In my experience, the Lord usually takes His time in answering prayers. Sometimes, we receive the answers that we are looking for, but sometimes, the answer is not what we expected. His answer might be Yes, No, Wait, or "I have something better in mind!"

Recently, I had a message on my phone from a cousin whose cat had just died. She wanted to know if she had prayed in the wrong way by asking God to heal her cat of diabetes. Her prayer was not answered. Did her prayer cause him to die? I called her back and assured her that her prayer was absolutely genuine and right.

During our conversation, she suggested that she would like to see a Christian counsellor. I promised that I would see what I could do and get back to her later in the week. We live seven hours apart, and I did not know of anyone I could refer her to.

The next morning, I sat down at my desk and said to the Lord, "Help me begin to find someone to help my cousin." I then forgot about it and went on with my morning duties. One hour later, I checked my emails and noticed one from someone whom I did not recognize. It was from a Christian counselling service in a nearby city. The person who sent it said that this was being sent to me in case I knew of anyone who could make use of their counselling services.

With tears in my eyes, I thanked the Lord for giving me the wisdom that I needed in order to bring assistance to my cousin. I emailed the person back explaining that their outreach to me was a direct answer to prayer and told them about my cousin. He said that they could refer my cousin to a therapist closer to where she lived.

I called my cousin and shared this with her. She was overcome with gladness and was so thankful that God had answered our prayers so quickly.

Have you ever had an almost immediate answer to prayer? They are miracles, and we never forget them. The next time you pray, who knows, you may receive an answer almost before it is off your lips. A friend of mine often says, "God is seldom early but never late." Let us thank Him that His timing is perfect.

What a friend we have in Jesus!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for answering our prayers, whether over time or immediately. We leave our cares and concerns in Your loving arms. Amen.

Pastoral visitation has always been one of my priorities. Early in my ministry, I made an appointment for a regular pastoral visit with John and Helen. The first 15 minutes were filled with niceties, but then, Helen said that she wanted to tell me something that I might not want to hear. At this point, John slouched down in his chair as if to disappear from the room.

Helen looked me in the eyes and said, "David, your sermons are boring, I mean BORING. You stand up there, read every word from your notes and don't connect with the congregation." I was crushed and struck down. My first inclination was to offer a prayer and get out of there. We talked for a few minutes, and not meaning it, I thanked her for her honesty and left.

I came home and told my wife that I was resigning from ministry. We lived in a railway town, and I decided to go down the street and talk with Waddy, who worked for the railway, about becoming an engineer and making a lot of money driving trains. I was distraught and saw myself as a failure to God and to my congregation. How many others felt the same way as Helen?

However, I did not go down the street to Waddy's house. Instead, I went to my study to tell God that I was done. As I spent time with Jesus, He showed me that Helen was right. He had called me to preach the Word, not to read a prepared text. I slumped into my chair and cried out to Him for help.

It was not long afterwards that I had an experience with the Holy Spirit, Who began to free me from my text and to help me to deliver my sermons instead of reading them.

We are struck down, but not destroyed. I lived through today's verses and came out manifesting the life of Jesus. During our lives, we are afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down. The good news is that Jesus is always with us to pick us up and turn what may seem to be a disaster into a great victory.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for being Who You are: our Saviour and Lord. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for bringing the Word of the Lord alive in our lives. If we find ourselves struck down by some affliction at this time, we ask You to wrap Your loving arms around us and hold us. Lord Jesus Christ, we trust in You. Amen.

Good Friday is the most sombre day of the Christian year. Jesus died on the cross. It is a day when we can sing, "O come and mourn with me awhile".

It was my first time leading a Good Friday service. The centrepiece in the sanctuary was an eight-foot cross, not shiny and polished, but rough, with seven nails protruding from it. At a certain point in the service, I was going to invite all in the congregation to write their names on a bulletin insert that said, "I, ________, declare that Jesus Christ suffered and died for my sins." Each was then to come forward and place their name on one of the nails.

Before the service began, the organist came into the church with her gown on. She told me that she had put on some old clothes which were somewhat dirty and tattered. It did not matter, as her gown would cover them up.

The service began, and we sang the traditional hymns of crucifixion. Following the sermon, it was time to come to the cross. I invited my parishioners to come forward and spend time at the cross and put their names on it. Before I completed the instructions, the organist threw her gown to the floor and was the first one on her knees before the cross. With tears in her eyes, she placed her name on one of the nails and prayed.

I will never forget that moment. It did not matter what she looked like, or what others might think of her choice of clothing that day. What mattered was that she came before her crucified Lord and acknowledged that He died for her.

We may think that we are too dirty inside to come to the cross of Jesus. We may think that the cross is for really bad people, and we don't need to bow down before our crucified Lord. But Jesus died for everyone. He died for you and for me. We are all sinners. We need to confess our sins before Him and receive the forgiveness that He offers. God so loved the world; He so loves us that His act of selfless love will change our lives forever.

