Day One, Luke 1:46-49; It must have been a shock to Mary when the angel appeared with the message that her calling was to be the mother of the long awaited Savior. No doubt dozens of unspoken questions and doubts about her ability to mother this child swirled around her head as she tried to mentally get her arms around her calling. But like all people of faith must do in such situations, Mary yielded her doubts and questions to confidence that God knew what He was doing and that He would guide her and stand by her in everyway, all the way. Faced with uncertainty in our lives, when we follow Mary’s example and yield to our confidence in God instead of our questions and doubts we can join her song, “He who is mighty has done great things for me” because we know that our loving heavenly Father will see us through.
Day Two, Luke 1:5-23; Both Elizabeth and her husband Zachariah were past their prime when it came to conceiving a child. According to the story Zachariah was going about his duties as a priest when the angel appeared to him and informed him that “your prayer is heard”, indicating that he and Elizabeth had probably been praying for a baby for several years. From his response, the news seemed to catch Zechariah off guard. No doubt this couple had prayed expectantly for a child at first, but in later years their prayers had become a mere formality. This story teaches us that God not only hears our prayers, but answers them—not always at the time we expected or in the way we anticipated. Sometimes the answer gives us what we ask for, at other times it may redirect our desires in another direction, but many times it simply gives us a clearer understanding of why things are as they are. So keep praying and eventually, within your mind you will realize that “your prayer is heard” as you see things developing or working out according to God’s special plan for your life.
Day Three, Luke 2:1-8; Remember the church Christmas programs where the kids acted out the Christmas story? I recall being in one many years ago where the director of the program was not satisfied with the way the boy portraying the innkeeper said “I have no room for you.” She told him to “spit it out” and to be as hateful as possible. Unfortunately, this is the picture we most often have of the innkeeper. But in reality his decision not to let them stay in the inn could have been an act of kindness. According to some scholars of that period an inn was no place for a woman who about to give birth. An inn in biblical times was usually a large common area where people could sleep. Perhaps the innkeeper’s decision to put this couple up in the cave he used to shelter his guest’s animals was out of concern for her obvious condition. Could it be that one of the subtext of the Christmas story is that we need to guard against ascribing malicious intent to other people’s actions when we don’t really understand their reasons? Regardless of people’s motives, God’s purpose for us will always be fulfilled if we trust him, “And she gave birth to her first-born son…and laid him in a manger for there was no place for them in the inn.”
Day Four, Luke 2:15-18; Retailers usually expect the day after Christmas will be a very busy day because of people scurrying around in order to take advantage of after Christmas sales and trying to exchange merchandise. In our lesson for today, we find the shepherds scurrying around, but they were hurrying to respond to the message they had received from the angelic hosts. In a Christmas message from this text, my late father said that one of the greatest hindrances to most church people having something to testify about was their tendency to hear or read some good word from the Lord, think to themselves “That’s nice, I don’t have time to pursue it now, but I’ll really get into it later.” Of course things always seem to keep crowding in front of good intention and we never get around to “getting into it”. . Let’s resolve to be more like the shepherds, when they heard the good word from God, they immediately made time to check it out and experience it firsthand, then they had something to share with other people! “Let us go…and see this thing…which the Lord has made known to us…and when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them…and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.”
