Encouragement for Today - Sept. 9, 2009
September 9, 2009
So Yesterday
Priscilla Richardson, She Speaks Graduate
"Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven." Psalm 119:89 (NASB)
Devotion:
We live in a society that prizes change. Whether it's the most recent dictum of haute couture from the world of fashion, or the latest in technical gadgets, we are enamored with the idea that newer and different is better.
Let the word "change" fall from a politician's lips, and his or her future is suddenly golden. Discontented with the ordinariness of our lives, we are often an easy sell. So much so, in fact, that one of the quickest ways to kill an idea or project is to describe it as "so yesterday."
Obviously, some changes are positive and some are negative. But too much change, or change for the wrong reasons, can leave us scrambling for the higher ground of stability. When we are forced by circumstances to ride those roiling seas of change, to what do we cling to maintain our emotional and spiritual equilibrium? In Psalm 61:2, David said, "When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I" (NKJV).
Isn't that what we all want - a sense of permanence in a world of change and restlessness? Solid ground when we can't touch bottom? Stillness in place of agitation?
God's Word tells us that all these are possible because of one man, and His name is Jesus. "For he himself is our peace," (Ephesians 2:14, NIV), the One who never changes. The "same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8, NIV). The unshakeable foundation beneath our feet when everything in our world totters (Psalm 40:2).
How comforting to know that our lives are encompassed by an eternally present Christ. He is our Alpha and Omega, our Beginning and our End. Who He is and what He says stands…
Uncontradicted.
Unoverturned.
Forever.
Long after you and I are considered history and "so yesterday," Jesus will still be. Describing the uniqueness of our God, Eugene Peterson in The Message asks, "Are we not at bedrock?" (Psalm 18:31).
Indeed.
Dear Lord, as everything around me changes, may I rest my heart on the firm foundation of Your Word, which never goes out of style or needs revision. May I rejoice in its timeless truth and rest in its awesome strength to transform my sometimes erratic life into a place of peace. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Sanctuary: A Devotional Bible for Women
Season of Change: Parenting Your Middle Schooler with Passion and Purpose by Rebecca Ingram Powell
Torn Asunder: Recovering From an Extramarital Affair by Dave Carder
The Overwhelmed Woman's Guide to Caring for Aging Parents by Julie-Allyson Ieron
Through a Season of Grief by Bill Dunn and Kathy Leonard
Application Steps:
List the major changes that have occurred in your life within the past year. How have these changes impacted your life?
As you identify your reactions to the changes - disappointment, anxiety, fear, loneliness, grief - spend some time in the Word to see how Jesus, the great "I AM," provides stability for you in the midst of your rocking world.
Reflections:
Can you recall another time in your life when God worked good for you out of what appeared to be a negative change in your life?
Is it possible to look at an unexpected or negative change in a positive way?
In what way does God's Word provide an anchor for us?
Power Verses:
Isaiah 40:8, "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." (NIV)
John 8:58, "‘I tell you the truth,' Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!' "(NIV)
Psalm 27:5, "For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock." (NIV)
© 2009 by Priscilla Richardson. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road
Matthews, NC 28105
