Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics with the Altar of Praise Chorale singing I Surrender All ... poignantly singing of how we, as Christians, must surrender all of cares and anxieties to God … especially in times of trial.
Wilbur - Disney's Anxious Albatross
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Highlight Verse[s]: Mark 9:35 [NLT] ... 7 Let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me.
... The Psalmist knows tho Whom to turn in times of trial.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 116:1-9 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... The Psalmist, perhaps David, under great pressure and anxiety, knows to surrender in prayer and song to the grace of God and receive His mercies.
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Reference Passage : ... Lamentations 3:22-23 [NLT] ... The faithful love of the Lord never ends. His mercies never cease. 23 Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.
... God’s mercies are ALWAYS there for us to rely upon.
Reference Passage : ... Matthew 11:28-30[NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... Jesus, … commands us to yoke ourselves to Him in times of trial.
Reference Passage : ... Philippians 4:6-7 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... God, thru Paul, gives us His prescription for dealing with anxiety.
Reference Passage : ... 1 Peter 5:6-7 [NLT] ... 6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. .
.. God, thru Peter, shows us what to do do when we’re feeling pressed or oppressed.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Lisa Samra, uses the multitasking roles of a mom to illustrate the biblical concept of being a servant to King Jesus. ... The ODB author wrote: “You must relax,” pronounces a doctor crisply in Disney’s Rescuers Down Under, attempting to treat the injured albatross Wilbur, a reluctant patient. [see photo] “Relax? I am relaxed!” a clearly not relaxed Wilbur responds sarcastically as his panic grows. “If I were any more relaxed, I’d be dead!”
Can you relate? In light of the doctor’s dubious methods (such as a chainsaw dubbed an “epidermal tissue disruptor”), Wilbur’s misgivings seem justified. But the scene is funny because it captures how we tend to feel when we’re panicking—whether or not what we’re facing is actually life-threatening.
I don’t know about other readers here; but I, for one, identify with Wilbur, Disney’s anxious albatross. When a doctor or a nurse tells me to “Relax,” it tends to make me more anxious. How about you?
Our human nature, with our “fight or flight” instincts, has more of a tendency to react in a “knee jerk” manner when we’re put under sudden pressures or trials. But Jesus wants us to learn to respond consciously when we’re put under stress, to yoke ourselves to Him (his command in Matt. 11:28-30); and to take our anxieties to Him to receive His mercies and His peace (Lam. 3:22-23 and 1Pet. 5:6-7).
But it take conscious effort and a whole lot of trust to place our anxieties in the Lord, doesn’t it? And I believe the best way to do that is to rehearse our desire - thru prayer and Bible meditation - and doing what the Chorale sings in the linked song in peaceful times … to “surrender all” to our Lord. That’s what I’m doing here in quiet solitude today; and you’ll see me back her tomorrow to do the same thing. Because the more I surrender to Him in quiet times, the more I’m able to do so when I need to relax and seek His peace in anxious times of stress (see Phil. 4:6-7).
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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for being there ALWAYS to provide me with Your mercies and peace.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to seek God’s peace in the quiet times here today so that we can more likely handle the stress of tomorrow. … 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.</ span>
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