Day Five, Luke 2:8-14; This familiar story reminds us that Jesus birth was not just for the religious people but for those considered to be beyond the reach of religion. According to Marvin R. Vincent, D.D. , in “Word Studies in the New Testament” shepherds were under Rabbinic ban (which meant they were considered outside God’s love and covenant) due to the nature of their work which kept them from temple observances and from strict observance of Sabbath and other religious laws. Throughout the Bible, God turns men’s traditions upside down and He does it again by making the first announcement of the Savior’s birth to men who had been told time and time again that God couldn’t possible love them. As we unwrap our presents and celebrate with our family (people whom God obviously loves), why not take a moment to reflect on how to become a messenger of God’s grace to those we too often consider outside the scope of God’s concern? Perhaps we can volunteer at a shelter or mission, maybe we need to kinder to people who are different from us. Perhaps we need to change our attitude toward the people who don’t attend our church. “I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born…a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
Day Six, Luke 2:19-21; What has your response been to Christmas? Our lesson today illustrates two of the best responses we can make to the truths of Christmas. First, we are told that Mary “kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.” This indicates that she made a deliberate effort to memorize the events of the day and spent time meditating on their significance. Someone once said that “faith waivers in the face of difficulties when memories of God’s care have faded.” Mary knew that the circumstances of Jesus birth and the special reason for his coming would produce trying and difficult times in the coming years, therefore she wanted to be certain that she could recall those wonderful moments which would affirm that God was indeed at work. The second response was that of the shepherds, we are told they “returned, glorying and praising God”. The usual take on this verse is that they returned to their flocks, but the previous verses indicate that they had been to see Mary and the baby, left and now we read that they returned. To me this indicates that they returned again and again to see mother and child. To fully grasp God’s mercy and love, it is not enough to just experience it and go on. We need to respond to it by returning over and over to find reassurance and renewal. Then we can live our lives continually “glorifying and praising God for all we (they) had heard and seen.”
Day Seven, Matthew 2:1-12; A look at the Christmas story would be incomplete without mentioning the Magi (even though their visit was probably a year or so after Jesus’ birth). Again, we find God turning long held traditions upside down! The first announcement of Jesus birth came to Jewish men considered beyond God’s covenant and grace by the Jewish religious leaders. Now we find God drawing non-Jewish people from a distant land to the Christ child by means of what many would consider superstition. These Magi were men who studied the stars in order to understand events. Seeing what they took to be a new star they concluded that it was a sign that a new king had been born. No doubt these men were also wealthy merchants, so it was natural for them to want to curry favor with the royal family into whose palace the child had been born. It is interesting that so many of us are guilty of wanting God to follow a procedures manual when it comes to the way he draws people and leads us. When God doesn’t follow what we consider established protocol we tend to question the veracity of someone’s experience; or we balk at following God’s guidance for our own lives. Certainly, we must be careful about following our emotions and we must “try the spirits”, but we also need to be careful about dismissing circumstances, coincidences and impressions as not being forms of God’s guidance for our lives. God doesn’t always do things the way we expect (or want) Him to, but when our minds are attuned to his still small voice, our lives can be changed dramatically. “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”
Have a blessed and Joyous Christmas and
May God bless you all the way, everyday, in every way.
Robert Hidde
Monday, December 21, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Dec 14 thru 20, 2009
Day One: Proverbs 3:1,2. The biggest accomplishments that I’ve had during my career as both a pastor and businessman have resulted from making an effort to recall things I’ve learned from other people. Conversely, some of the biggest blunders I’ve made have been the result of not taking the time to remember what someone taught me. But more important to living confidently as a child of God than recalling what someone else taught us is making the effort to remember what our loving Heavenly Father teaches us. My son (child), do not forget my teaching…
Day Two: Proverbs 3:3,4. Have you ever trusted someone who betrayed that trust? Have you ever counted on people and had them let you down? Most of us have had that experience, haven’t we? We all know people who seem to be only interested in what’s in it for them. Their loyalty shifts with the wind, and they can’t be counted on to stand firm on any issue. Today’s proverb urges the child of God to make it a practice to be loyal and faithful in order to have a good reputation. Of course, we must be careful not to pledge our loyal to the wrong things or type of people. Let not loyalty and faithfulness forsake you…
