Floods

“The Lord sat enthroned at the flood; the Lord sat enthroned, King forever.  The Lord gives His people strength; the Lord blesses His people with peace.” (Psalm 29:10-11)

            Life has its truly wonderful and magnificent moments, but if you live long enough you discover that it can also have its overwhelming and debilitating moments.  When those moments come, it feels like a flood.

            In a flood, nearly every aspect of daily life stops.  Work stops.  Education stops.  Shopping stops.  Travel stops (unless you have a boat).  Shelter is dubious.  Heating and cooking and even sleeping may be suspended.  A flood essentially brings daily life to a halt, and all you can do is just sit there, watch the waters slowly recede, and focus on surviving.

            When the events of life become overwhelming like a flood, it is very much like everything stops until some sense of normalcy returns. 

            David wanted us to see the overwhelming events of life as a flood, but what he especially wanted us to understand is that the Lord sat enthroned at the flood, King forever over the flood.  That means that He is sovereign over the flood, which then suggests by implication that either the Lord sent the flood, or the Lord allowed the flood to come.  Either way, He is sovereign over the flood, and whatever the reason, the Lord has a purpose.  We may not see it immediately, and quite possibly we may not see it ever; but He does have a purpose.

            And here is what David pointedly wants us to know:  the Lord gives strength to His people, and He blesses His people with peace in the midst of the floods that come.  We simply need to seek Him when the floods come, and ask Him for His strength to endure and for His peace to maintain an even keel, so that we can see beyond the flood.

Lord, We have difficulty understanding Your purposes at times, especially when the floods come, but we trust in You in the midst of the flood.  Give us Your strength and Your peace, that we may see You beyond the flood and move that direction.  Amen.

Heart Prayer

Lord God, Creator of the universe, Almighty God and Father of us all, my heart is filled with praise prompted by the presence of Your Holy Spirit!  I turn to You in my searchings and longings because You and You alone are God.  There is none like You, and there is no one else to turn to.  You are sovereign God over all things and all life in your universe, seen or unseen.  You give life, and You recall life to Yourself, and while there is much I cannot comprehend, my heart rejoices before You with the angels and saints of heaven, and I join them in saying, "Blessed be the name of the Lord." You and You alone are God.  Only You are worthy to receive praise.


Your creation speaks to me of You.  The heavens declare Your glory, and the earth expresses Your creative hand.  The stars pour forth knowledge night after night. Some among us considered humanly intelligent look into the heavens and see only stars and planets and matter, and in their arrogance they say they see no evidence of You.  I see nothing but evidence of You.  Their thinking is one-dimensional and has blinded them to the truth.  They have turned themselves into spiritual anorexics.  They are starving spiritually while thinking they stand for the truth.  I am saddened by the spiritual poverty they inflict on themselves, and I pray they may open their eyes and minds to true Intelligence, because they, too, are loved by You.


May my mind and heart be drawn to You this day and riveted to your grace and goodness and compassion.  May I walk with You today in ways that cause others to honor You.  Amen.

Bird Feathers

“Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent.” (Matthew 10:29)

            What encouragement!  Even when a tiny sparrow, practically worthless in the eyes of many, falls to the ground, our heavenly Father knows it, and it never happens without His consent (literally, “apart from your Father” [HCSB footnote]).  How many of us have been encouraged by this thought, especially when the problems mount?

            The context of the verse adds to its encouragement.  Jesus spoke these words as part of His challenge to His disciples, as He was sending them out to minister.  He warned that persecutions would dog them.  He knew this would produce fear, so He told them not to be afraid.  That would seem to be a little like a doctor saying, “Don’t worry, this won’t hurt much.”  Still, He told them not to be afraid.

            Our heavenly Father knows everything we go through.  No detail escapes His notice.  Nothing will happen to us apart from Him, that is, apart from His knowledge and consent, and although we may not comprehend that thought very well, it says to us that whatever happens to us has no relevance to our value to the Lord.  It happens only according to His purposes, which, like a sparrow, we simply cannot fathom.  We only need to know that Jesus is thus challenging us to trust God and His purposes.

            Such trust serves to free us from our fears.  It helps us to relax.  It further frees us to move forward in serving Him, whether the issues we face are small or great.  So, keep moving toward trust.

Lord, How grateful we are to know that Your purposes will be fulfilled in us, even if we are unable to understand them.  We thank You for the encouragement of Your care.  Amen.

Help Needed

“I will lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1)

            Drill down into this word “help.”  Help is something everybody needs at one time or another.  Help is that which is needed when something vital needs to be accomplished, and when the one who sees the need lacks the capability to accomplish it.

            Two blind men heard that Jesus was coming their way.  They had heard of His miracles, so when Jesus arrived at His home in Capernaum, these men went to Him and asked to be healed.  Their going to Jesus was an act of faith.  Jesus helped them by healing them.

            A man possessed by a demon and unable to speak needed Jesus’ help, so some friends took him to Jesus.  Again, this was an act of faith on the part of these friends.  Jesus evicted the demon, and the man spoke.  The people all said they had never seen anything like this before.

            Crowds gathered around Jesus.  Some may have just been curious on-lookers, but many of these folks needed some help.  Many were discouraged and needed hope.  Jesus spoke words of encouragement to them that gave them the hope they needed.

            So, what help do you need today?  You can “look to the mountains,” but you are not likely to find any help coming over the horizon.  Or, you can look to the Lord and realize that your help comes from Him.  Act in faith.  Go to Jesus, and ask Him for His help.

Lord, You are our help and our strength, and to You we go. Amen.