Every Friday my workplace has a tradition. Working on a rotation, we ladies bring breakfast for everyone and leads the group in a devotion. We have quite a few on the list, so the responsibility is required every over month or so. I have enjoyed this time, but mostly so I can sample others' recipes. I really don't care for a 5 minutes devotion on a verse that's probably taken out of context or is extremely surfaced. I don't care for sappy stories about children of dying mothers wanting to buy a pair of shoes, or a couple who can find enjoyment while splitting a can of beans for their Christmas dinner. Give me something I've never heard before! Illuminate the scriptures to me so I am contemplating on the words through the day.
THAT is my exact attitude going into most devotions. (I really hope my coworkers don't find offense to this. It's nothing personal, I'm just picky.) It's a rotten attitude, I think. I've always felt that way, I don't like that I go into a setting like this with an expectation that I'm going to be bored to tears. I really should give everyone and their material of choice a chance. So, to those of whom this concerns, I apologize.
I really am going somewhere with this.
Today was my turn to lead devotion. Usually I use this opportunity to enlighten others about profound things I have learned while at my church, The People of Mars Hill. I usually bring up some Levitical tradition that has never really been studied heavily in your normal Southern Baptist Church. Last night I decided to pick up a devotional book of mine, along with my Bible, and thumb through it. I looked up May 2. It reads:
God's Complete Protection
Nothing that Satan can do to you should cause you to fear (2 Tim 1:7). Jesus chose the twelve disciples the Father had given Him and then jealously guarded them from the evil one. Jesus sent His disciples into the world where they experienced difficult and dangerous circumstances, but He interceded on their behalf with His Father that they would have His strong protection from the evil one (John 17:15).
In the same way, Jesus said that we, as His sheep, are held securely in the Father's strong hand (John 10:28). There is no better place to be than safely in the hand of almighty God. Do you believe this, or are you fearful of what Satan or people can do to you? The apostle John encourages us that we do not need to fear: "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). This is not merely a theological concept but a profound reality in which you can have absolute confidence. It is not just a truth for meditation in the security of your home; it is a promise you can cling to in the midst of a hostile and menacing world.
What you do reveals what you believe. If you are living a fearful, anxiety-filled life, you are proving your lack of confidence in God's protection, regardless of what you may say. Live your life with confidence that Jesus is continually interceding with the Father on your behalf. If you trust Him completely, you will have nothing to fear.
" Experiencing God", Henry T Blackaby and Richard Blackaby
I was then reminded of the final verses in Psalm 91. Words that have been stuck in my head for weeks now, it seems, thank you to my husband Brad.
"Because he loves me", says the Lord, "I will rescue him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation." Psalm 91:14-16
Just to let you see through this little window of mine, I have been struggling with a HUGE sense of anxiousness and worry. Stress has become my emotion in the past few months. My brother, Chris, has sent me a few emails from God's Daily Word Ministries (so well written) that have directly pertained to prayer and faith. My problem has been the lack of both. Therefore, I believe, I have been fearful. I'm scared of everything it seems. I'm scared that my husband will get hurt while traveling, I'm scared we may have to move one day and I won't want to, I'm scared of future financial situations, I'm scared to have a family because I'm worried I'll be a failure, I'm scared that I may be losing friends, and the list can go on. I'm not called to live a life in worry. Brad told me that when I live this way, I might as well tell God that He's not good enough. Which, in my mind isn't the issue, it's me. I'M not good enough. But I take my life in my own hands, and knowing how flawed I am doesn't make me feel better. I've obviously lost my mind and have replaced it with nothing else. I should replace it with His word. I do read the scriptures. I do pray, I do listen intently to weekly teachings and further discuss them with my husband and friends. But, there's something deeper that seems to have weakened. Maybe it's just life circumstances, and I've let myself go unchecked.
Obviously I've learned a great lesson. Just because it comes from a simple, short devotion, doesn't mean it cannot leave a lasting impact. Sometimes we get to a point where it only takes one line, one verse, one thought to get us on the correct path.
In view of all things God has promised us, why do I allow myself to worry?
God is good. He will always be good.
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