Day Three: Proverbs 3:5,6. I read a true story about the head of an earth moving firm whose company was commissioned to design and build huge equipment for the war effort during World War Two. He assembled his best engineers and they worked late into the night for several days without success. The longer these men worked the more frustrated they became because they couldn’t come up with a practical design. Wednesday night, the owner of the company announced that they could keep working if they wanted to, but he was going to church. He said he entered the church and joined in the hymns and prayers and became attuned to spiritual things when suddenly his mind cleared and the design fell into place. After the service he rushed back to his weary engineers and shared his new ideas. After examining them they discovered that these concepts were the solution to the problems they had spent days trying to solve. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight…
Day Four: Proverbs 3:13,14. Wisdom and Understanding are two words that seem to dominate the book of Proverbs. Wisdom refers to skills in managing one’s life, and understanding refers to the ability to combine what we know (knowledge) with those skills in order to successfully handle life’s challenges and celebrations. This proverb tells us that the key to happiness is finding (that is mastering) the skills to manage one’s life and also knowing how to use those skills effectively. For the child of God, wisdom incorporates learning to manage our lives in the way God teaches us, and understanding could be called “sanctified common sense” in knowing how to apply those teachings to the various situations we encounter. Happy is the man (person) who finds wisdom, and the man (person) who gets understanding…
Day Five: Proverbs 3:21-23. I once heard an interview with a police officer who encountered an armed suspect in a crowded room. The suspect fired a shot at him and then fled through the crowd, the officer gave chase but the suspect got away (only to captured by other officers a few minutes later). Someone asked him why he didn’t fire at the fleeing suspect, his reply was that “Even though I am a trained marksman, there was the danger of hitting a bystander.” While we may have the skills to manage our lives there are times that we must use discretion (sound judgment) as to which skills to use. That doesn’t mean that we compromise God’s word or way, it simply means that we determine the best use of our skills in dealing with the situation. At times Jesus was kind and loving with his “enemies” and at other times he was harsh and critical. He combined wisdom with discretion in handling the affairs of his life. Keep sound wisdom and discretion…then you will walk on your way securely and your foot will not stumble.
Day Six: Proverbs 3:25,26. You know Murphy’s Law? It states that “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong at the most inopportune time.” Anyone who has lived any length of time has experience unexpected crisis. Peter Drucker, the management expert teaches us that a problem is something that occurs with enough frequency that we can fix it by applying the same formula as we did the last time, but because a crisis is usually a one time event we can’t use the same formula to fix it. The writer of this proverb recognizes that there will be times in life when things happen that can’t be anticipated and that seem beyond the wisdom and understanding we have. In those times, he tells us that if we have been following God’s ways we can be assured that God will bring us through it. Do not be afraid of sudden panic…for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.
Day Seven: Proverbs 3:27-35. In its essence, life is about relationships and attitudes. We have to live around other people and we need to do our utmost to keep good relationships with them. This involves not only following the golden rule, but also not getting caught up in the petty dramas that people tend to play out with each other. A man once came to his minister and said he couldn’t stand a certain person and asked what to do. The minister’s wise advice was for him to begin a list of good things about the man. Within two months the two men had become best friends and eventually they became business partners. Why? Relationships are built (and destroyed) by the way we think about people (our attitude). When we have the right attitude toward someone, we are less likely to refuse to assist them, get riled up with our neighbors over trivial things or argue over silly matters. Keeping right attitudes toward others makes us wise in our maintaining our relationships. The wise will inherit honor…
Day Two: Proverbs 3:3,4. Have you ever trusted someone who betrayed that trust? Have you ever counted on people and had them let you down? Most of us have had that experience, haven’t we? We all know people who seem to be only interested in what’s in it for them. Their loyalty shifts with the wind, and they can’t be counted on to stand firm on any issue. Today’s proverb urges the child of God to make it a practice to be loyal and faithful in order to have a good reputation. Of course, we must be careful not to pledge our loyal to the wrong things or type of people. Let not loyalty and faithfulness forsake you…
