January 24th, 2022
Today's devotion is taken from The 21 Day Challenge by Scott McKenzie. We read this devotional guide as a congregation a few years ago.
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Psalm 118:24-26 (CEB)
This is the day the Lord acted;
we will rejoice and celebrate in it!
Lord, please save us!
Lord, please let us succeed!
The one who enters in the Lord’s name is blessed;
we bless all of you from the Lord’s house.
The more familiar translation of this scripture is, "This is the day that The Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." In both versions there are no qualifiers: no ifs, ands, buts or maybes. In Jesus Calling Sara Young writes the following about these verses: “How precious are My children who remember to thank Me at all times. They can walk through the darkest days with Joy in their hearts because they know that the Light of My Presence is still shining on them.” [1]
John has every reason in the world to be angry and resentful. By the world’s standards life is not fair. His beloved wife suffers from cancer and he is her primary care giver. And now John is in the early stages of Alzheimer's. What will he do? Who will take care of his beloved wife? And yet as I share lunch in their modest home John’s face is radiant with joy and peace. What is John’s secret? John is one of those “precious children” described by Sara Young. John knows there are dark days ahead, but he knows and believes that the light of God’s love and grace will always shine on him and his beloved. For John, every day is a gift because each day is full of God’s presence, even in the midst of cancer and Alzheimer’s. John knows what he and his beloved are facing; but he also knows Who walks beside them each moment of every day. And he is thankful!
Do I know I am a precious child of God? Can I recall a time when I knew Who was walking beside me? Am I angry and resentful? Am I thankful?
Prayer
Thank you, God, for people like John, who show me how to live. Help me to live today as one of your precious children. Help me to remember Oh God, that even as I walk in darkness, Your Light shines upon me; and I will give you thanks. Amen.
- Scott McKenzie
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[1] Sarah Young, Jesus Calling (Dallas: Thomas Nelson, 2004), 345
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Psalm 118:24-26 (CEB)
This is the day the Lord acted;
we will rejoice and celebrate in it!
Lord, please save us!
Lord, please let us succeed!
The one who enters in the Lord’s name is blessed;
we bless all of you from the Lord’s house.
The more familiar translation of this scripture is, "This is the day that The Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." In both versions there are no qualifiers: no ifs, ands, buts or maybes. In Jesus Calling Sara Young writes the following about these verses: “How precious are My children who remember to thank Me at all times. They can walk through the darkest days with Joy in their hearts because they know that the Light of My Presence is still shining on them.” [1]
John has every reason in the world to be angry and resentful. By the world’s standards life is not fair. His beloved wife suffers from cancer and he is her primary care giver. And now John is in the early stages of Alzheimer's. What will he do? Who will take care of his beloved wife? And yet as I share lunch in their modest home John’s face is radiant with joy and peace. What is John’s secret? John is one of those “precious children” described by Sara Young. John knows there are dark days ahead, but he knows and believes that the light of God’s love and grace will always shine on him and his beloved. For John, every day is a gift because each day is full of God’s presence, even in the midst of cancer and Alzheimer’s. John knows what he and his beloved are facing; but he also knows Who walks beside them each moment of every day. And he is thankful!
Do I know I am a precious child of God? Can I recall a time when I knew Who was walking beside me? Am I angry and resentful? Am I thankful?
Prayer
Thank you, God, for people like John, who show me how to live. Help me to live today as one of your precious children. Help me to remember Oh God, that even as I walk in darkness, Your Light shines upon me; and I will give you thanks. Amen.
- Scott McKenzie
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[1] Sarah Young, Jesus Calling (Dallas: Thomas Nelson, 2004), 345
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