Time Out! Devotions

(by Joan Wester Anderson)

Marie Vincze was driving on a lonely ten-mile stretch of red clay road to drop off her teenage daughter at a wilderness camp.  It was hard enough to keep the car on the slippery mud and not end up in a ditch, but her three young boys were bouncing around in the back seat, and the noise was deafening.  “Pray,” she heard the word in her heart just as the car slid off the road and came to a stop, its wheels stuck in the clay.

“Oh, no!”  Marie opened her door and realized that the mud was almost up to the floorboard.  There was no way they were going to get out of here without help.

“I could have panicked, but I decided to have faith instead,” Marie says.  She turned to the three boys, now completely silent, and said, “Sing your Sunday School songs—right now!—and don’t stop until I tell you to, no matter what!”  Beside her, her daughter rolled her eyes.  This girl believed in nothing at the moment, unless she could see and hear it.  But right now, Marie had to pray.

“God,” she began, “please remember Psalm 91 and let the angels bear us up.  If I ever needed help, it’s now!”  The boys continued to sing, and Marie felt peace spreading over all of them, warming their souls.  Very slowly the back of her small car lifted. Marie did not ask questions—she gassed the car and somehow drove out of the ditch.  The boys cheered.

“Boys, look back and see what an angel looks like!” Marie cried in delight.
“Momma, we can’t see anything,” the oldest told her.
“Well, it’s enough that he is here for us,” Marie pointed out.
“Oh, Momma…” her skeptical daughter started, but Marie interrupted.
“Don’t say anything negative. Just sit there and observe.”

The boys continued to sing, as they traveled on.  Marie was still praying.  “Lord, I hate to bother you, but there’s a cement road coming up. It goes over a creek, and the embankment is red clay.  It drops off on each side, and I’m a little worried….” Fear gripped her for a moment as they approached the trouble spot.  “Sing louder, boys!” she told them.

Taking a deep breath, Marie sped down the crossing, gunned the engine, shot up the embankment…and lost control of the car.  “We started to tip over the embankment,” she says, “and then I heard a gentle tap on the car, and it moved into the center of the road,” Marie says.  “It veered to another drop on the opposite side, and again it was tapped, and it straightened up.”

Again the boys cheered, and Marie gave thanks as she made it across.  She wondered how her non-believing daughter was handling this wonderful occurrence, but there would be time to talk about it all later.

In just a few minutes, the car pulled safely into the camp parking lot, and Marie sighed with relief and opened her door.  The mud, she noticed, had seeped all the way inside to her floorboards.  Well, mud was easily removed.  She got out, went around to the trunk and stopped in astonishment, as the children gathered around her.  “Mom, look!” one of the boys pointed in awe.  There on the back of the muddy car window was a large man’s handprint.

“God does indeed give us a hand in our daily lives,” Marie says, “and thank God for guardian angels.”

Know a Mom who needs to laugh? Check “Moms Go Where Angels Fear to Tread” on the website: http://joanwanderson.com

Copyright 2009 by Joan Wester Anderson. Published by Joan Wester Anderson, P.O. Box 127, Prospect Heights, IL 60070. For more stories of God’s love, check the blog at http://www.joanwanderson.com.

(from Crosswalk.com devotionals)

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
—John 1:14

Some children were asked the question, “What is God like?” Ashley, age 10, said, “God is like a never-ending story that you want to read again and again. When I hear about Him, I want to know more. Although I can’t see Him, I feel Him. He is perfect and pure. I know He has felt pain and has suffered greatly to take away my sins.” Well said.

Adrian, age 8, said, “God is cool. Awesome. Powerful. Nice. Big. Huge. Wonderful. Loving. Exciting. Caring. Giving. And the best.” Adrian has some great insight into God’s attributes.

But I think Caleb, age 10, had the best answer. He said, “God is like Jesus, because God is Jesus.” That is right. If you want to know what God is like, then take a long look at Jesus, because Jesus was God in human form.

Jesus was not a mere representative of God; He was God himself among us. He was not a glorified man, but God in human form. As it has been said, “Jesus was God with skin on.” He walked our planet and breathed our air and felt our pain. He was so wise that He could predict the future events of the world. He was so humble that He could get on His knees and wash His friends’ dirty feet. He was so powerful that He could calm the wind and waves with a word. He was so approachable that children climbed into His arms.

There has never been a man who strode across the human stage quite like Jesus. He stands apart from all others. And because of Him, we have access to God. C. S. Lewis summed it up beautifully when he said, “The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.”

Copyright © 2010 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org and to listen to Greg Laurie’s daily broadcast on OnePlace.com, click here.

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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.

Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love.
Jeremiah 31:3

In one of Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman’s meetings, a man stood up and gave his testimony: “For one year I begged the streets as a tramp and one day I tapped a man on the shoulder and said ‘Mister, could you please give me a dime?’ As soon as I saw his face, I realized it was my father. He threw his arms around me and said ‘I have found you. All I have is yours!’ I had stood there begging my father for ten cents while he had been looking for me to give me all he had.”

So often, Christians approach God like a stranger on the street, begging Him just to help them get by. But when we have accepted Christ as our Savior, He is no stranger to us; He is our Father, waiting with open arms, ready to embrace us in love and offer us everything He has.

Do we approach God from a beggar’s perspective or as His cherished child? If we have any difficulty seeing Him as our loving Father, we need to ask Him to help us develop a healthy Father/child relationship.

Luke 15:21-32 (New International Version)

²¹“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²²“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

²⁵“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

²⁸“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

³¹” ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³²But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ “

God is still on His throne and man is still on His footstool.

There’s only a knee’s distance in between.

Jim Elliot

(http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/magazine.aspx?id=3602)