Day Three: Proverbs 3:5,6. I read a true story about the head of an earth moving firm whose company was commissioned to design and build huge equipment for the war effort during World War Two. He assembled his best engineers and they worked late into the night for several days without success. The longer these men worked the more frustrated they became because they couldn’t come up with a practical design. Wednesday night, the owner of the company announced that they could keep working if they wanted to, but he was going to church. He said he entered the church and joined in the hymns and prayers and became attuned to spiritual things when suddenly his mind cleared and the design fell into place. After the service he rushed back to his weary engineers and shared his new ideas. After examining them they discovered that these concepts were the solution to the problems they had spent days trying to solve. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight…
Day Four: Proverbs 3:13,14. Wisdom and Understanding are two words that seem to dominate the book of Proverbs. Wisdom refers to skills in managing one’s life, and understanding refers to the ability to combine what we know (knowledge) with those skills in order to successfully handle life’s challenges and celebrations. This proverb tells us that the key to happiness is finding (that is mastering) the skills to manage one’s life and also knowing how to use those skills effectively. For the child of God, wisdom incorporates learning to manage our lives in the way God teaches us, and understanding could be called “sanctified common sense” in knowing how to apply those teachings to the various situations we encounter. Happy is the man (person) who finds wisdom, and the man (person) who gets understanding…
Day Five: Proverbs 3:21-23. I once heard an interview with a police officer who encountered an armed suspect in a crowded room. The suspect fired a shot at him and then fled through the crowd, the officer gave chase but the suspect got away (only to captured by other officers a few minutes later). Someone asked him why he didn’t fire at the fleeing suspect, his reply was that “Even though I am a trained marksman, there was the danger of hitting a bystander.” While we may have the skills to manage our lives there are times that we must use discretion (sound judgment) as to which skills to use. That doesn’t mean that we compromise God’s word or way, it simply means that we determine the best use of our skills in dealing with the situation. At times Jesus was kind and loving with his “enemies” and at other times he was harsh and critical. He combined wisdom with discretion in handling the affairs of his life. Keep sound wisdom and discretion…then you will walk on your way securely and your foot will not stumble.
Day Six: Proverbs 3:25,26. You know Murphy’s Law? It states that “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong at the most inopportune time.” Anyone who has lived any length of time has experience unexpected crisis. Peter Drucker, the management expert teaches us that a problem is something that occurs with enough frequency that we can fix it by applying the same formula as we did the last time, but because a crisis is usually a one time event we can’t use the same formula to fix it. The writer of this proverb recognizes that there will be times in life when things happen that can’t be anticipated and that seem beyond the wisdom and understanding we have. In those times, he tells us that if we have been following God’s ways we can be assured that God will bring us through it. Do not be afraid of sudden panic…for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.
Day Seven: Proverbs 3:27-35. In its essence, life is about relationships and attitudes. We have to live around other people and we need to do our utmost to keep good relationships with them. This involves not only following the golden rule, but also not getting caught up in the petty dramas that people tend to play out with each other. A man once came to his minister and said he couldn’t stand a certain person and asked what to do. The minister’s wise advice was for him to begin a list of good things about the man. Within two months the two men had become best friends and eventually they became business partners. Why? Relationships are built (and destroyed) by the way we think about people (our attitude). When we have the right attitude toward someone, we are less likely to refuse to assist them, get riled up with our neighbors over trivial things or argue over silly matters. Keeping right attitudes toward others makes us wise in our maintaining our relationships. The wise will inherit honor…
Monday, December 7, 2009
December 7 thru 13, 2009
Scholars tell us that Psalm 31 is a prayer that was written for use by individuals needing deliverance from personal enemies. Today our enemies may not carry swords or shot arrows at us, instead they may us half-truths and manipulation against us. And of course there are enemies that aren’t human which we must face, including our own tendencies, past failures and fears. I hope as you spend the week with this Psalm it will encourage you, inspire you and give you the confidence you need to serve the Lord a renewed trust, no matter what.
Day One: Psalm 31:1,2. Psychologist learned many years ago that people don’t think in words, they think in images. The poet begins by creating powerful visual images through the use of carefully chosen words. Throughout that land there were special places where an individual could seek refuge. Those who were seeking to harm them were not allowed to enter these places of refuge. The poet then continues with a plea for speedy rescue. Several months ago most of us were captivated by the story of the miners who were trapped in a coal mine back east. The miners were rescued, but no doubt the trapped miners were wondering what was taking so long. We know that the rescue crews worked as fast as they could but that but it took time for the engineers and workmen to do it safely. In thee, O Lord, do I seek refuge…be thou a rock of refuge for me…rescue me speedily!
