A Hurting Word...
If you can finish the rhyme, you TOO were hooked on Mother Goose--long, long ago! And it WAS a Mother Goose rainy day here...and it did NOT come back another day, so the bands could then come out to play...but play they did--anyway! It was an annual festival of marching bands in the area--skillful performances in the cold and the rain, and finally the rain won out. My cold, rain-soaked saxy son is cuddled up on the sofa with a warm blanket to prove he survived!
As I drove through the rain to watch my soggy son and his friends perform, of course, I muttered to myself, "This is crazy!" But I soon realized a devotional was churning inside of me, just waiting to be written tonight--and here it is! For you see, ask any teen band member, "What do you do when it rains?" And he or see will shrug their shoulders and quickly reply, "Play anyway!" That's typical teens for you--not gonna let a "little" rain (sure!) bother them! But now, apply that spiritually, and you've guessed it--you've got this week's devotional! Come to the well, (bring an umbrella!), and let's find out about rainy days, et cetera! We all have them, so join the crowd!
A Helping Word...or Two!
Rain, rain...go away!..Paul and Silas...where are your umbrellas? Don't you know it's raining out there--trials and troubles coming down in bucketsful, and now, it's not just "raining on your parade," - they've STOPPED your parade! Harrassers, workers of evil, power-hungry men, have turned their backs on the Gospel, and turned on you. And what are you going to do? I can hear them now, "Why, we're just going to praise Him, anyway," they say--and inside the prison walls, showers of blessing fall at midnight, as two joyful Christians begin to praise the Lord...ANYWAY!
What do you and I do when trouble rains on our parade? Gripe, grouch, grin-and-bear-it? Sure, we're human, and often that IS our response. Let's admit it! But Lord, help us to praise You anyway...to know the blessing of offering You a "sacrifice of praise" - praising you when it's HARD to do.
And, Lord, when the rain showers fall in our lives this week, help us remember--we're going to praise You anyway!
"By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name (Hebrews 13:15 KJV)."
Fire, fire...go away!...Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, what are you going to do? Where's your asbestos clothing? Don't you know they're about to throw you into the fiery furnace? I can hear them now..."Why, we're just going to serve Him anyway!" And serve they did--these three teens who loved God so much that even the reality of a red-hot furnace would not sway them from their faith. They survived--the Fourth Man in the furnace stood with them--but they were ready to give their all. And within that fiery furnace, faith stood strong--for they served the Lord--ANYWAY!
What do you and I do when the fiery trials appear? Run for shelter, run for help, or just run away? Sure, we're human--fiery trials are "hot" to handle. Let's admit it--it's no fun to go through a fiery furnace experience in your home, your school, your workplace, your church. But, Lord, help us to serve You anyway...to know the joy of standing firm in Your Word, of letting you refine us in the blazing fire, knowing we SHALL come forth as gold. That's your Word, and it's true.
And, Lord, when the fiery trials blaze in our lives this week, help us remember--we're going to serve You anyway!
"If it be so, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace...but if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up (Daniel 3:18 KJV)."
Wind, wind...blow away!...Paul, what are you going to do? Can't you see that the wind is about to tear apart the ship you're on? You and all the men are about to drown, and what are YOU going to do? I can see him now, standing with his face raised to heaven, as he replies, "Why, I'm just going to trust Him anyway!" And he did trust the Lord--the Word of the Lord, in which God had promised safety and deliverance. Now things DID fall apart--the ship literally broke into pieces, but the pieces of the broken ship became life-saving rafts for each person aboard. Not one perished. And on one little piece of ship, a survivor held fast his trust--ANYWAY!
What do you and I do when the ship falls apart in the wind and the storm? Do we cry in discouragement, despair, and defeat? Sure we're human--it's no fun to have a shipwrecked marriage, family, job, or any other storm in our lives. God understands we get discouraged, dismayed, AND fearful; that we sometimes face seemingly impossible situations. But Lord, help us to trust You anyway--to know You will not forsake us; You will not leave us to toss and turn in the four winds; You are ever watchful. Help us to hold on to that ONE piece of broken ship--to cling to Your Word, which will NEVER fail, but will bring us safely to shore.
And, Lord, when the wind and the storms rage in our lives this week, help us remember--we're going to trust You anyway!
"...be of good cheer...for there stood by me this night an angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul...there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but only of the ship...wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer; for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me (Acts 27:22-25 KJV)."
How do we learn the secret of praising Him, serving Him, trusting Him--ANYWAY? I believe the secret is found in an unconditional love relationship between ourselves and the Lord--when we TRULY love Him, we will praise Him, serve Him, and trust Him--anyway! Lord, help us learn that secret this week!
"'Twas the Night before Easter!" - popular parody at Peggie's Place! . . . More Easter resources
