Time Out! Devotions

When I was about six years old I was outside playing on a beautiful sunny day. An older neighbor decided to trick me into entering an old wooden storage shed at the far end of our yard. I went in according to his plan, then he shut the door, padlocked it securely, and went home laughing.

The darkness that enveloped me was immediate, as was my fear and helplessness at being trapped inside. Obviously, I pounded on the door repeatedly as hard as I could and yelled loudly to anyone who might hear. But after many minutes of silence went by I realized I had to calm down and wait until I was rescued.

It is unsettling how quickly and unexpectedly shadows of darkness can invade our lives. They can be black clouds of temptation that roll in just when we are determined not to react out of our weakness in that time. It may be the cold, penetrating blackness of discouragement that is so hard to ignore.  It may be a dark specter of doubt and uncertainty as we are bombarded by threatening or unyielding circumstances. Recently, for me, it was the onslaught of chronic health problems rendering me inactive and seemingly useless for ministry. But for others it may be something far worse and foreboding during which God seems to be, not only silent, but disinterested.

Now back to the boy in the shed. My fear and preoccupation with the darkness and the unknowns in that shed continued to dominate my thoughts until I noticed a small beam of light coming in through the wood slats of the door. There in the distinct ray of light I saw thousands of tiny dust particles drifting, circulating – yes, almost dancing within the light! For what seemed like a long time I sat observing their joyous display as if the dust was oblivious to the darkness.

There is a wonderful application of truth here. The Bible says that the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground. (What a good thought to meditate on when we are tempted to applaud our own significance outside of Christ!) So whether God shines His light rays in a darkened shed, across a hospital bed, or in a lonely, forsaken room – or even down the halls of the church itself, we can be like the dust and dance in the light.

Regardless of the dark circumstances or testing we face, no matter how dark the night or grim the news, we can reflect God’s light in that particular situation. We can express praise and joy, and dance as we are carried in the warm current of His love and truth! We can be assured that regardless of the trial or how bleak the future seems, He is always present, always involved, and fully committed to completing His marvelous work in us!

Oh, yes, about the boy in the shed. My grandparents came home, heard my cries, and found one tremendously relieved boy as they unlocked the door and let me out. Okay, so I cried again, but that was a long time ago and I am just a dusty old grandpa myself now. Yet, I am still determined to find God’s purpose and grace in all things – regardless how dense the darkness! I want to focus on His illuminating presence and always be in the light. Oh, that I would continue to follow the Great Shepherd of my soul and fulfill His plan by bringing honor and glorify to Him in all things!

Romans 8:31-33 (NIV)

³¹What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.

Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Psalm 9:1-2 (NIV)

¹ I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. ² I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

Psalm 48:14 (NIV)

For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.

1 John 5:14-15 (NIV)

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

Proverbs 5:21 (NIV)

For a man’s ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths.

Psalm 91:1-2 (NIV)

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say  of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Isaiah 59:1 (NIV)

Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.

1 Chronicles 22:13 (NIV)

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.

Isaiah 43:4-5 (NIV)

Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, … do not be afraid, for I am with you.

Psalm 23:4 (NIV)

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,  I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Revelation 21:4 (NIV)

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

Psalm 147:3 (NIV)

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Proverbs 29:25 (NIV)

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.

Psalm 32:7 (NIV)

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Revelation 2:10 (NIV)

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

(from – http://www.christianity.com/devotionals/crosswalkdevo/)

(continued from previous post)

I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live. (Psalm 116:1-2 – NIV)

Certain things about God are easy to imagine. I can imagine Him creating the world and suspending the stars. I can envision Him as almighty, all-powerful, and in control. I can fathom a God who knows me, who made me, and I can even fathom a God who hears me. But a God who is in love with me? A God who is crazy for me? A God who cheers for me?

But that is the message of the Bible. Our Father is relentlessly in pursuit of His children. He has called us home with His Word, paved the path with His blood, and is longing for our arrival.

God’s love for His children is the message of the Bible.

I read recently about a man who had reached the end of his life. A few days before he died, a priest went to visit him in the hospital. As the priest entered the room, he noticed an empty chair beside the man’s bed. The priest asked him if someone had been by to visit. The old man smiled, “I place Jesus on that chair, and I talk to Him.”

The priest was puzzled, so the man explained. “Years ago a friend told me that prayer was as simple as talking to a good friend. So every day I pull up a chair, invite Jesus to sit, and we have a good talk.”

Some days later, the daughter of this man came to the parish house to inform the priest that her father had died. “Because he seemed so content,” she said, “I left him in his room alone for a couple of hours. When I got back to the room, I found him dead. I noticed a strange thing, though: His head was resting, not on the pillow, but on an empty chair that was beside his bed.”(1)

The heart of your Father longs for you to spend time in His abiding presence. Why don’t you pull up a chair and join Him?

(1) Walter Burkhardt, Tell the Next Generation (Ramsey, NJ: Paulist, 1982) 80, quoted in Brennan Manning, Lion and Lamb (Old Tappan, NJ: Chosen, Revell, 1986), 129. This illustration was pulled from Experiencing the Heart of Jesus.

(from Discovering the Power of Prayer by Max Lucado)

(more to come in the next post!)

Read 2 Peter 3:10-17, Psalm 101

“People with integrity have firm footing,

but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall.”

Proverbs 10:9 NLT

There is a slippery slope to sin. The fall is often painful and the consequences severe. When we fall into deception and deceit, we lose all credibility, and no one will believe us or trust us when our lies come to light. When we fall into gossip and backbiting, we often cause irreparable harm to relationships and reputations. When we fall into self promotion and self praise, we set ourselves up for the fall that inevitably follows pride. The sins of jealousy, envy, anger, and lust also have a downside that lead to consequences of strife, guilt, and shame. David’s slip into lust led to murder and the consequences of a still born child, rebellious children, and the anguish of shame and guilt that only God could forgive. When we slip into the sin of unforgiveness, we risk falling into the ranks of  the unforgiven, because Scripture makes it very clear that we cannot receive forgiveness without forgiving. When we slip into the sin of unbelief, we fall into the downward spiral of despair that awaits all who refuse to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. The character of God has been modeled by the character of Jesus, who came to earth to show us how to live out the great commandment and great commission.  When we live lives of integrity built on this firm foundation, we will enter into the joy of the Lord not only in this life but in the eternal life to come. We may sometimes slip, but we will never fall into the valley of the doomed. “Father, by the power of Your Spirit, help me to walk with the firm footing of a right relationship with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

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