Day Two: Psalm 31:3-5. A man and his family were on vacation in coal mining country and stopped to tour an old mine. Each tourist was given a miners helmet with a lamp on it as their guide explained that it was pitch dark down there and gave careful instructions about going through the tunnels. Dim electric bulbs lined their way into the mine, but once they were in the mine, the guide instructed them to light their miners lamps and then for dramatic effect, he turned out the electric bulbs. Suddenly the group was engulf by the darkness. The meager light from their lamps didn’t seem to penetrate it. Then they began to move forward into the darkness. Somehow the man had become separated from his family and wound up at the very back of the tour group. He said that most of the time he couldn’t see the person in front of him. He knew they were there, but he had to simply follow their sounds and walk in the light provided by his own small lamp. Suddenly, he became aware of red flashes several feet in front of him and realized that they came from his son’s athletic shoes (you know the kind that have a small light on the heel that flashes every time you take a step). He knew his son had positioned himself right behind the guide and he felt a sense of security in the midst of the darkness because he knew that if he followed the flashing lights he’d be guided safely out of the dark tunnel. “Lead me and guide me…into thy hands I commit my spirit…”
Day Three: Psalm 31:6-8. Lincoln is supposed to have said “People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Whether he said it or someone else said it and he got credit for it doesn’t alter the fact that it is a true statement. The poet, beset by enemies declares that because he trust in the Lord’s steadfast love and deliverance he has decided to rejoice and be glad. In one of my dad’s old sermon briefs dealing with this passage, all he wrote beside verse seven was, “Counting hundred dollar bills on the half…tell about Jack.” I don’t know who Jack was, nor do I know the story he told about him, but I do know what counting hundred dollar bills on the halves means. There is an old saying that “some people would complain about the work if they were counting hundred dollar bills on the half” meaning they would get half of the money they counted. The obvious point being that some people choose to be unhappy and complain no matter what. As the objects of the Good Lord’s steadfast love, we should choose to find reasons to rejoice and be glad. The Psalmist declares “I will”, not “when things get better”. The greatest gift besides Jesus that we’ve been given is the ability to use our mind to make choices. The greatest choice we can make each day, regardless of circumstances is to find reasons to say with the Psalmist, “I will rejoice and be glad…”
Day Four: Psalm 31:13-16. Several years ago, I heard about a college aged church group that went mountain climbing. Naturally, they had experienced guides and the best safety equipment they could find. Everything went well until they reached the summit. The lead guide went first, followed by the department director (himself an experienced climber). In order to get to the summit, it was necessary to grasp the ledge with your hands, then swing your leg over the top and pull up onto it. The problem happened with the girl who was behind the department director. After she had placed her hands on the ledge, she looked down—and froze. “I can’t do this, she cried, if I swing my leg up I’ll miss the ledge and fall.” Calmly, the guide put his hands over hers and said, “Sue, God’s got you this far without falling, don’t you think he’ll get you the rest of the way?” Sue took a deep breath, swung her leg over the ledge and pulled herself up. Now this guide could have pointed out all the safety harnesses and ropes that would keep her from plunging to her death, but instead he tapped into her faith “God’s got you this far…” That’s what the poet means when he says, “My times are in thy hand…” Regardless of what obstacles we face, we can remind ourselves that God has gotten us this far and that proves he won’t fail us now.
