Devotions By Jan

Category Archives: God’s Strength and Power


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Precious Cargo

sling shelterScripture for Today: Isaiah 46:4 “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you.  I have made you and I will carry you.  I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”

My sweet grandson sleeps best when carried by his mother!  My daughter has several styles of carriers and they all seem different from what I used.  I still remember the hike to Nevada Falls when my husband carried both of our daughters at once.  He had our eldest in a back carrier and our youngest in a carrier on his chest.  They were happy to be close and cuddled by their daddy and we were all able to enjoy the hike together.  Of course, eventually they both outgrew their carriers.

Our verse for today is about being carried and sustained by the One who has created us.  Unlike the gods of Babylon who were utterly helpless, our God has upheld us from the moment we were conceived! (verse 3)  His care continues throughout life, even and especially when we are older and feeble.  He is the One who sustains.  We never outgrow this carrier!  It is on His chest that we are calm and can rest.  We are safe and secure when He holds us close.  His sustaining power rescues us from any potential danger.

My rebellious spirit makes me squirm.  To be carried means relinquishing any control I think I have.  My little grandson cannot decide where he is going.  We however, try to climb down from His arms.  We think we know where we are going and what we are doing.  But in fact, His way is always better.

Stress and fatigue cause me to climb back up where I belong.  Thank you Lord, for carrying me.

 


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Alsacian Plains

Scripture for Today: I Kings 20:23 “Meanwhile, the officials of the King of Aram advised him, ‘Their gods are the gods of the hills.  That is why they are too strong for us.  But if we fight them on the plains surely we will be stronger than they.”

Not far from our home are the World War I trenches overlooking the long disputed Alsacian plains.  Over the years the French and the Germans have repeatedly fought over these fertile plains and possession has passed back and forth.  But the price in lost lives has been high as seen by the number of graves next to the trenches.

In our verse for today is the erroneous thinking of Israel’s enemies.  They have limited the scope of God’s power to only the hills.  They are sure that their strength will prevail if they attack on the plains outside the reach of God’s power.  These enemies of Israel had a god for every area of their lives and assumed the same would be true of the Israelites.  The one and only God of the universe promised to deliver the enemy into the hands of the Israelites to show the extent of His might and power.

I smile when I read how faulty and illogical was the thinking of these enemies.  God’s Word reveals that the whole earth is the Lord’s and everything in it (Psalm 24:1).  His presence can invade every nook and cranny of this world and of our hearts.  There is no putting God in a box and limiting the sphere of His power.  But maybe I do the same thing.  Do I put artificial limitations on what God can do?

His power has no limits!  Thank you Lord, for Your greatness that surpasses my feeble understanding!


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Grasshoppers

Scripture for Today: Numbers 13:33 “We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of the Anak come from the Nephilim).  We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

Grasshoppers are almost cute.  This one seems to be smiling!  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.  They are not thought of as so cute when one realizes they are no different than the destructive locust!  Their ability to jump long distances with those powerful legs is surprising.  If humans could jump as they do, we would easily jump the length of a football field and then some!

In our verse for today, ten of the twelve men sent to check out the opposition in the Promise Land came back feeling like grasshoppers.  The inhabitants were “of a great size” and they concluded they were too strong to attack!  Caleb and Joshua were the only ones who gave an encouraging report to Moses and the people.  The size of the enemy did not matter to them.  They understood that the Lord was with them and there was no need to be afraid.  Believing in God’s promised victory and His protection kept them from feeling small and powerless.

I can relate to those ten men who felt like grasshoppers!  When trials loom in front of me or an obstacle to my faith seems insurmountable I can feel so small and impotent.  I may actually be a grasshopper when it comes to comparing strength and numbers.  But I am on the Lord’s side and that makes all the difference!

Thank you Lord, for the victory I have in You!


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Underwater

Scripture for Today: Psalm 77:19  “Your path led through the sea, Your way through the mighty waters, though Your footsteps were not seen.”

We live in an age of amazing technology!  Underwater robots, or “Remote Operating Vehicles” plunge the depths of the oceans and bring up all kinds of new information.  Their unmanned exploration has been used in a variety of ways.  Some are able to do repairs on oil rigs.  Some can predict the magnitude of an approaching hurricane.  Others can locate, map and sometimes raise the wreckage of a downed airplane!  Their discoveries have increased our appreciation of God’s creation!  But there is one thing these underwater robots will never find on the ocean floor; God’s footprints!

We do not see His footsteps but we see the evidence of His creative work and His mighty deeds.  The verse for today uses the images of the sea and the mighty waters to represent the unseen reasons for the hard times in life.  The author begins this psalm feeling rejected and forgotten by God.  He decides to meditate on all God’s miracles of the past.  He reaffirms God’s mighty power and ends with trust.  Even though he does not see God’s “footprints” he responds with faith.

I sometimes feel that I am “out of my depth” with why God allows hard things to happen.  But it is true that He leads us into deep waters.  It feels so deep that we cannot find our footing.  We do not see His footsteps or any evidence at all of His being there in that moment of distress.  But He is.  We are not walking on that ocean floor by sight, but by faith (II Cor. 5:7).

Thank you Lord, that You will deliver me from deep waters and will not allow them to engulf me!


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Chariots

Scripture for today:  Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord.”

When I think of chariots and horses my mind goes immediately to the famous chariot race scene in the epic movie, Ben Hur. It took five weeks to film this nine minute segment and the studio used 15 thousand extras for the crowd of spectators.  There was an infirmary created especially for this scene because of the potential for injury.  There were no injuries, however, except some bad cases of sunburn.  Three life-like dummies were strategically placed to give the appearance of bodies run over by the chariots.

Horses and chariots were important instruments of war in biblical times.  The winning side in a battle were often those with the best built chariots and the swiftest horses.  In today’s verse, one can choose to place their confidence in their horses and chariots or in the name of the Lord.  The choice is basically the same today.  We can choose to place our trust in our own efforts, or we can depend on the strength of the Lord.  It is the Lord who gives victory with the power of His right hand. (verse 6) To trust in oneself is no guarantee of victory.

Trusting “in His name” is trusting God Himself.  The more I know Him personally and not just know “of Him,” the easier it will be to trust Him. (Psalm 9:10)  When I lack confidence in Him, I am doubting either His goodness, His control, or His power.  The more I get to know Him, the more likely I am to absolutely depend on Him.  It is only through a growing relationship that this trust can come. And getting to know and trust Him is worth every effort!

Help me Lord, to completely trust Your loving heart.