Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Stephen Curtis Chapman singing … His Strength Is Perfect … poignantly singing of God providing us with the strength we need when we feel so weak to handle the challenges of life.
=============
Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 4:3 … [NLT] …
14 Go with the strength you have … 16 I will be with you.
… As with Gideon, … even in our toughest moments, God promises to be with us.
=============
Highlight Passage [context]: Judges 6:11-24 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God was with Gideon in the midst of his weakness and doubt.
=============
Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Deuteronomy 31:8 [NLT] …
8 " Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
… God’s promise to Moses is the same promise He has for us as Christians.
Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Isaiah 41:10 [NLT] …
10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
… His promise to all believers; … but do we believe Him?
Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Philippians 4:13 [NKJV] …
13 I can do all things through Christ, Who gives me the strength.
…Really, God! … Sometimes I seem too weak!!
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Jennifer Benson Schuldt, Used the biblical character of Gideon to illustrate God’s promise to give us His strength when we feel too weak to handle life. The ODB author wrote: What would you do if the Lord showed up in the middle of your workday with a message? This happened to Gideon, one of the ancient Israelites. “The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!’ ” Gideon could have responded with a wordless nod and gulp, but instead he said, “If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” (Judges 6:12–13 nlt). Gideon wanted to know why it seemed as if God had abandoned His people.
I’d almost bet that we all have had a Gideon …“Why me?” … moment, haven’t we? I sure have; … a moment when I felt too weak to handle my circumstances, … a moment when I felt like God had abandoned me.
But if we really believe in the same God who gave His strength to Gideon [see highlight passage]; … and the same God who promised Moses that He would never leave His people (see Deut. 31:8); … and the same God who promised Isaiah to lift His children up with His mighty right hand (see Is. 41:10); … and the same God who promised Paul to give him strength in any/all situations (see Phil. 4:13); … well, I think you’re getting the picture, aren’t you?
If all those promises are real (AND THEY WERE!); and they all apply to us as well [AND THEY DO!), we can rely on God to bring us through whatever we’re going through now, can’t we? Yes, … He’s here … with us right now! … And no matter what we’re going through, as Stephen Curtis Chapman sings (see linked song), “His strength is perfect when our strength is gone; … and He’ll carry us when we can’t carry on!”
My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … dear Lord, … I need Your strength today. … 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment