House of Hope Online

April 13, 2025

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Nancy and I are on the road again this week, visiting with children and grandchildren.  We call it the Birthday tour.  Last month we traveled to Alabama to celebrate the common birthday of our son Anthony, our grandson Aiden, and granddaughter Hailey.  This month we celebrate the birth of our daughter, Laura, who is the baby of our family, and our oldest child, Will.  We are breaking our diets with birthday cakes!!!!

As I sought the Lord for a word for today, He took me to Luke 19, and the loud, joyful praise expressed for Jesus as He descended Mount Olivet on the colt of the donkey on the first Palm Sunday.

Luke 19:

 29 And it came about that when He approached Bethphage and Bethany, near the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples,

 30 saying, “Go into the village opposite [you,] in which as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it, and bring it [here.]

 31 “And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ thus shall you speak, ‘The Lord has need of it.’”

 32 And those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them.

 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.”

 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and they threw their garments on the colt, and put Jesus [on it.]

 36 And as He was going, they were spreading their garments in the road.

 37 And as He was now approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen,

 38 saying, “BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

This is a familiar passage of scripture, but it always amazes me how the Lord uses familiar scripture for a fresh word.  This time, the words that jumped out at me came from verse 37 as the multitude began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for “all the miracles which they had seen.”   The Lord had done miracles, and this brought forth joyful praise from the people as they acknowledged Jesus as King.

As I contemplated what the Lord was saying, I began to praise Him for all the miracles I had seen.  Just five months ago, I had open-heart surgery to replace my aortic valve for the second time.  I struggled last fall, going through all the testing that pointed to a second surgery that I had been praying would not be necessary.  I relayed in prior podcasts how God miraculously spoke into my spirit as I went through those disappointments, and how He lifted my countenance so I could face that surgery again. 

As I awaited surgery, I could not see this far – that I would be traveling to celebrate these birthdays with my beloved family, each of them a miracle in their own right.  My recovery has been amazing – it seems to have gone better than it did last time, even though I am 10 years older.  I just graduated last week from 12 weeks of cardiac rehab at St Clair Hospital. I am back up to 3.8 miles per hour on the treadmill, and I am even doing some weightlifting with my sternum fully healed.

But my recovery from the surgery is just one in a long list of miracles in my life.  My salvation was an awesome move of the Holy Spirit as He pried me from the clutches of Satan, who did not want to let go.  This family that Nancy and I celebrate during this season almost didn’t happen as the devil tried to break up our marriage in the early going.  It was truly a miracle that brought us through.  God spoke wisdom into Nancy as He drew me to salvation by the Holy Spirit.

The Lord saved me from at least two car accidents, and He has manifested in my professional life repeatedly, always providing for our family during trying times. 

Unfortunately, our fleshly nature is not to praise Him, but instead we move on to the next issue, or perceived crisis, that we face.  The Lord is encouraging us this Palm Sunday to lay down our burdens and begin to “praise Him joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles” which we have seen.

Verse 38 says “BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

While our world faces turmoil every day as the spirit of unbelief tries to rule and reign here, we can take comfort in knowing there is peace in heaven and glory in the highest places where Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father.  We can praise Him joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles we have seen.  And we can celebrate that “BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD.”

I encourage you to spend some time during this season to consider all the miracles you have seen – all the times the Lord has been faithful to you, all the joys in your life, all the deliverance, all the health and healing, and all the miracle provisions Jesus has brought forth to you.  Be blessed, knowing that the King who comes in the name of the Lord is blessed.  Be blessed, knowing that peace is in heaven and glory is in the highest.

Let us pray.

Father God, thank You for all the miracles we have seen.  We praise Jesus joyfully with a loud voice, and we say: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.”  We are not worthy of the grace and blessings You have bestowed on us.  We look forward to Your Kingdom coming, and Your will being done on earth as it is in Heaven.  In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen.