Past Devotions

Comfort Amid Dark Valleys

by TerryLema

Oh, what blessedness and goodness is found in Psalm 23:4: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” [KJV]

That is the way most of us have learned it and memorized it, from the King James. I am often reminded, and have often reminded others, that death for a Christian is simply walking through that valley of the shadow. We go straight from our last breath in this life to our eternal first breath in the next … directly into the Presence of our LORD.

But the comfort and goodness found in Psalm 23:4 is more than just for a death experience. When I read that verse in the Holman Christian Standard Bible it reads: “Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me.”

Even when I go through the darkest valley, the LORD is there. And, if He is there in the darkest of valleys, He is also there when we go through those valley which are perhaps a little less dark, but still dangerous and difficult.

While death is that final darkest valley, we are still going to go through other dark times in our lives.  There will be valleys which contain broken relationships, financial difficulties, health issues, wayward children, and a host of other experiences.

Our LORD protects us no matter the valley. He will use His rod and His staff, the equipment of a shepherd to ward off danger and comfort His sheep. He watches over us.

What a wonderful God we serve!

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Restoration & Purpose

by TerryLema

The words and thoughts found in Psalm 23 have been playing on a loop through my mind while I sleep.  Psalm 23 is so familiar. We hear it often in many settings, but perhaps most often when we need comfort such as at funeral services or hospital settings. I know I have quoted it at many celebration of life services.

But Psalm 23 has much to say to us at other times of life. As I drifted off to sleep last night, it was verse 3 that came to mind (and stayed there through the night).

Psalm 23:3: “He renews my life; He leads me along the right paths for His name’s sake.” [HCSB]

The LORD renews our life … other translations render it, “The LORD restores my soul.”

The word “renews” or “restores” means “to turn back, return.” The LORD returns our soul to what it is meant to be! Wow!  He set us back to our “heavenly factory defaults.”

But our LORD does more than just turn our souls back to what they are meant to be, He also gives us purpose. He leads us in righteousness “for His name’s sake.”

We cannot survive without purpose. To live without purpose is to have no goals, nothing to aim for, nothing to strive for. We need to know that we are made for, meant for, something greater and higher than our own selfish desires.

The LORD, JEHOVAH, YAHWEH, the Great Almighty Eternal God, gives us the purpose of knowing Him, loving Him, serving Him … Can there be a greater purpose found anywhere in this universe? I think not.

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Green Pastures, Quiet Waters

by TerryLema

I woke up yesterday morning with the first verse of Psalm 23 running through my mind. “The LORD is my shepherd,” David wrote. And because the LORD, YAHWEH, JEHOVAH is David’s Shepherd, he was able to testify, “there is nothing I lack.”

I thought since God brought it up, there is perhaps a lesson (or two) I need to learn in Psalm 23. So I looked at the next sentence. “He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.” [HCSB]

(Just for the record, if the wording appears differently than what you are used to in this Psalm, it is because I love looking at Scripture through the eyes of different translations.)

The LORD lets me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. I am working on managing the auto-immune diseases in my life as well as the stress that often accompanies them. Boy did this verse speak to me today!

The world and the enemy of our soul want to keep us on the run. On a daily basis we see our time whisked away by needs and obligations. We are bombarded on every side with the noise of temptations and discouraging words. Pressures and trials, disappointments and difficulties, are loud and demanding. They are professionals at producing anxiety and stress.

The LORD, however, speaks to us gently. He invites us to his green pastures. There the water of His life flows gently and quietly. He lets us rest. He gives us peace. There in the quiet of His presence, we find everything we need to wipe away the noise of the world. Oh, I ask myself this morning, why don’t I go there more often!

Lead me today, gentle Shepherd, to your green pastures, to your quiet waters. Amen.

 

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THE LORD

by TerryLema

How often have we studied or heard messages on Psalm 23. Most of us have it memorized. We hear it often. When I awoke this morning, the first verse was running through my mind.

“The LORD [YAHWEH, JEHOVAH] is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.” [HCSB]

David lacks nothing because he has the LORD.

YAHWEH, JEHOVAH

Jehovah Nissi – The LORD My Banner

Jehovah-Raah – The LORD My Shepherd

Jehovah Rapha – The LORD That Heals

Jehovah Shammah – The LORD is There

Jehovah Tsidkenu – The LORD Our Righteousness

Jehovah Mekoddishkem – The LORD Who Sanctifies You

Jehovah Jireh – The LORD Will Provide

Jehovah Shalom – The LORD Is Peace

Jehovah Sabaoth – The LORD of Hosts

In the OT a name is so much more than a name – it is an identity. God reveals Himself to us through His names. When David said the LORD is his Shepherd, he would be saying that all God is, all He has identified Himself to be, provides all David needs … so that he lacks nothing.

The LORD is our Shepherd. We lack nothing.

Psalm 148:13: “Let them praise the name of the LORD: for His name alone is excellent; His glory is above the earth and heaven.”

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Count the Cost

by TerryLema

The end of Luke Chapter 14 is a section on the cost of discipleship.  Jesus begins by telling the large crowds that were following Him that there is a cost to becoming His disciple.  Sometimes that is the cost of family members or friends who do not embrace following Jesus. It is always the cost of bearing our cross and coming after Him.

Jesus used a couple illustrations of this cost, one being the cost of building a tower.

 “For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?” [Luke 14:28 HCSB]

The thing that always gives me pause is that phrase, “enough to complete it.”

I am a great beginner. I am a not-so-great finisher.  You can tell that by the books on the shelf that have bookmarks in the middle of them, or the beginnings of things in my craft baskets, or the …. Well, the list is endless.

In the end it will not really matter if I finish books or blankets or scarves or paintings or …. It will matter if I have “enough to complete” my discipleship.

I am 74. The finish line is much closer now. I pray I have counted the cost and have enough to complete my discipleship. I want to be able to say like Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”  [2 Timothy 4:7 HCSB]

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Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah

by TerryLema

Their names were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. (Hananiah means Yahweh Has Been Gracious. Mishael means Who is Like God. Azariah means Helped by God.)

We know them better as Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego (pagan names given to them by their captors). They were the “Three Hebrew Children” captured along with Daniel and taken to Babylon.

They were commanded by the king to bow down and worship a golden statue when they heard the “sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music.” To refuse to do so meant being thrown into the fiery furnace (capital punishment).

They famously responded, “If the God we serve exists, then He can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He can rescue us from the power of you, the king.  But even if He does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.” [Daniel 3:17-18 HCSB]

These three young men refused to bow down in idolatry, and God honored their response by rescuing them from the fiery furnace. They stayed faithful to JEHOVAH God, never considering what that faithfulness might require of them.

I have always considered it a shame that we remember them by the pagan names (Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego) given to them by their captors.

Should we not remember them by their names which were prophetic of their faithfulness to God Almighty? And God Almighty’s faithfulness to them!

Yahweh Has Been Gracious (Hananiah)

Who is Like our God (Mishael)

Helped by God (Azariah)

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Longing for that day

by TerryLema

“For it is written: ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to Me, and every tongue will give praise to God.’” [Romans 14:11, Isaiah 45:23 HCSB]

Our news reports lately have been filled with violence. There have been multiple mass shootings (recently defined by the government and the media as shootings involving three victims.) There have been multiple incidents between police and citizens. There has even been an increase in violent incidents in our area, which typically is not the case.

Whenever I am confronted by those kinds of things, I long for that day when, as the LORD says, “every knee will bow to [Him].”

That is so important a promise that we find it three times in the Scriptures. It is in Isaiah and Romans and Philippians 2:10 also promises that “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” [HCSB]

There are no exceptions to that promise. There is no place in the cosmos where that promise will not be fulfilled. “Every knee” is just that … “every knee, everywhere.”

That is a simple truth, but it carries the greatest ramifications. It means God rules! He reigns over everything! There will be no outliers to His rule and reign. No one is exempt. When the name of Jesus is uttered, every knee bends. The knees of the penitent and redeemed will bend willingly. The knees of the impenitent and condemned will bow—even if grudgingly.

There will not be even an inkling of rebellion to the rule and reign of Almighty God!