Day Five: Psalm 31:19-20. I’m sure some people limit the meaning of verse 19 to a place we call Heaven. There is no doubt that Heaven will be a place of riches and splendor, but I don’t think the Psalmist was referring exclusively to the “sweet by and by” when he penned these words. I think he had been contrasting his own experiences. Like most of us, he no doubt had periods in his life when he tried to handle things his own way. During those times he had discovered just how meager the resources available to him were in his self-created refuge. Having grown in his faith through the years, and having learned to trust God in all of his circumstances, he knows from experience that within the refuge God provides there are riches of wisdom, peace, hope and deliverance. These are “laid up” in the place of refuge. All we have to do is enter it and discover its wondrous bounty. “O how abundant is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for those who fear thee and [are] wrought for those who take refuge in thee…”
Day Six: Psalm 31:21,22. Anyone who has lived any length of time has probably experienced feelings of total hopelessness, despair and alienation. Perhaps it was due to the loss of a job, financial difficulties, the break up of a marriage, the death of a loved one or it may have been because people they trusted betrayed them. That is the sense that I get as I visualize the scene the poet sets before us. He tells us that there have been times in his life when he felt like there was totally surrounded by adversity. He speaks of feeling alienated by his problems from not only his friends but even God. But then he declares that no matter how bad his circumstances or how hopeless his case appeared, God always heard his cry for help and came to his assistance. Of course, God doesn’t always give us instant relief by rigging the state lottery or casting magic spells to make our problems disappear. No, instead he does what any loving parent does, “he shows us his steadfast love” by responding to our cries for help with the things that will make us stronger, bigger and better. It might be fresh insights into a problem, it could be through a series of coincidences that introduces us to new people who are able to help us, or it could simply be giving us renewed hope and encouragement that helps us realize we have the resources to handle the situation. “Thou didst hear my supplications, when I cried to thee for help.”
Day Seven: Psalm 31:23,24. There are some important truths hidden beneath the surface of these verses. The worst thing for a relationship is one person to taking the other for granted. The fastest way to turn an ally into a foe is to take complete credit for his or her ideas. The opposite of love isn’t hate, it is indifference. The way to “turn off” a helpful friend is to become overly dependent on them for advice or help. For that reason, the poet encourages us to Love the Lord, be strong and think courage not fear in the face of adversity. Then we can be assured that when we wait for him, he will preserve us. “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord.”
Day One: Psalm 31:1,2. Psychologist learned many years ago that people don’t think in words, they think in images. The poet begins by creating powerful visual images through the use of carefully chosen words. Throughout that land there were special places where an individual could seek refuge. Those who were seeking to harm them were not allowed to enter these places of refuge. The poet then continues with a plea for speedy rescue. Several months ago most of us were captivated by the story of the miners who were trapped in a coal mine back east. The miners were rescued, but no doubt the trapped miners were wondering what was taking so long. We know that the rescue crews worked as fast as they could but that but it took time for the engineers and workmen to do it safely. In thee, O Lord, do I seek refuge…be thou a rock of refuge for me…rescue me speedily!
Day Two: Psalm 31:3-5. A man and his family were on vacation in coal mining country and stopped to tour an old mine. Each tourist was given a miners helmet with a lamp on it as their guide explained that it was pitch dark down there and gave careful instructions about going through the tunnels. Dim electric bulbs lined their way into the mine, but once they were in the mine, the guide instructed them to light their miners lamps and then for dramatic effect, he turned out the electric bulbs. Suddenly the group was engulf by the darkness. The meager light from their lamps didn’t seem to penetrate it. Then they began to move forward into the darkness. Somehow the man had become separated from his family and wound up at the very back of the tour group. He said that most of the time he couldn’t see the person in front of him. He knew they were there, but he had to simply follow their sounds and walk in the light provided by his own small lamp. Suddenly, he became aware of red flashes several feet in front of him and realized that they came from his son’s athletic shoes (you know the kind that have a small light on the heel that flashes every time you take a step). He knew his son had positioned himself right behind the guide and he felt a sense of security in the midst of the darkness because he knew that if he followed the flashing lights he’d be guided safely out of the dark tunnel. “Lead me and guide me…into thy hands I commit my spirit…”
