We've had snow again twice this week. I don't mind shoveling it, as it gives me some exercise, but I hear they don't have snow in Arizona. Yesterday one of our members was struggling to get the little church tractor running so he could plow the sidewalks.

         It reminded me of a little boy who sold a pastor his lawn mower. The pastor paid him $10, but then couldn't get it started. "Does it run?" asked the pastor. "Sure," said the boy, "but you have to cuss at it or it won't go." "Oh, goodness," the pastor said, "It has been so long since I've done that, I don't know what to say." The boy answered, "Don't worry, Reverend. You pull on the rope long enough and it'll all come back to you."

         Some 30 years ago I received a very special gift from a church member. It was a fern plant, with rich, green leaves flowing over sides of the pot, very healthy. This fern was unusual in that it had several kinds of leaf formations, mutated over the 100 years the plant had been alive. So I admired it and wanted to take good care of it. I watered it when it seemed dry, kept it out of direct sunlight, misted the branches and kept it with other plants. I think I even tried talking to it. But in about two months, the plant turned brown and was dying. I took it back to the donor and she kept it about three months and gave it back to me all luscious and green again.

         Guess what? In two months, the plant was dying again. So I took it to the owner of the local greenhouse who kept it a few months and gave it back to me all green and luscious again. Five months later the plant was dead, and this time I didn't have the heart to tell anyone. I later found out later I had been over watering it, drowning it. So I got rid of it and eventually all my indoor plants and I haven't regretted it since.

         In today's Bible text from Isaiah, God tells us, "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish." Here God's Word is compared to the rain and snow that waters the earth. Plants can't grow without water and humans and animals can't live without water, but too much isn't good either.

         A long time ago my father the farmer explained to me the cloud and rain cycle, how water evaporates from the earth going up into the clouds where tiny droplets settle on dust particles in the air and form the clouds. When the droplets get too big or heavy, they fall to earth again in rain and snow, replenishing the wells and rivers and the lakes and watering plants and trees and animals. Then the water evaporates again, going back up into the clouds, having helped the plants and animals to live. Water is essential to all life, and so the cloud and rain cycle is essential to life. Rain and snow water the earth before returning to the clouds. Without the rain and snow, the earth with all its creatures would die. But with the rain and snow, all living things flourish and grow.

         Water is not the only thing essential to life. Isaiah the prophet tells us God's Word is even more essential to life, for God's Word is His will. Like the snow and rain that falls, God's Word comes down to us from God Himself in the heavens and accomplishes what God wishes it to do. God's Word gives us life, and enriches all the earth.

         God's Word is power and that power was first was observed at creation. God spoke and things happened. "Let there be light," He said, and light came into being. He said, "Let there be air and land and sea and sky for the sun, moon and stars and oceans for animals and fish who live in the water, and let there be land for the animals and human beings." And merely by His speaking, all this happened perfectly.

         The Bible says God created all things with the power of His Word. He said, "Let there be all kinds of living creatures, each according to its kind, and let there be trees and plants on the land." And God also said, "Let us make man in our own image." And it happened. But here God did something different. He took the clay of the earth and formed man and breathed into him the breath of life, and God gave man and woman a living, eternal soul.

         God's Word is power and it accomplishes what He wishes. We know it happened because the Bible tellls us this and we believe the Bible to be God's Word. But what is God's will today? What is it that God wants to accomplish today? Isaiah 55 says God's Word is His will. So, if God's Word comes down from heaven to accomplish His will, then what exactly is His Will?

         We know God has some general wishes for the earth. These are revealed to us in His Word. In my studies of the Bible, there appear to be four general wishes God has for the earth:

         #1 - God wishes the salvation of mankind: The Bible says, "God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:4) That is the main purpose of God's Word. If mankind needed no salvation, we would have little need for the Bible. But because of sin, we need to be saved, and God wants all people to be with Him in heaven. He does not wish our death, but our life. God wants our eternal salvation.

         #2 - God wants all mankind to honor Him: Psalm 45:11 says, "Honor God for He is your Lord." God wants us to honor and obey Him because that's what's best for us. We can obey our own nature, but it often leads into pain and trouble. God wishes us to honor Him in word and deed, because that is the best way for us to live. By nature we honor our sinful selves. By nature we will argue and fight. But when we honor God, we are blessed and we get along better with each other. God wants all mankind to honor Him.

         #3 - God wants earthly blessings for mankind: God wants our welfare. Psalm 32:1 says, "Blessed is he whose sins are forgiven." God has forgiven us and wants our happiness. He wants us to thrive, to be productive and use the earth and its resources the best we can. The Father loves His children wants the best for them. His will is not always what we want, but it is what is best. God's will is to give us all the blessings we should have.

         #4 - God wants the defeat of His enemies: Here's one we forget. God has many enemies in the world and in the underworld. Satan wants God's destroyed, but knowing he can never have that, he wants God's people destroyed. John 8:44 says, "Satan is a murderer from the beginning." He leads us to destruction through lies and deception. Satan cannot kill us, but he can deceive us so that we die, needlessly and separated from God. God's wants the defeat of His enemies.

         These four things show us the "general will of God." But we also know God has a specific will for people, for each of us, and for our families. God even has a specific will for certain nations. This is the "specific will of God," and God accomplishes His will in all things.

         When we pray, "Thy will be done on earth and it is in heaven," we are asking that God's will be done among us. We know His will is done without our asking, but we want to be part of it. We sinners rarely know the specific will of God for us, and are often left to our own opinions.

         A bishop who lived over a century ago pronounced from his pulpit and monthly periodical that heavier-than-air flight was both impossible, and furthermore, contrary to the will of God. "God did not intend for man to fly," he said. The man's name was Bishop Wright, and he had two sons, Orville and Wilbur! I guess now we could say Wright was wrong. He was very sure of his opinions, but Bishop Wright was still wrong.

         Because we can err so badly, we need God's Word to show us the way. God's Word comes down to us from heaven and always accomplishes what He wants. The soft rain of God's Word is God giving us direction for life, and the lightening storms that come by accident and disease, show us quickly who is in charge and to whom we should go. And His directions are often very specific.

         A golfer approached the tee on a difficult hole whose green surrounded by water and sand traps. He debated how he should play the hole, so He prayed and asked God for help. As he pulled out an old ball and placed it on the tee, he heard a voice from above saying, "Use a new ball!" The golfer obediently replaced the old ball with the new one and stepped to the tee again. Now the voice from above said, "Take a practice swing!" So the golfer stepped back and took a couple of practice swings. The voice said loud and clear, "Better use the old ball!"

         God knows us and what is best for us, and when we hear His Word, telling us what is right and wrong, we need to listen and obey Him God's Word gives life and is always right.

         An old Scottish woman went across the countryside selling thread and buttons to make a living. When she came to an unmarked intersection, she would toss a stick into the air and go in the direction the stick pointed. One day, she was seen tossing the stick up several times. "Why do you toss the stick more than once?" someone asked. "Because," replied the woman, "it keeps pointing to the left, and I want to take the road on the right." So also, you and I often want God's will for us to be a certain way, but God doesn't always agree with us.

         Follow the Lord. His Word gives us pointers and helps us go the right way. That's why we have the Ten Commandments. That's why we have the words of Paul and Peter and John. They help us believe the right things and make the right decisions. Whether or not we follow God depends on whether we're listening. May we not keep tossing the stick in the air until it lands our way. May we always follow God's will in all we do and say. Amen

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  Epiphany logo designed and provided by Dale Bargmann at daleb@ecentral.com