Encouragement for Today - May 19, 2010
March 19, 2010
Climb Up in His Lap
Lynn Cowell
"..Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure, in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders."
Deuteronomy 33:12 (NIV)
Devotion:
I thought I lost it!
I thought I lost one of the only things on this planet that is important to me: a delicate necklace that my husband gave me for our twentieth wedding anniversary. I looked on my necktie-turned-necklace rack. Not there. I unpacked my makeshift jewelry bag from my last trip. Not there. Was it stolen from our hotel room? I pulled out all my earrings. Not there. My heart was trying so hard to panic, but I knew I didn't want to go there. Still, I could never replace this necklace. I prayed. Even though it is an earthly possession, I knew Jesus would care about me.
I had the thought...go back and check again. There, hidden behind a bulky set of baubles, I caught a twinkle. My small jewel.
Some days, I feel like I have lost things much greater to me than my pendant. I miss my father who went to be home with Jesus. I miss dear friendships from my old town that just aren't the same on FaceBook. I miss times when life was simpler - little children laughing and playing. I miss my old body and energy level!
Do you have days when you mourn the loss of something important to you? A marriage that is no longer? A friend who moved away? A child gone astray? A parent who passed?
The writer of Psalm 73 certainly felt loss. Starting in verse 2 he says, "But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold." He goes on speaking of the struggle he feels as he looks at those around him who seemed to have it all together. Then in verse 23 his heart comes back around to the truth about God: "Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
The writer says, "I almost lost it! But then I remembered who I am; like a child with his father, you take my hand. I remembered who You are. You are all that I need." He laid aside his pain as God's strength came in with comfort and strength. Fear and frustration became faith.
Sometimes, pain or uncomfortable circumstances try to block us from seeing our treasured thing. It is hard to see God at work. We may think that we won't experience love again or that a relationship we treasured can never be restored. That is when we need our faith to help us to keep believing that God is in our situation and He will help us to find His treasures again.
Maybe you have experienced a loss, or maybe like my delicate necklace behind the hefty beads, you just can't see the good because of the bigger-than-life things that surround you. Breathe deep and take a moment to pray. Deuteronomy 33:12 says we are to rest between his shoulders. You know what is right between his shoulders? His heart! That is a place of peace, warmth and love. He wants to pull you into His lap so you can find the rest and peace you need for today.
Dear Lord, sometimes my sense of loss is a dull ache, other days it threatens to engulf me and I feel like I can hardly breathe. Today, Lord, I choose to climb in your lap and lean against Your heart and find comfort in You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Through a Season of Grief: Devotions for Your Journey from Mourning to Joy
Treat yourself or a friend to a year's worth of the P31 Woman magazine
Visit Lynn's blog
Application Steps:
Write out Deuteronomy 33:12 and carry it with you today. When you feel sadness trying to overtake you, pull out the verse and read it. Then shut your eyes and picture yourself crawling up into your Father God's lap. I like to even picture Him stroking my hair, whispering His words of love to me.
Reflections:
Is the loss that you feel a real loss or is it a perceived loss?
In your grieving, is there a joy that you are missing? If you are grieving the loss of your child as they prepare to leave home, are you missing the joys of those still at home? If you miss a loved one who has gone on to heaven, have you spent time thinking of the great reunion that you will one day have?
Power Verses:
Psalm 27:13, "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." (NKJV)
© 2010 by Lynn Cowell. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
616-G, Matthews-Mint Hill Road
Matthews, NC 28105