How I long for that day. “Even so, come quickly, LORD Jesus!”

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Stress

by TerryLema

I found a book on my two auto-immune diseases (polymyalgia rheumatica PMR, and giant cell arteritis GCA). It was written by the head of the PMR & GCA foundation in Great Britain, a PMR survivor, in conjunction with a number of specialists. I skimmed the book yesterday and will go back and re-read more thoroughly. I must say, it was the most impressive information I have seen in one place since my diagnosis.  I think I will learn a lot!

The one thing that caught my eye as I was skimming through the chapters was information on stress. Apparently, stress makes PMR and GCA worse. The suggestion was to eliminate or control stress to reduce the pain and flares.

I did not actually laugh out loud, but I came close! Eliminate stress! That refrain is all around us, and it is easier to recommend than to do. The pain, fatigue, and stiffness of the diseases, accompanied by the side effects of the only medication that seems to work to fight them are sources of stress themselves.

While thinking about that, I was also bombarded with the mistaken notion that Christians never have stress since we have given all our cares over to the LORD.

Christians do have a resource for their stress that other do not. But part of maturing spiritually is to learn how to cast all our stress, burdens, and cares upon Him. We strive to avail ourselves of His resources through the power of the Holy Spirit, but like much of Christianity, it is a learning process. I am working at it but have not yet achieved perfection! Thankfully, He keeps reminding me to give it all to Him.

Psalm 55:22: “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”

1 Peter 5:7: “Casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you.”

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Heroes

by TerryLema

Hebrews 11 is called the “Heroes of Faith” chapter in Scripture. It lists a number of Biblical heroes, some of them well known, some of them a bit more obscure.  I was reminded recently about heroes that are all around us – ones that we only notice on occasion.

We had a horribly windy day recently, a steady wind around 35 MPH with guests up to 55 MPH. A home around the corner from us caught fire. It appears that the fire started in the garage or attic. Our neighbor across the street and his friend were driving by and stopped to help before the fire department got there. The house had recently been up for sale and a new family had just moved in.

A man who lived on the same street began helping a woman and her children evacuate the downwind house next door threatened by the flames.

Our neighbor and his friend went to the front door of the house on fire and pounded on the door. They could hear voices, but no one came to the door. They kept pounding and shouting. Finally, they kicked in the door and found a teenager and four younger siblings. Their mom was at work. They got them out safely, and then our neighbor went back into the house to rescue their dog.

A single mom and five children had just moved in. The house is a total loss. But the work of these three men possibly saved the lives of two families.

Everyday heroes are just people in the right place at the right time doing what is right. I believe God put these three men, men not working in the middle of the day, in the right place at the right time. And they did what was right.

Look around. I bet you can find everyday heroes all around you! Thank you, LORD!

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He Sees…I Trust

by TerryLema

Psalm 31:7 “I will rejoice and be glad in Your faithful love because You have seen my affliction. You have known the troubles of my life.” [HCSB]

Psalm 31:14-15: “I trust in You, Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ The course of my life is in Your power.” [HCSB]

In my Bible, Psalm 31 is labeled, “A Plea for Protection.” In it, David bounces back and forth from talking about his enemies to remembering his LORD. It opens with a prayer for refuge and ends with a testimony and an admonishment to others to be strong and courageous for “the LORD protects the loyal.” [vs 1, 23 HCSB]

For me, as I read through David’s song this morning, I was touched in my soul by two thoughts. First is David’s acknowledgment of joy and gladness because of the LORD’s faithful love in the midst of affliction and troubles. David knows that God has seen His affliction and known all the troubles of His life.

We can rejoice with David that God both sees and knows the difficulties we face. He knows the smallest and most intimate details of our daily lives. But is that enough? Is it enough for us that God sees and knows?  Do we need more than that to put our trust in the LORD?

David also reminds us that in addition to rejoicing in God seeing and knowing, David can trust in the LORD because the course of his life is in God’s hands.

We, too, can trust our God, because the course of our lives – all of our life from beginning to end – is in the good and gracious Hands of our Loving God. 

Amen & Amen!

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