Attend the church of your choice today. Bow before the cross of Jesus Christ and experience the sacrifice and pain that He endured for your salvation.

O come and mourn with me awhile;
O come ye to the Saviour's side;
O come, together let us mourn;
Jesus, our Lord, is crucified.
       – Frederick William Faber

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I lay my sins at the foot of Your cross. Forgive me and set me free to love and serve You. Amen.

As we approach the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem those many years ago, let us stop for a minute and look back at our past experiences of Christmas. Many of us have childhood memories of participating in Christmas pageants. Whether we were a wise man, a shepherd, an angel, or perhaps playing the parts of Mary and Joseph, those memories will always be with us.

Christmas Eve services have always been a time of celebration, but at times, the unexpected happens. One Christmas Eve, as worshippers gathered for the 11:00 p.m. service, they were advised to leave their vehicles running, as they would not likely restart when the service concluded. The temperature was -35°C (-31°F) that night. As we walked out of the church, the ice-cold air around the vehicles was lit up by the white exhaust and gave the feeling of new light in our midst.

Another Christmas Eve, the Sunday School put on a play. Part of it was behind a sheet with a light shining from the back so that all that the audience could see was shadows. The theme of the play was about how God replaces our hearts of stone with hearts of flesh. Part of the play included heart transplant surgery, supposedly performed on me, the minister, with my part being played by a stuffed bear. Unexpectedly, for anesthetic, they knocked him out with a hammer! The point of the play was that God, Who came down in love at Christmas, fills our hearts with His love. After the surgery, it was revealed that Jesus was — and is — the surgeon. A doll, representing Jesus, was brought out from behind the sheet, from the shadows into the light. It was clear that Jesus offers everyone a new heart at Christmas.

Then, there was the night when the children were singing, and one girl, whose costume required that she wear a tea towel on her head, leaned over too close to a lighted candle, and unexpectedly, the towel caught on fire. Everyone's heart stopped! Fortunately, two volunteer firefighters were present and rushed to the front and put it out. She was unharmed. No one forgot that Christmas miracle.

Perhaps, as you are reading this, your own memories of unexpected Christmases past have come rushing into your mind. The sights, the sounds, and the feelings of Christmas are unforgettable moments that are part of who we are.

This Christmas, as we gather to worship and celebrate the birth of Jesus, let us look for the unexpected. God might give you a new heart or a special memory to share with someone you love.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, as we celebrate Your birth once again, may You cause us to remember with gratitude that You are the Holy One from God Who has saved our souls. Amen.

My first student church was in the small village of Vermilion Bay in northwestern Ontario, Canada. During my ministry there, I became acquainted with a dear old woman from Denmark. One hot summer afternoon in 1976, she shared the following story with me about Christmas. Although I'm not sure of its authenticity, it could have happened this way, and I have told this story at almost every Christmas Eve service since then.

Every Advent, in a large downtown Presbyterian church, the choir was responsible for setting up the manger scene as part of decorating the sanctuary for Christmas. Prior to the first Sunday of Advent, they retrieved the boxes from the basement and methodically reconstructed the manger scene at the front of the sanctuary.

It was the tradition that all the pieces were put in place except the baby Jesus. The doll representing the newborn King was placed in the manger on the Sunday before Christmas Eve.

The fourth Sunday of Advent arrived, and the baby Jesus was placed in the manger. All was set for the celebration of the birth of Jesus on Christmas Eve.

The choir arrived early to practice for the Christmas Eve service, and following the practice, two choir members went down to check on the manger scene. To their horror, the baby Jesus was missing. They looked high and low for that doll but it could not be found. There was no time to find another before the service began.

The organ began to play O come all ye faithful, and the choir processed down the aisle, walking past the empty manger. The minister welcomed everyone to the service and announced that there would be no baby Jesus in the manger that night. It seems that someone might have stolen the doll.

During the opening prayer, there was a loud banging at the back of the church. Someone was pulling something up the stairs. The church went silent as a little boy walked down the centre aisle pulling a red wagon. As he neared the front of the sanctuary, people could be heard whispering. In the wagon was the baby Jesus. When the boy reached the front of the church, he reached into the wagon, picked up the doll and gently placed it in the manger.

The minister, who by now was standing beside the boy, looked down on him and asked why he had stolen the baby Jesus. Did he not know that it would not be Christmas without Him being there?

The little boy looked up at the minister with his big brown eyes and said, "In our house, we get to open one gift after dinner on Christmas Eve. I opened this red wagon. When I was here on Sunday, I went up to baby Jesus and told Him that if I got a red wagon for Christmas, I would give Him the first ride in it. It's His birthday, you know."

