Greetings to you – brethren and sistern, in the most wonderful and beautiful and powerful name of Jesus Christ – THE Risen Savior! What a lovely morning in our corner of creation…we are so blessed! What an opportunity to take a moment or two and simply immerse ourselves in the declaration – “This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it! — I trust that all is well with you and yours…today I will be praying God’s blessing on you, asking Father to be your refuge and strength – your hiding place – your strong tower – your sustainer and provider…may you sense the touch of His hand.
There are two thoughts which have captured my attention over the past two or three days. First, there is a verse we often quote that I must confess doesn’t always mean what it should and I came across it in a devotion recently. You know the verse, I am quite sure…”Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10. I think it has become too easy to share that with yourself or someone else as a bit of counsel but for whatever reason God reminded me of something I had overlooked. If I am going say “know that I am God”…I need to understand that although that is true, there is so much more. Since He is God…He is everything I need him to be at the moment I make that declaration. I can say, for instance…Be still and know that I am powerful or that I am your healer or that I am present with you or I have the answer your looking for or I know where to lead you or I am the source of love that you need. He very kindly, but emphatically reminded me that as God, He could be everything I need in a specific way.
Second, I was reading once again the account of Jesus at the pool of Bethesda and that simple question he asked the invalid man…”Do you want to be healed?” I recall reading a verse in a book almost forty years ago that the author titled…”We must not ask too much!” and the gist of it was that we have not because we ask not…and we ask not because we don’t really believe…and we don’t really believe because we have asked before, many times, with no observable result…and so we have learned not to expect, so we give up asking. Now the title of the book was – “Why Not? Accepting Christ’s Healing and Wholeness” by Lloyd John Ogilvie. I wonder if there are things we have given up praying for…believing for…expecting. I am thinking we need to revisit those impossible situations and listen for Jesus’ quiet whisper…do you want to ask me…trust me…believe me…expect from me — and respond with…Why not!?!? Yes!
And once again we need to – Be still and know that He is God…and that He is able to be exactly what we need! Now, there’s something to ponder…be blessed.