Day Three: Psalm 31:6-8. Lincoln is supposed to have said “People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Whether he said it or someone else said it and he got credit for it doesn’t alter the fact that it is a true statement. The poet, beset by enemies declares that because he trust in the Lord’s steadfast love and deliverance he has decided to rejoice and be glad. In one of my dad’s old sermon briefs dealing with this passage, all he wrote beside verse seven was, “Counting hundred dollar bills on the half…tell about Jack.” I don’t know who Jack was, nor do I know the story he told about him, but I do know what counting hundred dollar bills on the halves means. There is an old saying that “some people would complain about the work if they were counting hundred dollar bills on the half” meaning they would get half of the money they counted. The obvious point being that some people choose to be unhappy and complain no matter what. As the objects of the Good Lord’s steadfast love, we should choose to find reasons to rejoice and be glad. The Psalmist declares “I will”, not “when things get better”. The greatest gift besides Jesus that we’ve been given is the ability to use our mind to make choices. The greatest choice we can make each day, regardless of circumstances is to find reasons to say with the Psalmist, “I will rejoice and be glad…”
Day Four: Psalm 31:13-16. Several years ago, I heard about a college aged church group that went mountain climbing. Naturally, they had experienced guides and the best safety equipment they could find. Everything went well until they reached the summit. The lead guide went first, followed by the department director (himself an experienced climber). In order to get to the summit, it was necessary to grasp the ledge with your hands, then swing your leg over the top and pull up onto it. The problem happened with the girl who was behind the department director. After she had placed her hands on the ledge, she looked down—and froze. “I can’t do this, she cried, if I swing my leg up I’ll miss the ledge and fall.” Calmly, the guide put his hands over hers and said, “Sue, God’s got you this far without falling, don’t you think he’ll get you the rest of the way?” Sue took a deep breath, swung her leg over the ledge and pulled herself up. Now this guide could have pointed out all the safety harnesses and ropes that would keep her from plunging to her death, but instead he tapped into her faith “God’s got you this far…” That’s what the poet means when he says, “My times are in thy hand…” Regardless of what obstacles we face, we can remind ourselves that God has gotten us this far and that proves he won’t fail us now.
Day Five: Psalm 31:19-20. I’m sure some people limit the meaning of verse 19 to a place we call Heaven. There is no doubt that Heaven will be a place of riches and splendor, but I don’t think the Psalmist was referring exclusively to the “sweet by and by” when he penned these words. I think he had been contrasting his own experiences. Like most of us, he no doubt had periods in his life when he tried to handle things his own way. During those times he had discovered just how meager the resources available to him were in his self-created refuge. Having grown in his faith through the years, and having learned to trust God in all of his circumstances, he knows from experience that within the refuge God provides there are riches of wisdom, peace, hope and deliverance. These are “laid up” in the place of refuge. All we have to do is enter it and discover its wondrous bounty. “O how abundant is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for those who fear thee and [are] wrought for those who take refuge in thee…”
Day Six: Psalm 31:21,22. Anyone who has lived any length of time has probably experienced feelings of total hopelessness, despair and alienation. Perhaps it was due to the loss of a job, financial difficulties, the break up of a marriage, the death of a loved one or it may have been because people they trusted betrayed them. That is the sense that I get as I visualize the scene the poet sets before us. He tells us that there have been times in his life when he felt like there was totally surrounded by adversity. He speaks of feeling alienated by his problems from not only his friends but even God. But then he declares that no matter how bad his circumstances or how hopeless his case appeared, God always heard his cry for help and came to his assistance. Of course, God doesn’t always give us instant relief by rigging the state lottery or casting magic spells to make our problems disappear. No, instead he does what any loving parent does, “he shows us his steadfast love” by responding to our cries for help with the things that will make us stronger, bigger and better. It might be fresh insights into a problem, it could be through a series of coincidences that introduces us to new people who are able to help us, or it could simply be giving us renewed hope and encouragement that helps us realize we have the resources to handle the situation. “Thou didst hear my supplications, when I cried to thee for help.”
Day Seven: Psalm 31:23,24. There are some important truths hidden beneath the surface of these verses. The worst thing for a relationship is one person to taking the other for granted. The fastest way to turn an ally into a foe is to take complete credit for his or her ideas. The opposite of love isn’t hate, it is indifference. The way to “turn off” a helpful friend is to become overly dependent on them for advice or help. For that reason, the poet encourages us to Love the Lord, be strong and think courage not fear in the face of adversity. Then we can be assured that when we wait for him, he will preserve us. “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord.”
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