Weekend Words

Three readings from my devotionals this week, because I couldn't choose :)

FYI: the Beside Still Waters devotional (second reading) is by Charles Spurgeon, and the Beside the Still Waters (third reading) is an Amish/ Mennonite publication.... 

From Be Still and Know...

And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. - Isaiah 30:21

Early one morning I was invited to go for a walk in the woods.  It was a beautiful morning.  The birds were singing, and the sun was shining through the trees along the trail, reflecting its rays on a lake close by.

The family dog went with us.  However, he was not satisfied to stay on the path, but ran from one side to the other.  As we returned, the dog was exhausted, panting as hard as he could.  I said, "Do you know why your dog is worn out?  It is from all the detours he took.  He was off the trail more than he was on it."

We may become exhausted physically, mentally, and spiritually at times because of the detours we take from God's path.  We run this way and that on paths of our own making.

The Lord has promised to be our personal guide through life.  His part is to open the way before us; our part is to walk in it.  Whether the way be rough or smooth, dark or bright, easy or hard, we have Someone who knows each step of it.  However, we must seek guidance from His Word and from prayer.  He promised, "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which though shalt go.  I will guide thee with mine eye" (Psalm 32:8)

Many voices urge us to turn this way and that.  Many things may distract from His way, but we must close our ears to them.  We must stay close enough to hear His voice directing us.  If the way is not clear before us, we must wait until it is.

Today are you uncertain which way to go?  Perhaps the "traffic light" of your life is red, indicating you are to stop.  Or it may be the yellow of caution.  As you wait, in God's perfect timing, it will turn green; indicating that you can go ahead.  You will hear the Lord say, "This is the way, walk ye in it, when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left."

From Beside Still Waters...

The Lord's Presence

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it." - Genesis 28:16

The Puritans believed in an ever-present God.  Oh to be able to feel God everywhere, in the little as well as the great, in our rising up and our sitting down, in our going out and our coming in.  I cannot imagine a life more blessed or a spirit more related to the spirit of the glorified than the mind and heart of the person who lives in God, who knows and feels that God is ever present.

If you are in personal danger, or in the midst of a storm, or facing illness, and if you hear a voice saying, "Surely the Lord is in this place," you will be perfectly at rest.  The anxious air grows pure if He is there.  Lightning cannot strike you, or if it does it will be joy.  The storm cannot devour you, nor can the hungry ocean engulf you, or if one does, it is happiness if God is there.  There is no need to fear.  Nervousness is wickedness when "the eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you" (Deuteronomy 33:27)

You may be in great poverty.  Your walls may be bare and your furnishings scant.  And still you may say, "Surely the Lord is in this place."  Remember the old Christian's exclamation, "What, all this and my God present with me?"  Better to have poverty and feel His presence than to own the world's riches and not know that He is here.

Some of you are in deep affliction.  Your difficulties are so great that you do not know where things will end, and you are deeply depressed.  But remember, "Surely the Lord is in this place."

Some of you are called to some extraordinary duty and do not feel strong enough.  Follow that call, for surely the Lord is in that place.  He will help you.

From Beside the Still Waters...

Casting Our Care - Read: Psalm 115

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." - 1 Peter 5:7

The word care, as used in today's key verse, can mean distraction, anxiety, concern, fearfulness, protectiveness, apprehension, or meticulous attention.  To cast is to throw upon, fling or toss, deposit or disperse.  It seems that care is natural to us, and we feel that we must manage all the details of our affairs.

Since we are limited in our perspective, we build up a huge load of care that distracts from trust in God.  But God sees the whole picture and can manage all our concerns for good according to His purposes in Christ.  Sometimes we worry and fuss and try to pressure others to do and be what we think is best, making life miserable for ourselves and our loved ones.  We protectively try to manage every detail in a spirit of frustrated anxiety and unrest.

Does Jesus care about this?  In Philippians 4:5-6 we find the instructions, "Let your moderation be known to all men" and "Be careful for nothing."  Moderation speaks of mildness or gentleness.  This applies especially to those who are close to us.  To be careful for nothing doesn't mean being careless, but rather putting full trust in our sovereign God and casting our burdens on Him with prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving.

It takes humility to realize that we don't have the resources for managing all our affairs as God does.  We need to let go and cast our care on Him, believing that He is truly a "help" and a "shield" for all who trust in Him (Psalm 115:11).  If we are unwilling to let go, God will still care, but instead of receiving the blessing of relief, we will be left with frustration, worry, and an out-of-control feeling.  We need to let go and let God!

If we do the casting, God will do the caring!

- Daniel Stauffer - Ephrata, PA