Dedicated to Elyse, a harbinger of faith and light
God’s faithfulness
Thank you for joining me today as we explore more mirror verses—important truths found in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
We’ve covered seven mirror verses or passages so far:
PART 1 mirror verses
1. Working for our good
2. God is for me
3. My shepherd
4. Finding rest
PART 2 mirror verses
5. Kind words and health
PART 3 mirror verses
6. God’s purposes
7. The word and light
Today on Choosing Peace, as we cover one more set of mirror verses, you’ll read about a preacher’s wife, a pilot named Tim, and a police officer.
8. Trusting in God’s faithfulness
The Bible contains many verses about God’s faithfulness. The Old Testament is filled with gems in this area. You’ll probably recognize my Old Testament pick—an epic powerhouse featured in our hallway.
Old Testament truth
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways remember him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
Proverbs 3:5-7, New Heart English Bible
New Testament mirror
Finally, brothers, pray for us, that we may be delivered from unreasonable and evil people; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you, and guard you from the evil one.
2 Thessalonians 3:1a, 2-3, New Heart English Bible
Our need for God
I found it interesting that these two passages both address evil. But here’s the reality: If there was no danger in the world, we wouldn’t need a protector, defender or advocate. As it stands, we desperately need all those things. Like a child needs protection, so we need our faithful, trustworthy God.
Seeing and responding
Our Old Testament truth includes this phrase: “In all your ways remember him.” Many translations use the words “acknowledge him.” What does that mean? To acknowledge God means to not ignore him. It means to intentionally seek and see him in every situation—“In all your ways.” Think about the worst experience of your life. As you look back on it, can you see God in that situation? Can you acknowledge his presence? Can you perceive his knowledge of what was happening? Has God desired healing and/or peace for you regarding that situation?
In the epic story of Joseph, God told Jacob, “…for I have seen all that [your father-in-law] Laban has done to you” ~ Genesis 31:12b, NHEB. God saw it all. Where else do we learn from the Bible that God sees everything that is going on? Consider Exodus 3:7, 2 Kings 20:5, Isaiah 57:18-19 and Jeremiah 7:11.
Our New Testament mirror passage includes a prayer request for deliverance from evil people who are without faith. I’ve prayed many-a prayer in that department! You may have too. This passage also states: “But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you, and guard you from the evil one” ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:3, NHEB. This verse speaks to the Lord’s purpose, provision and protection, some of the many ways he displays his faithfulness.
I hope you’ll find that today’s examples paint unexpected but vivid pictures of God’s faithfulness.
COVID-19 vaccines
Silent and deadly
On Labor Day, my friend Elyse texted me an article: “Surge in pilot deaths and incapacitation began in 2021, and the FAA has been trying to cover it up.” The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) intentionally hid medical incidents involving airline pilots who were forced to take the COVID-19 vaccine. “Cardiac events” for pilots in the cockpit began skyrocketing in 2021, yet the FAA opted to shut down their database that tracked pilot incapacitation in 2022. How convenient.
Poisonous jabs
After I read the article, I texted Elyse: “Excellent article! Thank you for sending it. I’m so thankful that you and Thomas saw the truth and stood firm against the poisonous jabs.” She replied: “I agree completely!! It seems like old news, but the repercussions are ongoing.”
Indeed, they are.
Watch this 6-minute bombshell video with Dr. Peter McCullough and other doctors testifying before the Senate this May about the extreme dangers of COVID-19 vaccines, which caused 74% of post-vaccine autopsied deaths in a large study. Did you catch that? (1) Certain people who got the COVID-19 vaccine died later, sometimes the same day. (2) Their bodies were autopsied to carefully determine their cause of death. (3) A whopping 74% of those deaths were caused by the COVID-19 vaccine. COVID-19 didn’t kill them. Neither did any of their pre-existing medical conditions. The vaccine killed 74% of them.
The voices of dead pilots—and millions of others—are crying out to us. Will we listen? Will we acknowledge the truth? Will we connect the dots and stop living in denial?
Severe vaccine injuries
Many people have suffered extreme injuries from the COVID-19 vaccines. Watch this 22-minute video of former pilot Tim McAdams, who was forced to get “the vaccine” by his employer in order to keep his job. Three weeks after getting the jab, Tim suffered debilitating strokes and was in the hospital for 80 days. He can’t work anymore and his wife had to quit her job to take care of him. Tim puts a personal face on this catastrophic evil.
