Devotions By Jan

Category Archives: God’s Strength and Power


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Sticking My Neck Out

Scripture for Today: Nahum 1:7 “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.”

It is obvious how this Eastern Snake-Necked turtle got its name.  The neck on this common Australian turtle can be as long as his body!  When it feels threatened it can emit a strong musky liquid from the armpits and groin area.  Of course, its best protection is his shell.  But for this species, to fit that long neck into his carapace he has to bend his head sideways and make it go in sideways.  Retreating into his shell may take some extra maneuvering but worth the protection it gives.

Today’s verse talks about the Lord being our refuge in times of trouble.  He is good and He cares when we have stuck our necks out too far!  The refuge He offers is His presence and is always available.  There is no situation that is too difficult for Him regardless of how vulnerable and exposed we feel.  By hiding in Him we can wait out whatever is making us feel threatened.  He is our refuge, our fortress and our hiding place.  In His loving and protecting presence we can patiently wait out any pressure, stress or assault.  It is God who gives perseverance and encouragement (Rom.15:5).

I do not know what tomorrow may bring.  But I do know that He is already there and He will give me what I need to persevere.  At the first sign of trouble, He wants me to hide myself in Him.  He cares for me because I trust in Him.  He responds to my trust by being exactly what I need when the hard times come.  What a comfort that He is good and ready to hide me!

Thank you Lord, that You care.

 


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Little Grasshopper

Scripture for Today: Isaiah 40:22 “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.”

Of all the insects I can run into, I am the least threatened by the grasshopper.  Perhaps the delight of seeing them jumping in the grass when I was a child has stayed with me.  According to the Urban Dictionary, calling someone a “grasshopper,” is to refer to someone as a novice, a student, a subordinate or to someone who is just ignorant.  This use of the word was made popular by the Kung Fu television series in the seventies.  “Patience, my little grasshopper.”

Today’s verse refers to all of mankind as grasshoppers when compared to the God of the universe.  God’s creativity, His sovereignty and His incomparable power are so far above man’s experience and capabilities.  We are only small insignificant grasshoppers next to such greatness!  If God had not revealed Himself to us we could never have had any relationship with HIm.  There are no limits to His knowledge and understanding.  When communicating with us I can just imagine Him saying, “patience, my little grasshopper.”

How ludicrous of any “grasshopper” to say there is no God!  But even though I love Him and belong to Him I can act as though He is not there.  I get so busy jumping from one thing to the next that the whole day can pass without even a thought of Him.  Yes, He sits enthroned above but He is also intimately involved in every detail of my puny insignificant life!  His love and faithfulness are as high as those heavens He spread out.  What an amazing thought that He could care for me!

Lord, thank you for loving this grasshopper!


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The Army Crawl

Scripture for Today: Psalm 119:28 “My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to Your Word.”

It is so cute when babies do the “army crawl.”  My granddaughter is in this stage, pulling herself along with her arms while staying prone.  Now her older brother has to scramble to keep his lego structures standing at her approach!  In the military, staying prone while moving forward keeps one out of the line of fire.  There is a quote from Napoleon saying, “An army marches on its stomach.”  But rather than referring to an army crawl, marching on one’s stomach meant to fight victoriously being well-provisioned.

Today’s verse tells us that we are well-provisioned or strengthened through His Word.  In our spiritual battle to obey and follow His commands, we grow weary.  The psalmist recognizes that he can be strengthened by understanding God’s precepts and meditating on all of God’s wonderful deeds in the past.  It is through God’s Word that we gain strength and courage to keep walking in His ways.  Without His Word, we are ill prepared or ill-provisioned!  Our souls need this daily nourishment to persevere.

How presumptuous of me to think I can live the Christian life on my own!  But every time I neglect His Word, I am operating out of pride.  My soul can easily become weary with sorrow as I move away from His love letter to me.  Pride and doing things my way isolates me from the relationship the most important in my life.  How good He is when I return to His Word to change that sorrow and weariness into joy and motivation!  Being in His Word strengthens my faith, my resolve and my relationship with Him!

Thank you Lord, for strengthening me today through Your Word.

 

 


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Deep Water

Scripture for Today: John 4:10 “Jesus answered, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.”

Did you know that over 60% of the earth is covered by deep water more than a mile in depth?  How wonderful it would be to scuba dive and enjoy all the varied colors of the coral and of the fish!  Even in the extreme depths far from sunlight there is life found in the cold sweeps and hydrothermal vents.  There is a whole other world when one goes deeper!

Today’s verse is from the story of the woman at the well.  Jesus offers her water that will so satisfy her that she will never thirst again.  The woman’s response is understandable.  She keeps the discussion on a physical rather than spiritual plane.  But if she had known who it was that was speaking to her she would have realized that there was a deeper meaning.  He wanted to satisfy her deeper longings and not only her physical need.

My requests and prayers to the Lord often stay on the physical plane.  It is understandable to ask Him for a physical healing.  He understands when I ask for help with finances or a miracle that would change my circumstances.  But He wants me to go deeper with Him.  He wants me to recognize and ask Him for what I cannot see or touch or measure.  He offers to fill me up with the fulness of Him.  He wants me to ask for His peace, His power and the assurance of His presence.  Filling these deeper needs carry me through all the rest!

Thank you Lord, for giving me what I truly need; more of You.

 


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Pickle Fork

Scripture for Today: John 15:4 “Remain in Me, as I remain in you. No branch can bear fruit of itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.”

I love looking out the window of an airplane, even if I am over a wing.  I don’t normally think about how that wing is attached to the plane.  But if I did, I would just assume the connection was good at what is called the “Pickle Fork.”  That is the name of the juncture between the wings and fuselage.  Lately, the new generation of the Boeing 737 has been showing cracks in exactly that spot!

Today’s verse teaches how vital our connection is with the Lord.  Just as there can be no fruit in a branch separated from the vine, so there can be no good result when a wing detaches from the fuselage.  This verse tells us to remain in Him, meaning that sometimes we do not.  Our independent spirit and sense of self-sufficiency can create some serious cracks!  The separated branch or wing can look good to others but without that essential connection, there is no purpose to it being there.

To remain in constant communication with the Lord takes focus.  To always be aware of His presence and love takes deliberate effort.  But when I spend time in His Word and my thoughts are directed toward Him, I see my day take on purpose as He works through me.  Nothing I can accomplish will have any eternal significance without His amazing productive power.  I can almost feel those cracks forming when I do not spend time with Him.  But when I stay connected I see results that I know do not come from me alone.

Lord, keep me connected and crack free!