Daily Devotional - 8/27/10 (9/27/09)

Prayer Focus - 7's



Pray for:
Seven things you are grateful for
Seven people who need your prayers
Seven places you care about
Seven characteristics that you want to grow in
Seven characteristics/ habits that you want to get rid of


Dear Lord - Thank You for always speaking to me. Help me to hear You today and as always, grant me the strength to obey.




Psalms 27



"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." (vs. 14)


I am waiting. I am trying to be strong. I am trying to take heart. I feel so on edge. My emotions raw. It is so hard to wait in patience. When I think of all that I have to do, it is overwhelming. I lose any calm I have mustered. I cannot think of tomorrow. I must just live. One step ahead; one step. I am waiting and walking. I am not thinking about tomorrow. It will think about itself. I will write my writing. I will lie down to sleep and I will wake again. I will get in my car and drive to work. I will work. I will deal with 200+ children and drive home to deal with three more and a sick husband and a messy house. I am not thinking, although I am. I will just wait. I will be strong. I will take heart.


I will wait for each moment to come and I will deal with it. I fail when I think ahead. I failed today as I thought about tomorrow. I became irritable and disheartened. "I cannot do this," I thought and of course I cannot, but God can. All I have to do is wait and in the meantime do what has to be done as God would have me. I must be strong. My children depend on that. I am demonstrating Jesus to them. If I am not strong, what will they think? I must be strong. My husband depends on that. If I fall apart, what hope does he have?


And I am taking heart because I have the promises in this psalm. God will not forsake me. Even if my parents could, He would not. And I have tomorrow with all the newness it holds. I have a fresh start. I have 200+ eager faces with lives of promise that I have been blessed to contribute to. I have a way to make money to pay my bills. I have good health insurance. Amen to that. I have beautiful children waiting to be taught about God; waiting to see His truths lived out in my life. I have a husband who is recovering quickly and who has determination to fight for his life. I have forgiveness for the failures of today. It is all a matter of my perspective. I am taking heart.


"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." (vs. 13)


I will see God's goodness. I will see it here. In the meantime, I have work to do. I will do it. I will go and walk and take one moment at a time and I will wait on the Lord.


 "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." (vs. 14)


 
Verses of Encouragement from Psalm 27:

"The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?" (vs. 1)

"Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident." (vs. 3)

"For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock." (vs. 5)

"Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me." (vs. 10)

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."  (vs. 14)



Prayer for the Day

Dear Lord,

We are grateful that You are strong when we are not.  We feel as if an army is against us sometimes and yet even then we do not need to be afraid.  It is so difficult to live by faith in this world.  Help us to keep our eyes on the unseen.  We know and rely on You.  We are waiting on You and living today for You. Grant us renewed strength each morning.  You are good.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen


QFT


1. Am I waiting for God or am I trying to take things into my own hands? How do I know?  How can I do a better job of waiting?

2. In what ways do I need to be strong right now? Who is depending on me? If I am not strong, how will it affect them?

3. How can I look at the difficulties in my life in a positive way? How does my perspective on life affect my feelings and my actions during the day?

4. Am I letting fear and worry keep me from doing the work and the activities I know I should be doing? How can I be more consistent in my follow through and obedience?

5.  Have people in my life forsaken me or let me down?  How has this affected me and how does it affect my relationship with God?  Do I feel that God has ever forsaken or let me down?  Why?  Did He really or could there be another explanation for what happened?