Be The Voice

‎Monday, ‎July ‎26, ‎2021

Good Morning, Lord

Verse of the Day:  Psalm 119:60

I made haste, and did not delay To keep Your commandments.

Memory of the month:  Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be  satisfied.

Today's reading: PSALM 40-42 ACTS 27:1-26

Faith, How Strong?

Paul was going to Caesar in Rome and caught a ship with his court escort and friends. The stormy season was upon them and they were trying to find a safe harbor in which to winter. Paul told them not to leave the harbor they were in but no one would listen to him-what could he possibly know? He was a prisoner going before Caesar.

The weather got so bad that they gave up trying to sail and lowered the anchor just to be dragged along by the wind. They were throwing everything overboard but the people.

Then Paul had a visit from an angel that told him to have faith. The ship, only would be lost-none of the people would die-all would survive.

How bad was it? The scripture says that some has been without food fourteen days-14 days in the wind and rain and turmoil. Paul tells them it is going to be fine.

Have you ever been in the middle of something that was certain to be worse before it got better? Have you ever felt there was no hope? Paul was the voice that kept saying, we will survive.

God gives us that same voice in the hardest of times-the Holy Spirit. Job said, "Though He slay me, I will trust Him".(Job 13:15)

Shadrack, Meshak, and Abednego said, "But even if he does not(save us), we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up". (Daniel 3:15-18)

I admit, in the middle of the fury, it is hard to think about God. But that is the problem, isn't it? We usually do not have God on our minds. We have survival on our minds. We have fear of pain and the unknown on our minds instead of training our hearts and minds on the only one who can ultimately help us.

So, we practice. Again, the Puritans once repeated, "Practice His presence". It is not just in the big stuff-it is all the other stuff that leads up to the big stuff-yes, the little stuff. The next move, the next word, the next decision-God deserves our full attention in the small things and if we cultivate that mindset, God is included in all our lives.

How much faith does it take? It takes as much as we will allow the Lord to build. If we learn to trust Him in the small things of life, God will be on our minds for all of it.

Practice-always-never give into selfish, self-control.

Practice His Holy presence.

Be the voice like Paul that says, "God will deliver us".

...because He loves us...

Father in Heaven,

Forgive me for not practicing your presence constantly-for not depending on You. Teach me to talk to You-and listen- about everything and learn to trust.

In the name of Christ Jesus

Amen