With tears in his eyes, the minister gave the boy a big hug, the congregation cheered, and the organ sounded the beginning notes of Away in a manger. Jesus was returned in time for Christmas.

This story touches at the heart of Christmas. It is about the birth of the Saviour of the world, and it is about giving. The Magi came from afar to offer gifts to the King for Whom they had been searching their whole lives. This boy offered the gift of the first ride in his new wagon.

May this story touch our hearts that we might share it with others and remember the impact that this boy had on others by putting Jesus first in his life.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, once again, we celebrate Your birth in Bethlehem those many years ago. As we hear the familiar story, sing the music of Christmas, and give and receive gifts, may we rejoice in You, the greatest Christmas gift ever. You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Amen.

In today's world, the medium is our cell phones, which affect how we see the world, no matter the message that we send or receive. Cell phones have become the way that we communicate. We are addicted to technology. I noticed two young people sitting on a couch texting. I asked what they were doing, and they said that they were talking with each other.

In the ancient days of the Bible, God often used prophets as the medium to bring His message to His people. Malachi was such a messenger; in fact, his name means "messenger" or "messenger of the Lord".

Malachi 3:1 – Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. (ESV)

This suggests that Malachi's own ministry foreshadowed John the Baptist, the coming medium who prepared the people for their Messiah.

Advent is all about preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. The medium for the announcement of Jesus' birth was the angels who proclaimed, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased." (Luke 2:14 ESV)

Their message still rings with eternal significance — Jesus is the message, the Word of God made flesh, Who dwelt among us. He is also the medium through Whom our salvation is obtained. His message never changes; it is the good news of the kingdom of God, but it is so much more. Jesus is the personal messenger Who reaches out to us through His Word and the working of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is not an impersonal Saviour Whose message can be refuted, debated, or altered. He is not a virtual saviour, but the living God, and His message is not fake news! Through Him, we have forgiveness of sin and eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. Hold on to the truth!

As we count down the days until Christmas, let us take some time away from the world and its clamour. Turning off our cell phones, closing our laptops, and signing out of social media, let's take a few minutes each day and open our Bibles. Take time to consider that Jesus is both the Medium and the Message.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we humbly bow before You. We thank You for being our Saviour and our Lord. As we spend these moments alone with You, fill us with the Holy Spirit. Fill us with the truth that Your Word proclaims. Come, Lord Jesus, into the deepest region of our souls and dwell in our midst. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen.

While I was growing up, I attended Sunday school, went to youth group, studied music, and became an organist and choir director. During this time, I was influenced by New Age teaching, which I fervently studied and become involved in. Various esoteric inner peace organizations and universal mind groups deeply influenced my theological formation.

I was searching for truth. I was attracted to the premise that I was learning hidden truths that would allow me to become like God. I could be one with the mind of the universe. I could be more spiritual, more enlightened, more in tune with the power of the gods. I could even control and use this power. What an attractive proposition! There were many ways that lead to God, I thought.

During my fourth year at university, I felt led to study theology. I went to seminary and became a minister. All the time, I shared my New Age beliefs and even wove them into my sermons, explaining that these were new ideas, new interpretations of Scripture. I was enlightened. The scary thing was that no one in my first church seemed to notice that I was preaching false doctrine.

After my first two years of ministry, I was still searching for peace and spiritual illumination. The esoteric teaching was leaving me empty inside. I needed to know what was missing in my life. One day, I received a regular monthly cassette tape from the Association for the Understanding of Man. They were thoroughly New Age, offering psychic readings to tell the future. The tape began by saying that they were in a time of transformation. The leadership had attended an old-fashioned, evangelistic tent meeting in order to heckle, but the Holy Spirit got hold of them. They gave their lives to Jesus and were announcing to the membership that they were denouncing all former teaching and activities and were now Christians.

I felt abandoned and confused. Had they bought the Jesus thing? After all, there are many ways to God. Shortly afterward, I was baptized with the Holy Spirit in my bed as I was talking with God. My life was changed. In an instant, I knew that Jesus was my Saviour and Lord. I burned my library of New Age books and announced to my congregation that I had become a Christian.

There are so many false teachers in the world today with so many false teachings. How can we know the way to God?

John 14:6 – Jesus said to [Thomas], "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (ESV)

Be careful whom you listen to. Be careful what teaching you accept. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and give you discernment from God's holy Word. By the grace of God, I know that Jesus is the only way to the Father. May God give you this knowledge as well. Pray with me:

Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, You came to bring salvation to the world. You came to call me into a relationship with You. You came to forgive my sins and make me holy and acceptable to Your Father in heaven. Give me eyes to see and ears to hear the truth of the gospel, and may I be equipped by the Holy Spirit to share this good news with others. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, I pray. Amen.