Bobservations
by Pastor Bob Lawrenz
I am always personally
touched by news stories of people losing their homes to fire. The event is
catastrophic to the family. If the fire didn’t destroy the entire house, then
smoke and water damage probably ruined what remained of the house’s contents.
If there is anything left in the house that is salvageable, it would have to go
through significant restoration to be usable again. The damage from fire,
water, and smoke is usually thorough, nonetheless.
That’s about the same story that we endure
spiritually. “Satan roams about seeking whom he may devour…” is a passage
that’s unforgettable. Crisis, turmoil, hatred, can all break down a person’s
desire to live. Financial difficulties, bad decisions, and even a bad economy
can take their toll on a person’s ability to function day-to-day. Sadness,
depression, trauma, and despair can zap a person’s strength, and even their
will to live.
Today’s Psalm is written in the style of
David; finding himself out of sorts, and alone, and separated from any human
support system, he finds that God has not forgotten him. The Psalmist reminds us that we, as
Believers, have a secret weapon against the wiles of the devil. We have God,
His glorious Son, and His faithful Holy Spirit to pick us up, refocus our
thoughts, and to lighten our load, and restore hope.
The contents of a house can be replaced.
The substance of life, like property, possessions, and family can be turned
around again, as it was with Job. God sees every event in our lives as being
either glorious, or a teachable moment. That our God, the great Lord God and
Creator of heaven and Earth, would take a single thought of us is beyond the
human imagination.
That God is aware of us, and all His
children, is a truly humbling, and comforting thought. He knows all that we are
going through, and He knows how to deliver us!
Resist the devil
“…steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions
are accomplished in
your brethren in the world.” - 1 Peter
5:9
We are not alone in
our troubles, and we are not alone in our deliverance from
them. Jesus will never leave us, nor
forsake us.
Read Psalm 3:1-3
