A WORD FOR TODAY, April 26, 2022
Peggy Hoppes
We pray you have been blessed by this daily devotion. If you received it from a friend, you can see other devotions and studies by visiting our website at www.awordfortoday.org.
Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, April 26, 2022
“Yahweh is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers came at me to eat up my flesh, even my adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war should rise against me, even then I will be confident. One thing I have asked of Yahweh, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in Yahweh’s house all the days of my life, to see Yahweh’s beauty, and to inquire in his temple. For in the day of trouble, he will keep me secretly in his pavilion. In the secret place of his tabernacle, he will hide me. He will lift me up on a rock. Now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me. I will offer sacrifices of joy in his tent. I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to Yahweh.” Psalm 27:1-6, WEB
I’m a worrier. When the kid’s school buses were a few minutes late or Bruce doesn’t call when he should, I begin to pace. When the bills seem a little high, I wonder where we will get the money to pay our debts. When there are decisions to be made, I consider every possible outcome over and over again until I’m sure that we won’t make the right one. Then I worry about what will happen.
Everyone worries about something at some point in their lives. Even highly successful people find themselves in situations that cause them worry. James Cash Penney worried so much about a situation during the Great Depression that he ended up in the hospital. He had invested poorly, and his financial situation began to fail. He was unable sleep at night, and he made himself so sick with worry that he developed shingles. He was so upset that even medication was unable to relieve him of his problems, and his condition worsened. He later recalled the incident. “I was broken nervously and physically, filled with despair, unable to see even a ray of hope. I had nothing to live for. I felt I hadn’t a friend left in the world, that even my family had turned against me.” He was certain he would die.
One morning he heard singing coming from the small chapel in the hospital. The song was “God will take care of you.” James went to the chapel and listened to the song, the scripture and the prayer. He suddenly realized the depth of love that the Lord Jesus has for him, and he was lifted out of his depression. He considered those twenty minutes the most dramatic and glorious of his life, because the Lord performed a miracle in his life. He was no longer overwhelmed by worry.
When I find myself worrying the only thing that keeps me from becoming like James Cash Penney is my faith that the Lord will not leave me. I know that even when my family is late, the bills seem overwhelming, or our decisions are not right, Jesus will help us through. He is our refuge, our strength, our hope and our peace. Jesus won’t necessarily fix my problem, but if I am beginning to worry, I know I can turn to Jesus to calm my fears.
I long for the day when I will not worry about anything, but I’m sure that day will not come while I live in this world. The psalmist prayed that he might dwell in the house of the Lord forever. In Christ, we live in the assurance that God is faithful to His promises, and we will live forever in His presence. He will never leave or forsake us. J.C. Penney thought the world had forgotten him, but he learned that even if they did, Jesus was always there. In the midst of our worry, may we always know that the Lord is our light and our refuge. He will lift our burdens from our shoulders and help us through our troubles.
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276. Like the page to receive the devotion through Facebook. For information and to access our archives, visit http://www.awordfortoday.org