Scripture for the Day Dec 10th 2020: Strength Through Peace

The most prominent and discouraging news broke late Tuesday afternoon: The Supreme Court, if we were to believe the headlines, had rejected to hear the Pennsylvania case. Even I felt sick to my stomach, for a second, until I remembered my faith. As I suspected, the headline was misleading. And (not) surprisingly, the clickbait one-liner was propagated not only by the salivating MSM, but also by conservative and alternative media. Who can you trust but God? No one. At least not in the media. 

It turned out that the Supreme Court merely rejected an expedited hearing. The case is still on the docket. How irresponsible of the conservative media. Only a little digging into the facts revealed the truth. But I was humbled by the trust I have in God, that, even though my stomach rebelled for a brief moment, I knew, deep inside, that there was more to this, and that we may have to walk through fire, but we shall not be burned. I want you to remember this, brothers and sisters.

Isaiah 43:2 KJV
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

God requires us to be patient and in our patience display strength. His timing is always perfect, even though we don't understand it. So, whatever comes our way, remember, God has this.

Psalm 66:12 (NASB95)
12 You made men ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water,
Yet You brought us out into a place of abundance.

It is for us, the true believers, to lift up those with less strength and faith. I pray that YOU will be that faithful person.

For Adequacy Not Safety

Consider the illustrative value of the sinking of the S.S. Dorchester in the North Atlantic the cold night of February 3, 1943, with the loss of 678 lives out of 904 men aboard. Clark Poling was a young chaplain assigned to this ship. Before leaving, he asked his father, Daniel A. Poling, to pray not for his safety, but that he would be adequate for any situation. When the enemy torpedo struck and the ship started down, many of the men froze in fear.

Young Poling, with three other chaplains, strapped their own lifebelts to the fear-stricken men, helped load the lifeboats, then joined hands in a circle of prayer as they went to the watery graves. His father’s prayer had been answered; he had found adequacy where he had not found safety.

—James Hastings

 Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (p. 1053). Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.

Let us bow our hearts and pray:

Philippians 4:4-7
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

#Devotional #Scripture4TheDay #Faith #Strength #Trust #BadNews #FakeNews #Peace