Devotions By Jan

Category Archives: Comfort


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Wings

 

Scripture for Today: Psalm 57:1  “Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in You I take refuge.  I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster is passed.”

Hens are known for being especially protective of their baby chicks.  In fact, in entering a chicken coop, it is best to wear protective clothing to avoid being pecked by a mother hen when approaching their young!  At the first sign of danger, the mother hen will gather her chicks under her wings.  There the chicks find refuge and safety.

The verse for today makes reference to the time when David was fleeing the murderous intentions of King Saul.  David was on the run for his life and found refuge in a cave.  God protected him there and David praises Him with this psalm.  He extols Him for sending His love and faithfulness in the form of deliverance.

I do not have a murderous king chasing me down.  Living in first world countries with freedom of religion, I do not face these same dangers.  However, I do have enemies.  Ephesians 6:12 describes my enemies as being the dark forces of this world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  There is a time for standing firm with the full armor of God.  There is also a time for renewal and retreat under His protective wings.

Many times I am unaware of the activity of my enemies.  As they are unseen it is easy to think that I am doing quite well on my own.  But disaster is always close by.  How much better it is to be in that place of refuge; the shadow of His wings!  Thank you, Lord, that Your love and faithfulness will protect me today.


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Sponges

Scripture for Today:  II Corinthians 1:3-4  “Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we may be able to comfort those experiencing any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves  are comforted by God.”

We go through sponges quite often in our home.  That is because Tiger, our cat, thinks of them as his personal property!  He loves to rip them apart.  Greeting me as I come into the kitchen are little pieces of yellow sponge all over the kitchen floor.  We have tried putting on the sponge a number of different cleaning products to discourage him.  But we do not always remember.  We would be rich by now if we had invested in whatever stock company sells those sponges!

Like sponges, we soak up the comfort God gives us.  Our verse for today reassures us of His mercy and comfort when we are experiencing trouble.  He is the God of all comfort.  His Spirit is called the “Comforter.”  His heart is touched by all our weaknesses and infirmities.   We can approach Him with confidence and receive His mercy (Hebrews 4:15-16).

There is a second purpose to the comfort He gives.  We experience His comfort so that we can share that same comfort with others.  There is credibility to comfort given out of a shared experience.  I can relate to those whose parents are experiencing failing health.  I am experiencing that same sadness.  He wants me to share His comfort with others experiencing this same heartache.

My sponge should not remain saturated.  I do not want to keep all His comfort for my own troubles.  Thank you, Lord for Your precious comfort and use me to share it with others.


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Sand

Scripture for Today:  Psalm 139:17-18 “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God.  If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.  When I awake, I am still with You.”

I love living in Alsace, but I do miss the beach!  There are some beautiful lakes in our region but nothing like the sandy beaches of California.

There are a few drawbacks to sand.  It is so fine and plentiful that it tends to get everywhere!  I am still shaking out sand from my walking shoes used last year on the beach!  But I do enjoy the warm soft sand on bare feet.

Our verse for today compares the number of granules of sand to the number of thoughts God has for us.  And in fact there is no comparison, as His thoughts towards us far outnumber all the sand in the world.  What an image!

If His thoughts to me are as numerous as the verse says, then there is never a time when He is not thinking of me.  That means that at the very moment I am thinking of Him, He is already thinking of me.  If His thoughts toward me are more numerous than all the sand in the world, then He was thinking of me well before my life here began.  He was even thinking of me before the foundation of the world! (Eph. 1:4)

I am humbled by the realization that He was thinking of me, me personally, when He hung on that cross.  I am overwhelmed by His constant and precious thoughts to me.  He thought of me when He spread that gorgeous rainbow over the sky the other day.   In preparing a place for me He is thinking of me (John 14:3)

Oh, that I would think of Him more often today!


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Beautiful Hands

Scripture for Today:  John 10:28-29  “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them from My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them from My Father’s hand.”

Young hands are beautiful hands.  As we get older, spots and raised veins appear.  Arthritis can swell the knuckles and hands do not look as beautiful as they once did.  Hands have a way of giving away our age.  Too bad gloves are not in style!

The Scriptures tell us that God is Spirit (John 4:24).  Even so, the Bible is full of references to God’s eyes or arms or hands to help us understand Him.  And I love to think of His hands and the fact that as His child, I am held there, safe and secure.

Our verses for today describe His hands as being more powerful than any others.  There can be no sudden sneaky move on the part of the enemy that can snatch me out of His hand.  I, myself, can not cause Him to let go.  My faith in Him put me there.  His power and love keep me there.

His are the hands that formed the universe.  The hand that holds me is the same hand that stilled the waters and calmed the seas.  Those hands touch and heal.  And His hands are scarred with the proof of His love.  They are hands that I can trust.  He will not let me go.

My life is in His hands, but more than that my eternity is in His hands!  If life is suddenly cut short, that does not change the pressure of His hand as He walks me into His very presence.  His hands are beautiful.


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Weary

IMG_20130319_102100Scripture for Today:  Matt. 11:28-30  “Come to Me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

I am not sure our Tiger could be any more relaxed!  If he were, he would fall off.  Ah, the life of a cat!  I can not imagine why he needs twenty hours of sleep a day!  From what is he resting?  Maybe he is weary from his dreams.

Our verse for today promises rest for those that are weary and feel burdened.  I can often feel that way with a schedule that is too full.  I can feel burdened with impossible demands that I put on myself.  I know there is weariness in me when I find myself continually sighing.  I love that my Jesus does not want me to feel that way!

Even so, my first inclination is to fix my own problems rather than coming to Him.  But in taking matters into my own hands, I am not really at rest where it counts, in my soul.  Finding rest in Him is so much more than just changing the “to-do list” or getting more sleep.  I look at “soul rest” as quiet unruffled confidence in His control.  There is peace in handing everything over to Him.  There is rest.

These verses do not say that I necessarily stop working.  But in taking on His yoke, I have Someone who shares the weight of it.  The burden of work is no longer heavy but light.  In the midst of work and activity, my soul can be at rest.

Lord, I need Your rest today.