An Emoji Devotions for Sunday 8th, August 2021

Topic: In God’s protective custody

by H.U. Wenger

Highlights: Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance. (Psalm 33:12)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6 – 7)

Verse 12 out of Psalm 33 is the motto above todays Sunday and above the coming week. Psalm 33 reminds us to praise the Lord as the one who has created heaven and by his word and their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. (Verses 6 – 9)

He deserves praise and adoration, “for the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.” Blessed is, whoever belongs to him as son or daughter and is therefore a candidate for his inheritance. They have reason to be full of joy and expectancy. “We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.” (Verses 30 – 32)

The Psalm makes very clear that true help comes always from the Lord. The power of the king is worthless, a hero cannot be saved through his great strength and horses will not help either, they are too weak. I am glad for the verses 13 – 19, because they tell us difficulties, and tight spots are absolutely normal for our lives. God does not prepare us a smooth path, but in praising him, he shows us is strength and might and let us participates in it.

Many years ago, I was sitting in an airplane from Denver to Minneapolis-St. Paul. I was devastated. I flew to Denver to meet a representative of Colorado Christian University, but the appointment got forgotten. I was in a difficult situation and to be accepted as student in the counseling program of the university was like the last straw in my thinking. The failed appointment brought me in such a distress that I told God, it would be better the plane would crash. It did not although it has been the roughest flight I ever had. After a while, I began to pray – not to praise and not to adore – it was more the cry of a helpless child to his father and he saved me. Suddenly I had such a peace within me and a deep conviction that despite the failure at hand everything would fall into place and that I would get accepted as a student at the university. The peace of God had taken my heart and mind in protective custody. In the natural nothing has changed, but my innermost being was suddenly so sheltered from the storm that I could call my wife and tell her: Prepare for Colorado, I will get accepted. Dear Brothers and Sisters let us trust the Lord and give him praise and adoration. Many of his wonders do not take place in changing of situations, but in the renewing of our hearts and minds, in the God given conviction, that he never will forsake his kids or let go of them.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to put your trust in you in my hopeless and fearful situations. Let me praise and adore you for how you have saved your followers through the centuries. Thank you that your eyes are on those who fear you, on those whose hope is in your unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. I am one of them and I praise you for your unfailing love to me. Amen

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