The connection
What do these issues—vaccine mandates, deaths and injuries—have to do with God’s faithfulness? What’s the connection?
Our faithful, loving God desires us to know the truth—about him, about life, about what’s going on. And yes, about the alarming number of dead and injured airline pilots and citizens worldwide. He doesn’t want us to “wing it” or “fly blind,” as the sayings go. He helps us to grow in wisdom, understanding and discernment. He gives us courage to be voices of truth in a world full of lies. He warns us repeatedly in his word about avoiding evil.
Our Old Testament truth featured at the top of this post includes this warning: “Depart from evil” (Proverbs 3:7c, NHEB). When employees and families worldwide said no to vaccine mandates, they were departing from evil. We said no and departed from evil. Thomas and Elyse said no and departed from evil. Other friends said no and departed from evil. But others didn’t. We’re eternally thankful for our loved ones who are still with us even though they got the jab. We pray that they will be supernaturally spared from any fallout.
God’s faithfulness inspires our faithfulness.
God’s boldness inspires our boldness.
God’s love inspires our love.
Nearness
We learn about God’s character, including his faithfulness, in his word. Deuteronomy 30:11-20 beautifully relates the essential value and closeness of God’s word. It is not hidden. It is near. Here is the key verse:
But the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart and in your hand, so that you can do it.
Deuteronomy 30:14, New Heart English Bible
God’s word is near and he himself is near.
Commemorations
These three commemorations also demonstrate God’s faithfulness—before and after death.
Kari Baker
On Thursday, a video popped up on my YouTube feed. I rarely watch crime content, but this 30-minute video caught my eye: “Killer Pastor Thinks He Got Away – Until They Find Clues in her Bible | The Case of Kari Baker.” A devoted wife, mom and third-grade teacher was murdered in her Texas home by her husband Matt Baker, who staged the scene as a suicide.
Warning
I highly recommend this video as a warning and a tool for discernment. As you watch it, ask yourself these questions. What red flags did you notice along the way? What jumped out at you? What disturbed you? Why did the police close their investigation so quickly and rule Kari’s death a suicide? Why did multiple authorities take the easy, convenient way out? Why?
I assert that the murderer’s role as a well-liked, small-town pastor, along with his confident, seemingly-cooperative statements acted as powerful persuaders. He even went on national television professing his innocence.
Crying out
Kari’s voice cried out for justice and her mom and other relatives went to extraordinary measures to see her murder solved. Kari’s murder reminds me of this verse after Cain killed his brother Abel:
And God said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.”
Genesis 4:10, New Heart English Bible
Kari’s blood cried out to God too.
Purposes fulfilled
This murder case may seem like a strange topic for a post on trusting in God’s faithfulness. From our human perspective, we view Kari’s life as tragic—cut short by evil, with a very sad ending. But from the eternal perspective, we can trust our Lord.
Did Kari fulfill God’s purposes for her life? I believe she did. She was the mother of three precious girls. She was a faithful wife. She was a beloved teacher to many students. She was a treasured daughter, niece, friend, etc. And she was a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. Perhaps her death saved other people from being murdered by Matt Baker. Also, Kari’s murder and its aftermath provide important warnings for us all today. Focus on the facts. What happened? What do I see and not see? What do I hear and not hear? What was said and not said? What was done and not done? What seems strange here? What do these facts tell me? What do they mean?
When Kari entered glory to see her Savior Jesus face-to-face, one of her daughters was there waiting for her.
The Lord is on his throne.
He is faithful and he is good.
Joshua Smythe
I wrote about our stillborn son Joshua in this post. The time has come to share another important aspect of his story.
Dr. Busy
While we were expecting Joshua, I was being seen in an obstetrics practice with four doctors. After a certain stage of each pregnancy, patients would rotate through the four doctors—a different one per month—in case one of them ended up delivering the baby. During Joshua’s final month before his death, we were seen by a woman I’ll call Dr. Busy. I had several complications that month that didn’t seem to concern Dr. Busy, including when my water broke one night. She said maybe I peed on myself. Excuse me? She told me to come in first thing the next day so she could check me. I sat for hours in the lobby. Everyone else was seen before me. The sonogram confirmed that I had indeed not peed on myself. My water broke the night before and we were in a medical emergency. Dr. Busy gave me paperwork admitting me to the hospital, but she never checked on me. The other three physicians in the practice checked on me while I was in the hospital for several days. Dr. Busy didn’t make it. I guess she was busy.
