The Lord said to Moses, “I’m going to send you food from heaven like rain. Each day the people should go out and gather only what they need for that day. In this way I will test them to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. But on the sixth day when they prepare what they bring home, it should be twice as much as they gather on other days.” Exodus 16:4-5 (GW)
My husband and I joke that our marriage survived because we agreed that whoever filed for divorce had to take sole custody of the children! Knowing that it took two of us to deal with the three of them, we stayed married. Now that the children are grown, we remain together because whoever files must relinquish all grandparenting rights. Since neither one of us is willing to forfeit time with the delightful grands, we continue to remain together. All joking aside, we’ll soon be commemorating a half century of marriage.
For the next ten days, we will be in California, celebrating our fiftieth anniversary with our children and grands. Four families from four states will be there and it wasn’t easy finding several days when everyone could take time away from work, school, friends, sports and other obligations to get together. In fact, because of everyone’s busy schedules, we’re celebrating six weeks early. As I thought about how my children, their spouses and children had to make certain sacrifices and adjust their lives so we could gather as one family, I thought about my responsibilities. Not only do I owe my family my full attention, but I also want to enjoy every possible minute with them. Nevertheless, I also want to honor my commitment to this devotional blog. Knowing I can’t do justice to both, I took it to God in prayer and that still small voice whispered in my ear, “Summer reruns.”
This website has been a journey of faith for me. For several years, I’ve trusted God to provide my words on a regular basis. Like manna from heaven, the Holy Spirit has inspired my daily messages; I have no complaint since He’s given me well over 1,300 posts. With the Israelites’ manna, God wanted the people to trust His daily provision so any manna stored from one day to the next got worms and spoiled. For me, reusing any devotions seemed a bit like storing manna and showed a lack of faith in God’s provision. I then recalled that God allowed two days’ worth of manna to be gathered on the sixth day, so that the seventh day, the Sabbath, was truly a day of rest. Being mindful that the days with our loved ones are numbered and only God knows how many remain, the next ten days are going to be an extended Sabbath for my family and me. There may be some more reruns later this summer when my husband and I go for a “just the two of us” trip to the Canadian Rockies to complete our anniversary celebration.
God speaks to my heart as I write and I hope and pray my writing speaks to yours. Nevertheless, just as Scripture may speak to me in different ways on different days, my words may speak to you in different ways on different days, as well. Instead of gathering extra manna for the Sabbath, I gathered up some devotions from three years ago, did a little updating where necessary, and re-scheduled them. I pray you enjoy the summer reruns. Blessings, j
Recently, our pastor asked us to write down both a prayer concern and a joy that anonymously could be shared with the congregation. Once compiled on a sheet of paper, the list was made available to anyone who wanted to offer those worries, needs and joys to God in prayer. As expected, most of the joys had to do with family, friends, health, and God’s love and forgiveness. Most of the concerns also were what we’d expect: health and the health of loved ones, finances, government, family turmoil, and children. At our Florida church, we start our weekly Bible study with prayer requests and praise reports and the list from our northern church was remarkably similar with one glaring exception. One person wrote, “I’m always afraid.”
Immediately after finishing yesterday’s devotion about conflict and prayer, I received a call from a friend whose 11-year old granddaughter, Anna, has osteosarcoma (bone cancer). Having undergone chemotherapy for the past two months, she is scheduled for surgery this week. In the best case scenario, her knee and part of her femur will be removed and replaced by a metal prostheses; the worst case scenario involves complete amputation of the leg. In either case, more chemo and at least six to twelve months of physical therapy will follow.
In speaking about prayer recently, our pastor referred to the 2009 church-wide assembly of our denomination. Knowing that the agenda included some divisive topics, the Presiding Bishop asked the delegates to spend the 50 days leading up to the convention devoted to both prayer and the study of Scripture. Once the Assembly convened, there was heated discussion among the delegates about the writing of a statement on human sexuality. The debate about this controversial subject was unique because the Presiding Bishop, Mark Hanson, halted the proceedings every twenty minutes to lead the assembly in prayer. Delegates on opposing sides, who had been vehemently arguing minutes earlier, often would lay hands on one another and pray for each other during these breaks. Praying for unity in spite of their disagreements, the delegates showed respect and love for one another. Although the final statement passed by only one vote and there is still disagreement within the church about it, without those pauses for prayer, that debate could have caused far more damage to the church than did the tornado that accompanied the assembly.
While reading C.S. Lewis’ The Horse and His Boy, I couldn’t help but think of the proud Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. He was so full of himself that he erected a 90-foot golden statue and then demanded that people fall down and worship it as a sign of loyalty to him. When interpreting one of the king’s dreams, Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that he would be driven from human society and only regain his kingdom when the king learned that heaven, not man, rules. The king was warned to change his evil behavior. In spite of the caution and even though he’d seen the power of the Israelites’ one true God when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego survived the fiery furnace, Nebuchadnezzar didn’t change his ways. While looking down from his rooftop and surveying the wonders of Babylon, he expressed pride in his accomplishments and congratulated himself on his mighty power. Before the words were even out of his mouth, a voice from heaven pronounced judgment upon him. The king developed what is known as boanthropy, a psychological disorder in which one becomes delusional and thinks he or she is a cow. The high and mighty king was driven from society and lived and ate like an animal for the next seven years.
Devotions of the Heart 