Times of struggles

Samuel 22:17-20

“He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
    he drew me out of deep waters.
 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.
 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the Lord was my support.
 He brought me out into a spacious place;
    he rescued me because he delighted in me.”

Have you ever been at a place mentally that just wasn’t good?  You weren’t happy with what you were doing or didn’t feel like you belonged with those around you?  Maybe you felt like you were just drowning.  I know I have been.  It’s a dark place that isn’t good. 

I’ve known a few people who have also been in that place.  Some of whom sadly did not find a way out.  This place is a scary place to be, especially if you do not know Christ.  If you do know Christ, you can take comfort in knowing that you do have support.  It is the Lord who will rescue you from these times. 

I ask all to pray today for those that are struggling.  To share Christ with those who may not know him.  

Thursday Devotional - Prayer for Protection

Do you pray for protection frequently? Maybe it’s for yourself as you drive next to all those people texting. Maybe it’s for your family and friends as they are also on the roads with those distracted drivers. Maybe it’s for loved ones travelling overseas. Maybe it’s for yourself as you walk to your car at night or go home to an empty house. Maybe it’s for your children as they go off to school or play outside.

In parenting 2 toddlers, I’m more and more amazed anyone survives to adulthood! It is a miracle! At the park the other day, James and Sarah were playing on a movable bridge. James is excellent at climbing and decided to show me how he could climb on the outside of it! As I was jogging around the perimeter of the play area, I started praying for their physical safety but then immediately thought of Jesus’ prayer for His disciples in John 17. He prayed more for their spiritual protection than their physical earthly protection.

John 17:10-19 ¹⁰ All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. ¹¹ I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. ¹² While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

¹³ “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. ¹⁴ I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. ¹⁵ My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. ¹⁷ Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

As I thought of Jesus’ prayer, I moved from praying for James and Sarah’s physical safety to their spiritual growth and protection. Jesus’ prayer is such a wonderful example of what we can pray for others:

• unity in Christ (vs. 11)
• protection from Satan (vs. 15)
• knowledge of God’s truth (vs. 17)
• sanctification (growth in holiness; set apart from the world and for God) (vs. 17-19)

The next time you and I pray for physical protection, let’s remember to pray for these spiritual aspects of protection for ourselves and others.  

Alice

Stay Woke

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.  Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.  1 Peter 5:8-9

The world has always be an uncertain place, and as an American, it feels like things are more uncertain now than ever.  There are many who worry in fear, but other worry not because they are afraid.  They worry because they see those around them fully accepting of what is happening in the world as ‘the new normal.’  It is a world where lies are acceptable, apologies are viewed as weakness, and we listen only if we agree with what is being said.  There are some who have adopted a calling by refusing to fall for the fallacies of current day times.  Their saying is simply, “Stay Woke.”  It is a reminder to always be alert and willing to stand up to wrongful things even if others will simply ignore or try to normalize it.  In thinking of this saying, it reminded me of our faith and how our staying comfortable in our faith can be very much like accepting a ‘new normal,’ and we too must always be on the alert.

We must be willing to become uncomfortable in our journey of faith so as to maintain spiritual alertness to what God is doing.  Spiritual growth is never about staying in the same place of comfort.  Furthermore, it is not about being successful all of the time.  It is about following God to learn about His will for our lives and getting up and continuing our walk if we falter.  We must stay alert to have an awareness of God’s intention for us.  It could be as simple as helping a child at Sunday school or as complex as adopting a child.  It may require a moment in your day to share the gospel or a drastic change in your career to answer God’s calling.  Regardless of God’s prompting, we must respond in order for growth to occur.  Failure to do so means we are subject to attack from an enemy who seeks to keep us stagnant where our spiritual journey will abruptly end as we our ‘devoured’ by the world as we know it.

None of us suffer in vain for God is always watching.  Today’s verses serve as both encouragement to stay strong in our faith and a warning to be aware of ways of the world.  God always maintains a light where we can see in the darkness, and He listens to our prayers.  So do not be afraid to move from where you are.  God is with you each and every step you take.  Trust that He will catch you if you fall and reward you abundantly for being faithful to His will for your life.  Keep alert to all that God is calling you.  What is it that He seeks from you today?  How can you ensure you are alert to what God calls you to do?  My prayer is that we push for our spiritual growth by choosing to ‘Stay Woke.’  Amen.