February 8 through 14, 2010

Day One Psalm 138:7, Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies…your right hand delivers me; Someone once said that faith begins when we understand our limitations and dare to move beyond them. To that we might add that trust begins when we place our lives in God’s hands and refuse to quit even though we understand that there are many events in life that are unfair, problems that are undeserved and that troubles come our way in spite of our best efforts.

Day Two, Exodus 2:24, God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant…; The most comforting thought we can hold when we are facing adversities is that Almighty God is mindful of what we are going through. It is easy to forget this fact when we are struggling under some burden, but we must keep reminding ourselves of it lest we become cynical and negative. And we must remember that God knows how much we can endure (often more than we think we are capable of). Like a good parent, our Heavenly Father wants us to become stronger, so he doesn’t always come flying to our rescue at the first hint of trouble. But come to our aid he will, and when he does it is always at the right time and in a way that will lead us into what is best for us. He will not forget us, nor will he forget the promises he has made in his word.

Day Three, Luke 5:8,10, Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man…Do not be afraid, from now on you will be…; The simple truth contained in today’s verses is that God often blesses us in spite of ourselves. When we receive a visitation of God’s goodness, grace and glory instead of assuming it was a result of how good we’ve been, wouldn’t a more appropriate response be that of Peter? When such a response is made we are then ready to hear what God has to say to us about what we can be.

Day Four, Isaiah 6:8, Here am I! Send me; Isaiah’s vision of the “Lord high and lifted up” evoked a realization of his own inadequacies, leading him to confess Woe is me! For I am lost…”. But God never leaves us with these feelings, once we come clean he cleans us up and offers us not only his companionship but an opportunity to more fully experience the fulfillment that comes from giving ourselves in service. When we experience the vision of God that leads us to realize that we are victims of our own “unclean lips” it is because God wants to give us the victory over our weaknesses and limitations. God doesn’t provide this vision and victory just to make us feel better, he does so to enable us to hear his voice asking Whom shall I send?. This week as we go about our daily lives, may we hear that voice and always be ready to respond Here am I! Send me.

Day Five, Psalm 138:1, I give thee thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing thy praise; Living in the 21st century can be both frustrating and complicated due to the countless demands of life from church activities, family, earning a living and dealing with everyday problems. It is easy to allow these things to become “little gods” in our lives. The writer of this Psalm seems to have discovered a simple secret for dealing with these little gods and keeping a sense of balance in his life. His secret was twofold. First he looked for reasons to be thankful no matter what demands were made on him. Second, when the little gods began to crowd out his commitment to his Heaven Father he affirmed his commitment to God.

Day Six, Psalm 138:3, On the day I called, you answered me, you increased the strength of my soul; Over the years, I’ve had many people tell me that God doesn’t answer their prayers. I always feel sorry for such people because they obviously don’t recall what they have prayed for or they are so self-absorbed that they don’t recognize that sometimes God doesn’t give us what we asked for, but what we need. The psalmist not only affirms that God answers prayer, but that he begins to answer immediately; and more importantly he testifies that the Good Lord gave him what he needed to solve the problem or face the test.

Day Seven, , Isaiah 6:3, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory; I have often heard the protestation “I don’t get anything out of church.” This avowal begs the question as to why people go to church. If it is to see our friends or catch up on the latest gossip, then we fail to get something out of attending if our friend is absent or there’s nothing new to talk about. Our verse for today should remind us of the reason we go to church—to catch a clear and fresh vision of God and realize how fortunate we are to have his love and awesome presence with us all the way.