Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. Psalm 57:1 ESV
Some days the hawk sits silently While the thunder crashes round And swallows swoop into the barn Where the chickens huddle down
Tall cranes stand in the rushes In her house the blue bird sleeps While the chickadees are twittering In the thickets dark and deep
But eagles fly up to their nests When they hear their children cry And shelter them under their wings While the rain is passing by
Then why should you and I do less Who know our place to fly Up to God our refuge strong While the storm is passing by
You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 2 Corinthians 3:3 NIV
Imagine trying to write while riding in a stagecoach or racing around the track on a roller coaster. Your handwriting would be terrible, maybe even illegible. When we are always running towards the next activity never pausing to rest, that is how God’s handwriting looks on our hearts. But when we take time to be still and pray His Holy Spirit begins to clearly write the story of Jesus for others to see. Though not everyone wants to read it, there may be one person who will want to know Him more. During this Christmas season, that bouncing stagecoach or racing roller coaster is a pretty good description of my own life some days. I am running so fast to celebrate the birth of our Jeus that the handwriting on my heart often looks scrawled or smudged.
There are many ways to slow life down and give it some order, and for some of us that begins with a moment of reflection on a Bible verse and a simple story that helps bring it to life. If you are that kind of person, then, you might consider The Christmas Star, which is a simple 30-day advent reading plan. Each day begins with a verse, then tells a story and offers a moment to stop, take a breath, and listen for the voice of Jesus. If we are quiet long enough, He will begin to tell us what His plans are for the day and then start writing another chapter of His story on our hearts for everyone to see! The Christmas star is available on Amazon, in both eBook and softcover in large print.
Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Daniel 6:10 NIV
In this hour, when there has been handwringing, frustration and anger among some conservative Christians about the recent election results we need to remember the story of Daniel. He certainly faced an election defeat far greater than ours. I doubt that any of us, at least here in the United States are worried we will be thrown into a den filed with hungry lions: but Daniel did. He knew the decree had been signed, he understood the gravity of the punishment, and yet we do not hear him complaining, making a public scene or running away. Instead, Daniel did exactly what he had always done before: He prayed! Daniel didn’t run to God in a panic, He got on his knees and asked for help, just as he had always done, and he did it three times a day. Maybe our trouble is that, when our ideas have won elections, been popularly trumpeted on social media and gained us acclaim, we have gotten to like being patted on the back. But if our courage is based on the world’s acceptance, we are building our house on a bed of sand. Today the rains are falling, the storms are rising and just as promised, they will beat on our houses of faith. Whether we stand or fall does not depend on the severity of the storm but on the strength of our foundation. Knowing that the world’s decrees are signed against us must not make us fearful but should inspire us to pray. We can trust always Him, because He has promised to be with us not only in a lion’s den, but in every situation, both today and forever!
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