Devotion for Tuesday 20 July
Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
The watchword for today is taken from Psalm 91 verse 14, “The Lord says: Those who love me, I will deliver,” (NRSVB). The opening verse of the psalm situates the speaker in the presence of the Lord, whether it is in the secret place of a quiet home altar, or in the temple, or traveling along the road, or resting at an oasis, those fearing God are protected by his shadow. Journeying with God, along the various stages of life given on earth, results in a joyous and fearless walk. God protects those who love him from falling in a snare, from being harmed by disease, from the dangers lurking in the dark night, from stray arrows that fly by night and the arrows of slandering gossip spreading during the day. Those who trust in the Lord, fear his Name and worship him are given heavenly protections as well, for the angels will be given charge to see that their feet would not be hurt by stones, they will see the enemy on the left and the right, but it would not come close to those who love the Lord. Neither the wild animals, nor the dangerous reptiles would harm the beloved children of the Lord. And finally, as a reward for putting their trust in the Lord they will be blessed with a long, peaceful and purposeful life.
We, who are living in the modern world of the twenty first century, are also promised these blessings, they might sound and look differently, if we compare these to the examples of our psalm. However, God protects us from the fiery matter that are moving above and around us, from the various pits and snares of dangerous roads and places, stray bullets, vehicle accidents, armed attacks and cyber attacks and social slander campaigns. Every day that we are gifted is a day where, contrary what all the media wants us to believe, we still witness some rays of sun, a flower peeping from the earth, a bird singing and stars glimmering in the sky. God does not want us to be fearful of living life, he does not want us to always buy into worse case scenarios and become anxious of what the future will bring. God is in our future and that is our hope and joy.
When the Apostle Paul journeyed by ship, as a prisoner in chains for the Gospel, he warned the captain that they should not sail, for the weather was too dangerous. The captain did not pay heed to Paul’s warning. The ship was tossed at sea. They managed to find some safety from the storm in bay of a small island Clauda, but they were scared that they would be caught in the quicksand and the ship was starting to toss dangerously. They decided to throw most of the cargo in the sea and were, for many days, drifting in the storm. The crew gave up all hope of being saved and planned their escape on the small life boat. Paul told the captain that he had a dream that God would safe the crew and passengers, but they will be stranded on an island and be ship-wrecked. The soldiers thought the best line of action would be to kill the prisoners in case they would want to try and escape, as they swam across the current on pieces of broken boards from the vessel, but the centurion intervened and said that all must be freed and given the opportunity to swim, for he wanted to protect the life of Paul.
All managed to cross the current and came safely to the nearby island called Malta. There the locals came to greet them and kindled a fire to give warmth. Paul picked up a bundle of sticks and laid it on the fire, and a small creature, a type of poisonous viper, attached itself to Paul’s hand and bit him. Paul shook the creature off in the fire. The locals, who knew the deadly bite of this creature, said amongst themselves that this man must have done something evil, for he escaped a water-grave but he surely would perish from this venomous bite. They watched Paul carefully, but nothing happened, and they then became convinced that he must be a god. Paul had the opportunity to teach the gospel and heal many sick people on the island as they waited for the Roman ship to collect the crew and prisoners. This story of Paul and his traveling as a prisoner, written in Acts Chapters 27 and 28, is surely a story where we see God’s promises of protection fulfilled in most extra-ordinary circumstances, just as was promised in Psalm 91.
The Apostle John wrote in his First Letter, Chapter 3, verses 21 to 22, “Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from Him, whatever we ask,” (NRSVB). The Apostle Paul asked the Lord to bring safety to all those on the boat, and through his presence, none of the prisoners were killed, they were saved from to the storm and were cared for even while being shipwrecked. Even in the storm, not one person was lost, and on the island. Paul could preached the Gospel and healed the sick, because of God’s amazing intervention, that turned a venomous bite into a victorious mission. Our Lord surely works in mysterious ways.
Father, we thank you that you are the one who orders every step of every one, the elements and nature obey you. Father forgive us where we disobey you and fall into despair regarding our current situation. You have promised us your deliverance, we wait on you, O Lord, Amen.
