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.

Psalm 25:1-7 (NCV)

¹ Lord, I give myself to you; ² my God, I trust you. Do not let me be disgraced; do not let my enemies laugh at me. ³ No one who trusts you will be disgraced, but those who sin without excuse will be disgraced.

⁴ Lord, tell me your ways. Show me how to live. ⁵ Guide me in your truth, and teach me, my God, my Savior. I trust you all day long.⁶ Lord, remember your mercy and love that you have shown since long ago. ⁷ Do not remember the sins and wrong things I did when I was young. But remember to love me always because you are good, Lord.

Enemies are those who not only oppose us, but also oppose God’s way of living. Enemies can also be temptations – money, success, prestige, lust. And our greatest enemy is Satan. David asked God to keep his enemies from overcoming him because they opposed what God stood for. If his enemies succeeded, David feared that many would think that living for God was futile. David knew that God would triumph, but he didn’t want his enemies’ success to be an obstacle to the faith of others.

David expressed his desire for guidance. How do we receive God’s guidance? The first step is to want to be guided and to realize that God’s guidance is found mainly in His Word, the Bible. Psalm 119 tells of the endless knowledge found in God’s Word. By reading it and constantly learning from it, we will gain the wisdom to perceive God’s direction for our lives (Hebrews 5:14).

God is unlimited, all-conquering, and has unrestrained authority over all of creation and over each individual. Therefore, He is the only source of salvation, hope, and true peace through the forgiveness of sins.

Psalm 25:8-11 (NCV)

⁸ The Lord is good and right; He points sinners to the right way. ⁹ He shows those who are humble how to do right, and He teaches them His ways.¹⁰ All the Lord’s ways are loving and true for those who follow the demands of His agreement.¹¹ For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my many sins.

We are bombarded today with unlimited appeals to “go my way.” TV advertising alone places hundreds of options before us, in addition to appeals made by political parties, cults, false religions, and dozens of other groups. Numerous organizations including Christian organizations seek to motivate us to “support the cause.” Add to that the dozens of decisions we must make concerning our jobs, our families, our money, our society, and we become desperate for someone to show us the right way.

If you find yourself pulled in several directions, remember that the Lord “shows those who are humble how to do right, and He teaches them his ways.“

Psalm 25:15-20 (NCV)

¹⁵ My eyes are always looking to the Lord for help. He will keep me from any traps. ¹⁶ Turn to me and have mercy on me, because I am lonely and hurting. ¹⁷ My troubles have grown larger; free me from my problems. ¹⁸ Look at my suffering and troubles, and take away all my sins. ¹⁹ Look at how many enemies I have! See how much they hate me! ²⁰ Protect me and save me. I trust you, so do not let me be disgraced.

Life’s problems always seem to go from bad to worse. God is the only one who can reverse this downward spiral. He can take our problems and turn them into glorious victories. There is one necessary requirement – we, like the psalmist (David), must cry out, “Come, Lord, and show me your mercy.” When you are willing to do that, the worst can become something wonderful. But the next step is yours, for God has already made His offer.

James 1:12-16 (NCV)

¹² When people are tempted and still continue strong, they should be happy. After they have proved their faith, God will reward them with life forever. God promised this to all those who love him.^{13 14} But people are tempted when their own evil desire leads them away and traps them.¹⁵ This desire leads to sin, and then the sin grows and brings death. When people are tempted, they should not say, “God is tempting me.” Evil cannot tempt God, and God himself does not tempt anyone. ¹⁶ My dear brothers and sisters, do not be fooled about this.

Temptation comes from evil desire within, not from God. It begins with an evil thought. It becomes sin when we dwell on the thought and allow it to become an action. Like a snowball rolling downhill, sin’s destruction grows the more we let sin have its way. The best time to stop a snowball is before it is too big or moving too fast to control. (See Matthew 4:1-11; 1 Corinthians 10:13; and 2 Timothy 2:22 for more about escaping temptation.)

It’s easy to blame others and make excuses for evil thoughts and wrong actions. Excuses include (1) it’s the other person’s fault; (2) I couldn’t help it; (3) everybody’s doing it; (4) it was just a mistake; (5) nobody’s perfect; (6) the devil made me do it; (7) I was pressured into it; (8) I didn’t know it was wrong. A person who makes excuses is trying to shift the blame from himself to something or someone else. A Christian, on the other hand, accepts responsibility for his wrongs, confesses them, and asks God for forgiveness.

People who live for God often wonder why they still have temptations. Does God tempt them? God tests people, but He does not tempt them by trying to seduce them into sin. He allows Satan to tempt them, however, in order to refine their faith and to grow in their dependence upon Christ. We can endure the temptation to sin by turning to God for strength and choosing to act in obedience to His Word.

1.     What a friend we have in Jesus,
	all our sins and griefs to bear!
	What a privilege to carry
	everything to God in prayer!
	O what peace we often forfeit,
	O what needless pain we bear,
	all because we do not carry
	everything to God in prayer. 

2.	Have we trials and temptations?
	Is there trouble anywhere?
	We should never be discouraged;
	take it to the Lord in prayer.
	Can we find a friend so faithful
	who will all our sorrows share?
	Jesus knows our every weakness;
	take it to the Lord in prayer. 

3.	Are we weak and heavy laden,
	cumbered with a load of care?
	Precious Savior, still our refuge;
	take it to the Lord in prayer.
	Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
	Take it to the Lord in prayer!
	In his arms he'll take and shield thee;
	thou wilt find a solace there.    AMEN!

 --- Joseph M. Scriven 1820-1886 ---