Daily Verse

Songs in the Night

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But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night. Job 35:10

When we are in a battle with the enemy like Job was, usually we have no idea what is going on. The invisible forces of the air, like a relentless defensive line in football are always looking to tackle us for a loss. But, when we can’t think straight and sleep is difficult, my dad used to advise me, “Don’t just lie there Pete! Get up and change the channel!” Just as Job did, we need to discover that the worship of Heaven is not limited to the four walls of the church, and we don’t have to hold on for dear life till next week’s service. We can get up in the middle of the darkest night and tune in to the Jesus Channel. Like the verse in Zephaniah tells us:

The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 

God never leaves us alone. He is not only the God who sees us, but also the God who will sing with us on the darkest of nights. I hope you will enjoy our song session from Life Care Center of one of my favorite hymns - God Leads His Dear Children Along-

Some through the waters, and some through the flood
Some through the fire, but all through the blood
Some through great sorrows, but God gives a song
In the night season
And all the day long!

God Leads His Dear Children Along by George Young 1903

Standing Out In the Storm

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 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. 
Psalm 18:3 KJV

Here in Florida, we have more than our fair share of hurricanes, at least passing by if not hitting us. This leads to many of us staying glued to latest the weather reports, wondering whether this is the time we will need to evacuate. Being now a veteran of worrying and watching these storms, my wife and I have often asked ourselves, “Why in the world are they sticking that poor weatherman (or weather lady), out in the middle of the mess?” As we were watching the luckless weather-beaten reporter on day, a sizeable branch blew down the street, sideswiping them and sending them scurrying for cover. Thankfully they were okay, but it got us to thinking and we decided that they were showing us those people out in the storm, so we would take their forecast seriously enough to prepare for it.

In today’s verse, King David is standing out in the storm. He is surrounded by enemies who have less than happy plans for the end of his life. The men who are out there are five times as many as he has on his side. Adding to the imbalance of numbers, the army looking to kill him is better armed, better trained and better fed. It would appear they are all about to be slaughtered, but in his quiet times while watching his father’s sheep, David has prepared for this storm. He knows what to do: Call out to the Lord! I share this morning’s meditation with you because these last several weeks I have been going through a few health-related storms of my own. Besides a bad bout of strep, I also have some long-term issues with my vocal cords that has me seeing a specialist. But this morning I remembered this verse and the song we used to sing with these words, when I was a twenty-something. In those days, nothing hurt for long, my energy seemed limitless, and I could blithely sing that verse, because I was not standing out in the storm. But I am glad that while things were easy-peasey in my life, I learned this promise, because today I was able to pull it out of my storm preparedness kit and use it to good advantage. God knows the forecast for each of our lives. He is not taken by surprise, nor swept off His feet by the branches blowing down the streets of Heaven. Whatever kind of storm you might be standing out in today, be sure to call with all your heart to the Lord. He is listening for our cry and is as ready to deliver us right now, no matter where the hurricane makes landfall!

Photo by manu mangalassery on Pexels.com

Where is My Heart Today?

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For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 
Matthew 6:21

Monday to Friday my boss always followed the same routine. He’d unlock the office, make a pot of coffee, and with his first cup in hand, he’d check the Wall Street Journal to see how his investments were doing. Of course, today you could just open an app on your cell phone, but the idea remains the same. We focus each day on what we have invested in.

Every morning God gives us a treasure of incalculable worth – 24 hours. As we open our eyes and take our first breath, we begin to invest the treasure of our time. Some good investments are simple, like praying, reading the Bible or kissing our children good-bye before they head off to school. But there have been some days when I faced complex responsibilities, frustrating conflicts, and unexpected difficulties, that things just began to spin out of my control.

Will I still spend time listening to my child talk about their day when I am tired and late for an appointment? Am I still ready to apologize for harsh words I said to my wife this morning? Did I congratulate the person who got the promotion I was hoping for? Each time we choose other people and God’s plan over ours, we are investing in things that have eternal value. Every visit to a hospital room, every need quietly met, every tear shed in prayer are investments in things we may never see or touch while here on earth. Every one of our hours, minutes and seconds that pass through our hands will be spent by the time the day is done. Jesus said that how we choose to invest them will determine where our hearts will be. As we drift off to sleep, maybe we should ask ourselves, “Where was my heart today?”