March 31, 2007

Step 3: . We made a decision to turn our life and will over to the care of God.

Scripture reading for today: Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23 NIV

A few devotionals ago, I talked about my friend who had the courage to express her wanting, her needing, her desiring – she said, “I feel alone.” Not even a half-hearted listener could miss the implications. She felt alone, but she longed for community. She desired a family that would love her unconditionally and support her unequivocally. She was having a rough time, and it felt bad. In her misery, she wanted company.

There’s a guy named Paul. Historians tell us that he wrote a number of the books in the Bible, including I and II Corinthians. I think Paul can relate to my friend.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord and Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation, if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share In our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. II Corinthians 1:3-7 NIV

Thought for today: Sometimes we cry out, like a newborn baby, and it seems that no one hears. Worse, we conclude that no one cares. What if there is more going on in our lives than we can know? What if there’s a larger purpose, a grander adventure, a greater “YES!” awaiting us – but for now, on this day – we must wait. It’s at times like this when a good decision comes in handy. The decision has been made, we’ve chosen to trust God with the messiness of our lives. Instead of re-visiting the decision, we can move forward to solve the problem – we feel in want, but we know God meets our needs. We feel bad, but we know there are more explanations than we possess at the moment. We can pause to prepare because first we decided to believe.

Thought for tomorrow: It is on days like this that it helps to remember, “The Lord is my shepherd.” The question that remains – will you follow? I hope today you will take a moment and speak of your wants and needs to the Father. Having come clean with the unmet desires of your heart, I pray that you will be willing to stick around and trust Him for the answer.

March 31
Teresa McBean