Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a video of Steven Curtis Chapman singing, Be Still And Know,… declaring the reality that our unchanging, omnipotent God is ALWAYS there to hear our problems. … and then USE THIS LINK to hear SCC also sining, His Strength is Perfect, declaring God’s strength which is there when we are too weak to handle life.
Highlight Passage: 2nd Kings 19: 14-15 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Hezekiah laid out his dilemma before God, Who heard and came against the Assyrians.
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Highlight Context – 2nd Kings 19:1-20 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Hezekiah gets bad news from the messenger of the Assyrians coming agains Jerusalem; and he took the message to God through Isaiah.
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Reference Passage #1 - Psalms 46:1, 10 [NKJV] …
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. … 10 Be still and know that I am God, …
… The Psalmist knew where to take his troubles …
Reference Passage #2 - Habakkuk 1:1-5 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Habakkuk was overwhelmed by the evil of his day; and so he took the challenges to His Lord.
Reference Passage #3 - Matthew 11:28-30 [NKJV] …
28 “… Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
… Jesus invites us to bring our troubles to Him.
Reference Passage #4 - 1st Peter 5: 7 [NKJV] …
7 … casting all your cares on Him, because He cares for you …
… When things seem bleak, know where to take your problems …
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Lawrence Darmani, reminded me about how, in World War 1, the British or American people hated to see Telegraph messengers coming to their home; because, … as in the attached photo, the news may have been horrible about the loss of a loved one in the war. And there are times in life, aren’t there, where life sends us messages of horror that are way too difficult for us to handle in our own strength?
And that’s where King Hezekiah was when God’s people in Jerusalem were about to be besieged by the Assyrians. And in the highlight passage, linked above, we read of the King of the Israelites getting a terror producing message from the Assyrians who were coming against Jerusalem. But King Hezekiah did what we all should when we feel overwhelmed by the circumstances of life. And in 2nd Kings 19: 14-15, we read that Hezekiah laid out the message before God and prayed for deliverance.
You know, … things right now in our times are sending all kinds of messages of terror and horror, aren’t they? And I don’t know about you, but these messages we get in the media these days are simply overwhelming; … and so frustrating, … because we seem powerless to do anything socially, or especially politically, to quell the impending doom.
So, what do we do? Where do we go?
I think you get where I’m going here. God’s word (see passages above) tell us to take our fears and frustrations to God … just like Hezekiah did. Just like Habakkuk did in his day? Just like Jesus invites His faithful to do; … to bring our fears and weaknesses to Him and let our Lord help us handle the burdens (see Matthew 11:28-30). And when we do, we can know, in our heart-of-hearts, that God hears and that He cares (see Psalm 46:1… 10 and 1st Peter 5:7).
So, if we’re getting messages from life that are way too hard to handle, let’s do what Hezekiah or Habakkuk did; … let’s take Jesus up on His invitation and take our fears and frustrations to Him, KNOWING that He will hear us … because He is God; … and He loves us.
My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … O, dear Lord, things are way out of our hands these days. PLEASE … take over today; … and tomorrow too! … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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