“Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.” Psalm 139:5-6
In this Psalm David is expressing the fact that the Lord is always with him. No matter where he goes, the Lord is behind him and before him with His hand of blessing upon his head. It is almost more than he can understand.
Like David we can be assured that the Lord is there for us every hour of every day. He walks with us and directs our steps. Nothing can come near to us that is not His will. How comforting this is as we walk life’s pathway.
Prayer: Jesus I give this day into your hand. Walk with me and guide me in the right path, and make me a blessing to others.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
“And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. Genesis 37:5
No doubt when Joseph dreamed about the stars and moon bowing down to him, the Lord was showing him something about his future. It probably wasn’t the best thing for him to share it with his brothers. He had no idea what their hatred would cause them to do, or of the difficult circumstances he would face before the dream became a reality. Many years later, his brothers would bow to him in Egypt.
God may give us a dream of something He has in store or us, or of something He wants us to do, but it doesn’t always come to pass right away. One of our teachers in Bible College often quoted something from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: “Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small; Though with patience He stands waiting, with exactness grinds He all.”
We need to hold on to our dream, and wait for the Lord to bring it to pass, no matter how long it takes. His timing is always perfect.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the story of Joseph, and showing us that you have a plan and you will always bring it to pass in your time.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 29:26
When my oldest grandson was small, we often had him with us for a few days at a time. One of his favourite things to do was to go to the playground at McDonald’s.
One day, after spending a few minutes on the smaller slide, he went to the bigger one and said, “I am going to go down this one.” He carefully climbed up the steps and stood at the top for a bit, then said, “This one is too big,” and climbed back down the stairs. This was repeated several times until finally after some encouragement from my husband and I, he was brave enough to come down the bigger slide.
Sometimes we face things in our lives that seem far too big for us to handle. It takes time for us to build our faith to the point where we just put our trust completely in God and let Him work it out. Nothing is impossible or too big for God.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, give us the wisdom to know when things are just too big for us to handle and help us to give them over to you.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
A DRINK FROM THE SPRING
“And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.” Genesis 26:19
On the farm where I grew up, there was a spring in the lower pasture. Even in winter, the bubbling water never froze. I remember us having to take the cattle down there for water every day.
In summer, no matter how hot it was, the water from the spring was always cold and refreshing.
Jesus likened the Holy Spirit to a well of water springing up within us. No matter what we are going through in our lives, we can come to the Lord and drink of that refreshing water He provides.
Prayer: Thank you Lord, for the living water that you have given us, a well that never runs dry. May your Spirit continually bubble up from our hearts to bless others.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
“The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.” Psalm 16:6
Many people work hard all their lives to leave their children with a large inheritance. My parents did not have a lot to leave us as far as material goods were concerned.
But I am thankful for the spiritual heritage I received. I am thankful that my parents surrendered their lives to the Lord when I was just a child, and that I was taken to church and encouraged to pray and seek God. I am thankful that there was prayer and Bible reading in our home. I am thankful for the many messages I was privileged to hear.
That spiritual heritage means more to me than any amount of money or possessions.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the heritage you have given me, and the desire to pass it on to my family.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
“But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” Psalm 3:3
This Psalm was written by David as he was fleeing from his son, Absalom. We can only imagine how sad and discouraged he felt, having his own son conspire against him and try to take over his kingdom.
Even during this time of testing and deep trial, David maintained his faith and trust in God. I like that phrase, “the lifter up of my head.”
Discouragement, disillusionment, sadness, and fear may cause us to hang our heads at times. The Lord is just waiting for us to proclaim our trust in Him, call out to Him for help, and He will enable us to lift our heads and rejoice. The next verses say that David cried and God heard. He could lie down and sleep, for the Lord sustained him.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, that you are always listening for our cry, and you are ready to lift us up no matter what life brings our way.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
Our Pastor has been teaching from I Peter over the last few weeks, and this verse in chapter 4, really stood out.
As I write these devotions each month, I ask the Lord to give me something to write about that will be a blessing to someone else. It may be a small ministry, but all the Lord requires is that we give our best effort to whatever task He gives us to do.
Little is much when God is in it. If the Lord can use what I write to help one other person, then it is work the time and effort.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the opportunity to share the thoughts you have laid upon my heart. May they be a blessing to others.
As an old year ends and a new one begins, we realize that we are getting older, and the time of our departure from this life grows closer. Over the past year, we have seen many friends and acquaintances pass on to be with the Lord. Every day is a bonus that the Lord has given us.
When we think about this, it is such a comfort to know the Lord is in complete control. Whenever He calls us home, we are ready for it. He has given us confidence and a hope that heaven awaits us. What joy it will be to see His face and spend eternity with Him.
Prayer: Lord, I give this day into your hands. Thank you for the hope you have given me.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
Today a lot of people will be making resolutions, planning to accomplish so much with their life in this new year. Statistics show us that most of them will be abandoned before many days have passed.
As followers of the Lord, our only resolution should be to draw closer to the Lord. From all the things that are happening in our world, we know that His coming draws very near. Our aim and goal is to be ready for His coming and to help and encourage others to be ready also.
Daily prayer and Bible reading are very important if we are stay close to the Lord and live the way He wants us to live. My son encourages his congregation to have “a slot and a spot” every day. Meeting the Lord in the same place at the same time helps us to maintain our relationship with Him.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we know your coming is close and this could be the year you return. Help us to be ready and to help others to be ready also.
Devotion by Anne Johnston