroes amongst us.

This Memorial Day as we gather with family for cookouts, as we embark upon family outings, as we enjoy the freedoms we too often take for granted, let us pause and give thanks to the Good Lord for all those who have served and those who have sacrificed so much. As well, let us breathe a silent prayer for those serving on foreign soils that are separated from their families that we might be able to be with ours.

May God Bless (and have mercy upon) the United States of America.

Blessings,

Dr. Dan