There are times when we all need a proverbial, if not a literal, kick in the pants to remind us of something we know to be true despite the voices in us and around us screaming to the contrary.

My reminder came in the form of a short verse and a phrase repeated several times by my Pastor, James Bond, during his message on Sunday morning.

Although he would most likely counter this statement, when James Bond speaks people tend to listen.

You can almost hear the 007 theme music as well the self –identifying statement, “Bond, James Bond”, can’t you?

As my pastor opened his message he quoted the following verse:

“God has spoken plainly and I have heard it many times; power, oh God, belongs to you.” Psalms 62:11 (NLT)

There is currently a particular circumstance in my life in which I have found myself under the constant barrage of thoughts declaring “there is no hope”, all the while knowing deep down the opposite to be true.

It has been a day in, day out volley of punches aimed at getting me into the corner of the ring and beating me into submission to yield to a much lesser truth.

When life does not turn out as hoped, it is easy to let negative thoughts dominate the cerebral landscape.

It has been said when hope is deferred it makes the heart sick.

To most of us lost hope is like the common cold, slowly wearing us down until we are waving the white flag of surrender to it.

There is a seemingly endless list of things which attempt to pound any of us into submission:

• A teenage son or daughter taking life detours which are harmful.
• Tensions which exist between you and your spouse and there is no end in sight.
• There is way more month left when the money runs out.
• Your workplace resembles a shipwreck and you see yourself like Gilligan, left on the island without a way back to civilization.
• You scratch and claw to make it through a given day, only to repeat the process every time you get out of bed.

A progressive erosion and a subtle leeching takes place to get us off our game, as the flames of hope are extinguished or leaving only embers burning.

So that I do not feel completely alone, are you tracking with me?

The phrase “Appeal to Heaven” was repeated by my pastor several times from the pulpit.

He had no idea this phrase has been percolating inside of me as my mind boomeranged to an image I saw on a large screen while attending an arena event a couple of months back.

The image was that of an early American flag commissioned by George Washington at the time of the Revolutionary War.

In many ways the “Appeal to Heaven“ flag set the tone for the direction of what would become our nation.

It was rumored Washington financed a small fleet of schooners known as “Washington’s Secret Navy” and had these flags flying on them.

When Washington and his troops faced the overwhelming situation known as Valley Forge, they knew the only way to win was to “Appeal to Heaven” and to seek God’s counsel and direction to address their concerns.

On the flag is the image of an evergreen tree, emblematic of a covenant.

The pine tree was considered sacred to the Iroquois Native Americans.

During a troubling time in their history, six tribes were united by a peacemaker.

To symbolize the covenant agreement between the tribal leaders, they buried their hatchets at the base of an evergreen tree (hence the common phrase, “bury the hatchet”) in a solemn vow to remain always at peace.

So it is with our lives.

We are in a covenant relationship with God, our Father.

He is wild about us and promises to care for us.

We can appeal to Him for help.

He does not mind us doing so.

When it is all said and done, we need to acknowledge “all power belongs to God”.

He alone is our source of help.

What are we encouraged to do?

• When you have lost all hope – Appeal to Heaven!
• Before seeking an alternate route, seek His wisdom – Appeal to Heaven!
• When you are at a loss for answers or direction – Appeal to Heaven!
• When things go wrong as they often do – Appeal to Heaven!
• When all else fails – Appeal to Heaven!
• In the good times, especially the good times – Appeal to Heaven!

I will leave you with this.

”This is what the Lord says—the Lord who made the earth, who formed and established it, whose name is the Lord. Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.” (Jeremiah 33:2-3 NLT)

I don’t know about you, but this open invitation is ours and simply requires a response.

What will you do about it?

Appealing to Heaven is a great place to start!

Can you describe a time when you have “Appealed to Heaven” and experienced a direct answer?

Photo Courtesy of Bruce R. Cross