“I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust” (Psalm 91:2). We oftentimes do not struggle with accepting the fact that God is our fortress, our protector and shield from the fiery darts of the enemy. We believe that…
“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). I know all about having life completely turn your world upside down. I know the feeling of sheer terror as tragedy strikes and you are left with the remnants of…
“In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul” (Psalm 94:19). I really wish my brain had an off switch, or at least a volume control. My thoughts run wild as soon as I lay down to go to sleep at night and it can be…
“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called the trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified” (Isaiah 61:3).…
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him…” (Psalm 37:7 ESV) I have a really hard time sitting still. I feel like I always have to be doing something, whether it’s cleaning or working on a project, I need to feel like I’m being productive. So, when I…
“Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24). “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Anyone remember whispering this to themselves on the playground when bullies would hurl unkind words your way? At the time…
“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him”(Matthew 4:19-20). This has always been a fascinating portion of scripture to me. I am often drawn back to it, and my imagination runs wild with possibilities.…
“For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.” Psalm 48:14
I love to travel and I am very thankful for Cruise Control when I am on the highway. I don’t like driving in the rain because I must turn the Cruise Control off. It is too dangerous to use it when the road is wet. Cruise Control can be dangerous also if we are driving when we are tired. If we are not careful we get too relaxed and before we know it, we are hitting the rumble strip.
How often in our spiritual walk, do we get in trouble because we are just drifting along, not really paying attention to what is happening. Maybe we neglect our Bible reading and prayer for a day or so, maybe we have missed a church service or so because we were tired or busy at something else. We are depending on our past experience with the Lord to keep us going.
Thank God, He places some rumble strips along the way, and gives a nudge to wake us up and make us pay attention to what is happening. Maybe it is the lyrics of a song we are listening to, or a message from our Pastor, or just a word from a good friend. What a relief it is, to call out to the Lord for help, spend some time with Him in prayer and get back on track.
He is our guide, and is always there to hear us when we call out to Him, but He wants us to stay alert all the time, and take time for Him every day.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us not just to cruise along, but to let you guide us every step of the way.
Devotion by: Anne Johnston
“And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife.” II Kings 5:2
Can you imagine what life was like for this little servant girl. She had been taken away from her family and friends, and the life she had known. Captive of an enemy, servant to his wife, forced to obey every order, even though she was grieving for her family. The Bible does not give her a name nor tell us how old she was.
I would like to think that Naaman’s wife used this little girl well, that she had the food she needed, clothing to wear, and a comfortable bed to sleep in at night. Nothing could really make up for not being with her family.
Whatever her situation, she had not forgotten what she had learned as a child. She remembered the stories of miracles that had taken place at the hand of the prophet, Elisha. So, when her master became sick with leprosy, she went to her mistress and told her about the man of God back in her homeland. She had faith that if he would just go there, he would be healed.
This story shows us that children who are taught to love the Lord when they are small, will remember what they have learned. It gives me faith to believe that my son, who is not serving God at this time, will one day return to the faith of his childhood.
Prayer: Lord we thank you that we can teach our children to know you and to love you, and that you will always be there for them when they call on you.
Devotion by: Anne Johnston