Psalm 119:165-168
For those who love what you reveal, everything fits—
no stumbling around in the dark for them.
I wait expectantly for your salvation;
God, I do what you tell me.
My soul guards and keeps all your instructions—
oh, how much I love them!
I follow your directions, abide by your counsel;
my life’s an open book before you.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Happy New Year! We rang in the new year with a cold, hard rain and a blustery, strong wind. It was as if God was trying to do away with the hardships and heartaches of the last twelve months and usher in a fresh start! How I wish that we had awakened this morning to realize that all the ugliness of the past year was just a terrible, awful dream. Of course, this is not the case. The first weeks and months of 2021 stand to bring us continued challenges – and yes, heartbreak for many.
This is not meant to be a depressing or discouraging message. To the contrary, I maintain that we must remind ourselves Who we serve…and how God is at work. These verses from Psalm 119 encourage us to wait expectantly for God to work…to listen for His instructions…and to follow them to the letter. More and more, you and I must spend time each day asking, “Lord, what do YOU say? What do YOU want me to do?”
I am not going to lecture today – or point out what we already know about how this pandemic continues to grow and spread…and what we need to do to stop it. I am simply going to challenge you to seek God’s instructions. Spend time every day asking Him what He wants you to do…how He wants you to speak and act. Don’t seek the popular or comfortable answers…open your heart and mind and ask God to reveal His will to you. Ask Him to show you how to love others with the love of Christ and serve as His hands and feet…even when it means doing things you don’t like or find difficult.
Make this the year that you step outside of your own desires and the wishes – and the advice and example of mere mortals – and abide by God’s counsel. Make this the year that you can truly say, “Everything fits…I am standing in the Light of God Almighty and doing what He tells me.” For those who love what God reveals, there is no stumbling around in the dark. I pray that this is a year of Love and Light for you – and that you always guard and keep God’s instructions.
©2021 Debbie Robus
Daily Devo Time 