TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart celebrates, and I give thanks to him with my song. (Psalm 28:7 CSB).
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• I’ve had nine cats in my adult life and of the nine, our cat Jim manages to get in the most trouble. We adopted Jim and his brother, Dwight, back in March and because of Jim’s antics, I think we’ve had to call the vet more times this year than we have for any other cat we’ve had. This time, we are dealing with an ear infection that the vet thinks was caused by a bug bite.
Last night, my husband came downstairs to give Jim his medicine. We get to put drops in both ears and give him an oral antibiotic. (It’s as fun for us as it is for the cat.) Poor Jim—the moment he saw Wayne, he darted into his hidey-hole. He knew what was coming.
Don’t you sometimes crave your own hidey-hole? When it feels like life is throwing obstacle after obstacle at you, don’t you want to retreat into a box where no one can reach you? A safe space.
Unfortunately, there are adult responsibilities and while escape may seem the solution, at some point, you’ve got to peek your head out of the hidey-hole and face what’s out there. Hiding doesn’t make our problems go away. It certainly didn’t for Jim. He got his medicine despite his efforts to avoid it.
Thankfully, God is willing to help all who will trust in Him. Psalm 28:7 says, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart celebrates, and I give thanks to him with my song” (CSB). I love this. It’s so succinct:
- It’s not our strength—it’s God’s.
- It’s not our responsibility to protect ourselves—He’s our shield.
- We can trust Him.
- When we do, He helps us.
- We can be grateful and offer Him praise and thanks.
I’ve heard it said a lot—2019 was a hard year for many people. But I heard the same thing at the end of 2018. And 2017. And 2016. And 2015. And so on. Life is hard. And the older we get, it seems we face more challenges.
But let’s keep in mind—challenges, hardships, and losses are a part of the consequences we deal with because we live in a fallen world. Life is never going to be Instagram perfect. If it were, we wouldn’t need heaven. So be grateful for the trials because something better is waiting for us… and in the meantime, our safe spot is always found in the protection of our Heavenly Father.
Today, as you pray, thank God for His strength and protection. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be trusting in God’s plan. Ask Him to help you be thankful in all circumstances knowing that He is holding you through it all.
