Time Out! Devotions

It was a beautiful spring day, and a sense of peace stayed with me as I left the cathedral on Easter Monday morning. I paused for a moment on top of the steps leading to the avenue, now crowded with people rushing to their jobs. Sitting in her usual place inside a small archway was the old flower lady. At her feet corsages and boutonnieres were parading on top of a spread-open newspaper.

The flower lady was smiling, her wrinkled old face alive with some inner joy. I started down the stairs—then, on an impulse, turned and picked out a flower.

As I put it in my lapel, I said, “You look happy this morning.”

“Why not? Everything is good.”

She was dressed so shabbily and seemed so very old that her reply startled me.

“You’ve been sitting here for many years now, haven’t you? And always smiling. You wear your troubles well.”

“You can’t reach my age and not have troubles,” she replied. “Only it’s like Jesus and Good Friday . . . ” She paused for a moment.

“Yes?” I prompted.

“Well, when Jesus was crucified on Good Friday, that was the worst day for the whole world. And when I get troubles I remember that, and then I think of what happened only three days later—Easter and our Lord arising. So when I get troubles, I’ve learned to wait three days . . . somehow everything gets all right again.”

And she smiled good-bye. Her words still follow me whenever I think I have troubles. Give God a chance to help . . . wait three days.

(devotional from OurPrayer.org)

1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Mark 11:24 (NIV)

“Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

John 15:7 (NIV)

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”

Revelation 1:17-18 (NIV)

Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”

Isaiah 54:13-14 (NIV)

All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children’s peace. In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you.

Proverbs 16:9 (NIV)

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

Isaiah 58:11 (NIV)

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.

Exodus 14:13 (NIV)

Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.

Romans 8:14-15 (NIV)

Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

2 Samuel 22:2-3 (NIV)

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior.

Romans 5:3-5 (NIV)

We rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance produces character; and character produces hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Hebrews 13:8 (NIV)

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

2 Peter 1:3 (NIV)

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Does what you read in the newspaper depress you? Are you dragged down by the economy and worry?

Some years ago I discovered a way to keep alert and enthusiastic. By memorizing certain statements from the Bible and holding them in my mind, I could in fact restimulate and refresh my spirit.

Listed below are seven negative forces at work and seven healing passages from the Bible to counteract them.

WHEN YOU ARE TIRED:

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. (Isaiah 40:29)

There is a difference between normal tiredness and that condition of deep fatigue where all your physical resources seem spent. First, believe that God is the source of all energy-in the sun, in plants and in people. Then try this renewal technique. Lie down and relax as best you can. As you repeat the above words from Isaiah, conceive of the Lord as sending through your body His strength and power until your spirit is renewed.

WHEN YOU FEEL UNLOVED:

Above all, take the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:16, 17)

Just as men wore armor In the old days to protect themselves from physical attack, you need spiritual armor today to guard yourself from the fiery darts of the hate and evil thoughts all about. The mind can be a battleground. See yourself as defending it with all your spiritual resources of faith and prayer.

WHEN YOU ARE GRIEVING:

I am the resurrection, and the life: be that believeth in Me, though be were dead, yet shall be live. (John 11:25)

The death of a loved one can bring on a crippling sense of defeat and depression. It often causes the mourner to feel that life will never again be filled with happy, buoyant attitudes. But in a sense you are not true to the departed one if you do not face life again with spirit. The above words have a glorious message-Jesus Christ is alive and those who believe in Him live forever.

WHEN YOU ARE HURT BY GOSSIP:

He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. (Hebrews 13:5-6)

If someone gossips about you, do not return evil for evil but pray for him. Do not harden your heart, but forgive him. As a means of building up your own inner defenses to slander, practice turning off your mind to the negative. Instead of thinking of what has been said about you, meditate on the positive way in which you can use conversation to God’s glory.

WHEN YOU ARE ILL:

The prayer of faith shall save the sick. . . . (James 5:15)

With all illness goes a certain amount of despondency which, in turn, can lead to lack of faith. The prayer of faith says, “I believe.” Such a prayer will attune your mind to God and permit His healing forces to operate in you. Many sick people also find it helpful to focus their mind on Jesus when they pray, seeing Him going about Galilee healing every disease, believing that His restoring power is at work today.