The assignment
After Joshua died and the dust settled a little, the Holy Spirit gave me an important assignment: “Write up what happened. Other mothers and babies in your area must be protected from this doctor.” I requested a copy of my medical records from the practice, but they didn’t fill my request. I went down there and said, basically, “I’ll wait.” I became the squeaky wheel, so I got my records. I met with the head of the practice, who said, basically: “These things happen.” Thanks for nothing. (My next doctor said These things do not happen; and he gave me extensive, revealing testing.)
I wrote everything up—just the facts—including how the care I received from Dr. Busy deviated from the protocols described in the pregnancy book they gave me. It was therapeutic to document what we’d been through, even though I excluded any emotions. I mailed my multi-paged complaint to the state medical board and to my insurance company. Shock of America—the portion of my hospital bill that the insurance company wasn’t going to cover got magically paid.
The results
The next year, someone told me Dr. Busy was no longer in that medical practice. Hmmm. I looked her up on my computer. She was practicing in South Carolina and getting appropriately-terrible online reviews. One woman described how Dr. Busy no-showed for her baby’s delivery. I guess Dr. Busy was busy. I added my story to the list. In my heart, I believe my insurance company said, “We will no longer play with you, Dr. Busy. You’re bad for business.” I believe that’s why she had to move across the country.
God was so kind to show me these results,
which gave me a great sense of peace.
God gave me an important assignment. He inspired and helped me to complete the assignment. The outcome saved lives here. I’m honored to have been called on for something so important. Joshua thrives in heaven and we will spend eternity together. His life inside my womb had a vital, eternal purpose. Also, I learned important things about grieving after Joshua died. As I look back now, I’m thankful for God’s presence and everything he did for us during that season. He saw everything and he was ever near.
Our loving God is so faithful.
Patrick Zamarripa
On Thursday, the same day when I watched the story of Kari Baker, the pickup truck pictured below was right in front of me after I exited from the freeway on my way to work at St. Matt’s.
Great love
I was moved by the words My Son in the commemoration. I looked up Patrick’s story and found a short summary on the Officer Down Memorial Page. During a 2016 protest in downtown Dallas, a sniper shot 12 police officers, killing five and wounding seven. Officer Patrick Zamarripa had served the Navy during three tours in Iraq before joining the Dallas Police Department. He left behind his wife, daughter and step-son, plus his parents and many relatives, comrades and friends. I learned more about Patrick in this article, including his desire to serve God and his country. He played baseball at Paschal High School in Ft. Worth and loved the Texas Rangers, my favorite team.
Patrick Zamarripa loved his family and his calling. He served honorably and is missed by many. His dad’s pickup truck testifies to that every day. I was thankful to learn about Patrick’s story. His life reminds me of when Jesus said:
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
John 15:13, King James Version
Faithful servant
Patrick’s life also reminds me of these words of Jesus:
“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’”
Matthew 25:21, World English Bible
Patrick Zamarripa was gunned down at age 32. His life had eternal value and purpose. Of that, I’m sure.
Our God is faithful.
I look forward to meeting Kari Baker, the pastor’s wife, and Patrick Zamarripa, the veteran and police officer, in glory, where I’ll spend eternity with our son Joshua.
Our God is faithful to his children before we’re conceived, when we’re in our mother’s womb, when we’re born, for every day of our lives, in the moment of our death, and after our death.
Our eternal God is eternally faithful.
Trusting our faithful God
Be blessed by these additional verses.
1. Psalm 9:10
2. Psalm 20:7
3. Psalm 28:7
4. Psalm 62:8
5. Psalm 84:12
6. Isaiah 26:3
7. Hebrews 10:23
8. 1 Corinthians 1:9
9. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
10. Philippians 1:6
Coming next: Will our next set of mirror verses be about peace, bearing fruit or finding freedom from people-pleasing? Or perhaps something else? Come back next time and we’ll find out together.
Until next time, thanks for reading and for Choosing Peace.
Truth from The Word: Acts 11:22-24
Song: “I Will Trust My Savior Jesus” by CityAlight
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