The Joshua Victor Theory

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. Psalm 10 opens with these cries out to God, “ Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” In times of trouble, don’t you feel like God is hiding? The Psalmist cries out, “Where are you God?” “Why aren’t you helping?” “Why are you so far away?” How often have you wondered the same? Is there anyone who hasn’t, at the lowest times in their life, felt like God was hiding His face, even when we were calling out to Him in prayer? In the midst of suffering? Or when evil seemed to be rising out of control? When earthly justice failed, and there seemed no help from heaven? In these trying times, we naturally think like the Psalmist, that God is hidden or distant. This is a favorite type of scene for moviemakers, because it strikes a chord with our experience. Often they show a person in ultimate despair or loneliness, and they are crying out, but ...

·          Widow at Zarephath—hard for most of us to approach the severity and desperation of her situation. Any of us who has more than a dollar to our name would be better off than her. No safety-net, social programs. Poverty in the extreme. “End of her rope.” “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” At the needed hour, at the last hour for help, God provided the answer for her need. ·          Have you ever felt “at the end of your rope?” Perhaps very few of us could compare our financial situation to the widow’s desperate need—but have you been down and out, brokenhearted, or despairing? The help you needed seemed nowhere to be found? ·          We are reminded by th...

The audio podcast of the sermon is available here: Knowing God is Near The sermon text is Psalm 77 and Luke 13:1-5, and the sermon is about how we as Christians respond to disasters like the one that has just hit Japan with a devastating earthquake and tsunami. At times like this, people might wonder whether God is near, or if He hears our prayers. The Psalm affirms that God is near even when His footprints are unseen, and that the way that we know God is near is through the saving acts of God in history, most clearly seen in the cross of Jesus Christ. That outpouring of God's love on the cross moves our hearts to mercy and compassion for those who are suffering. May the Lord be with all of our brothers and sisters in Japan!! May the God of all peace grant you consolation in a time of great loss and sadness!