The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. Psalm 146:8-9
Maybe in the midst of the Corona Virus crisis we have lost hope as a nation because we have looked in all the wrong places. People joke about binge watching Netflix and YouTube; but when was the last time you heard anyone say, “Let’s binge read the Bible this week”? Or “Last night we binged on prayer till midnight.”? We are waiting on checks in the mail from the government, wishing the cruise ships could sail again and cheering on our favorite sports team. But our empty ships and stadiums; and empty public treasury, have yet to turn us as a nation to God who alone is the only true source of hope.
This is the first Sunday of the New Year and the first week of 2021. Why not turn off Netflix, football and the cooking channel and dedicate it as a kind of first fruits offering to binging on Jesus? He is our best hope and our helper forever!
Thy word is lamp unto my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105
When I was a teenager I lived for a few years on a farm in Southern Missouri. Each of us had our own chores and mine was to milk the cow. It would have been far easier to run across the road to the milk barn when it was light out, but in order to be ready to leave for work on time, I needed to get out of my nice warm bed and get started by 4:45. If the moon was full, it wasn’t hard to see and I could easily pick my way up the familiar path. But on dark moonless mornings, though I knew the way by heart, I needed the beam from my flashlight to find where to place my feet for each step.
Now fifty years later, I am still getting up long before daybreak but the pathway of 2021 feels far darker than any of those walks to the barn. Our own family’s issues, the ever changing national health crisis along with my own personal struggles loom on the horizon feeling like the shadows of a massive mountain range. Fears and doubts, decisions and demands lie waiting to be confronted, decided and met full on. But there is hope because God has given us a promise that He will light the path. We may not see well enough to run ahead, but His word will show us the way to take the next step. Then, even more amazingly He adds the even greater promise that He will not only light our path but that He will walk with us on it ,step by step, all the way to the barn.
God bless you each of you and Happy New Year. May you find the next step that He has reserved for you in this year that lies ahead!
Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. Mark 6:47
The week between Christmas and New Year reminds me of the scene as the disciples were struggling to cross the sea of Galilee . Everything had started out just fine that day. Jesus had taught thousands of people and then miraculously multiplied bread for everyone to eat. Maybe some of those basketfuls of leftovers were in the boat with them getting soggy from the spray of the waves. But there in that place they suddenly felt alone, worn out and confused. How could they have gotten themselves in such a fix. Jesus himself had told them to get into the boat and cross over. Why were things so hard?
I’m sure most of us have asked these kinds of questions all through this pandemic year. How could a year that began with such hope end in such confusion, weariness and fear? We are all living this life in the middle where the shore we have left from is no longer in sight and still our destination is not even visible on our most distant horizon. But God has good news for all of us weary rowers today.
First, if we started in the right direction, being in the middle is not such a bad thing. It means we are halfway to our goal. Just because things are tough doesn’t mean we should consider quitting. God is giving us an opportunity to grow in faith and to see Him at work in our trials.
Secondly, even in the middle of the sea Jesus is still watching over us. Jesus has not gone into retirement in heaven. He in fact has taken on the job of praying for us. He knows exactly where we are, what we are up against and He has a plan in it all.
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25
Last of all, the middle of the sea is the perfect place for Jesus to come. He specializes in walking on waves, showing up in our darkest hour and speaking to us in ways that are surprising (Maybe even frightening at first). But just think of all we would have missed if we simply had stayed dry and safe in a fancy hotel room back on shore. God is with us and promises that if we follow Him He will be The Good Shepherd who makes us lie down in green pastures in 2021. He will lead us by still waters and along paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. He will be our protector and friend through every dark valley ahead and stay with us all along the road until together we come to the Father’s house.
Starting tomorrow I will be taking about off a week from this blog. Our son and daughter-in-law are coming with five of our grandchildren to keep me company as my wife has had to fly out to California to care for her sister who recently came out of the hospital. She is recovering well but I would appreciate your prayers. You see, I really needed this lesson for myself today and I pray it will be a blessing to you as well. We are all together in the same boat in the middle of the lake but Jesus has not forgotten us. Happy New Year to all and God bless! For those who enjoy devotional reading you might want to consider my full year devotional:
Available on Amazon in both a Kindle e-book and a print version. Here is the link for 365 Days With Jesus by Peter Caligiuri
praise2worshipdotnet 
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