WHEN YOU ARE UPSET:

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son. (Revelation 21:7)

Low-spirited people often get that way not from one big trouble but from many small irritations-the pinpricks of life. Lacking a strong grip on God they give in to these daily harassments. The secret of the above passage is to concentrate on the idea that you are a child of God. As God’s child you will receive His strength to handle your weakness. With God’s power, instead of being overcome, you can overcome.

WHEN YOU HAVE NO PEACE:

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

There is a great hunger for peace today. One answer is to seek peace from God and not from man. When God’s peace enters our hearts, fear and distrust and violence depart.

(by Norman Vincent Peale from OurPrayer.org)

Romans 5:15-17 (NIV)

¹⁵But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! ¹⁶Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. ¹⁷For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Paul wrote extensively about grace, God’s favor given to the undeserving. And wherever the apostle traveled, he spoke about the gospel of grace (Acts 20:24). He knew firsthand the power of sin to control and the freedom that comes through faith in Christ. He described himself as the worst of sinners because he persecuted and imprisoned many believers prior to his conversion experience (1 Timothy 1:15).

Once we accept Christ’s death on our behalf, the penalty for our sin is considered paid in full, and the power of sin over us is broken. We become spiritually alive as we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. What’s more, we then are given a new family and purpose for living. Scripture compares our conversion experience to receiving a heart transplant (Ezekiel 36:26; 2 Corinthians 5:17), changing citizenship (Philippians 3:20), and moving to a new country (Colossians 1:13).

Paul exhorts everyone who has been saved to continue in the grace of God (Acts 13:43; Ephesians 2:8)—our heavenly Father’s desire and will is that we relate to Him on this basis alone. Just as we needed to rely upon Christ’s substitutionary death for salvation, we are to live a life of dependence upon Him. It’s our faith, expressed through obedience, that pleases Him (Hebrews 11:6).

Grace is the most powerful, life-changing force in the world. God freely offers His unconditional love to whoever receives His Son. At salvation, our life is placed upon the immovable Rock who is Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4), and His favor is extended over us. What’s your response to this miracle of grace?

(by Dr. Charles Stanley from the October 2009 issue of In Touch devotional magazine)

Psalm 124 (New International Reader’s Version)

¹ Here is what Israel should say. Suppose the Lord had not been on our side.
² Suppose the Lord had not been on our side when our enemies attacked us.
³ Suppose he had not been on our side when their anger blazed out against us. Then they would have swallowed us alive.
⁴ They would have been like a flood that drowned us. They would have swept over us like a rushing river.
⁵ They would have washed us away like a swollen stream.
⁶ Give praise to the Lord. He has not let our enemies chew us up.
⁷ We have escaped like a bird from a hunter’s trap. The trap has been broken, and we have escaped.
⁸ Our help comes from the Lord. He is the Maker of heaven and earth.

Do you ever feel trapped by overwhelming odds? David compared this feeling to that of a bird outwitted and snared by a hunter.

With God, there is always a way out because He is the Creator of all that exists. No problem is beyond His ability to solve, no circumstance is too difficult for Him. We can turn to the Creator for help in our time of need, for He is on our side. God will provide a way out, we need only trust Him and look for it.

Psalm 126 (New International Reader’s Version)

¹ Our enemies took us away from Zion. But when the Lord brought us home, it seemed like a dream to us.
² Our mouths were filled with laughter. Our tongues sang with joy. Then the people of other nations said, “The Lord has done great things for them.”
³ The Lord has done great things for us. And we are filled with joy.
⁴ Lord, bless us with great success again, as rain makes streams flow in the Negev Desert.
⁵ Those who cry as they plant their crops will sing with joy when they gather them in.
⁶ Those who go out sobbing as they carry seeds to plant will come back singing with joy. They will bring the new crop back with them.

God’s capacity for restoring life is beyond our understanding. Forests burn down and are able to grow back. Broken bones heal. Even grief is not a permanent condition. Our tears can be seeds that will grow into a harvest of joy because God is able to bring good out of tragedy.

When burdened by sorrow, know that your times of grief will end soon and that you will again find joy. We must be patient as we wait. God’s great harvest of joy is coming!