WATCHWORD:
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and I will surely help you. Isaiah 41:10
Meditation:
In Times Like These
You cringe when you put gas in your car, remembering a time when a gallon was under $2.00. Perhaps you are in the grocery store and you stand there shaking your head at the price of a pound of bacon…$13.00, and decide, ‘No way”. You go to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription that in past months was always $12, but now the clerk tells you, $27. You sigh, deeply.
In times like these, it is easy to let fear grip our hearts and occupy our minds. What we heard last night in the latest news, causes even more fear, if we let it. You know that much of it is fear of the unknown. That kind of fear fills our mind, too much of the time. We need to remember these important truths: God is with us, God is for us, God is in charge and God loves us. That is a lot of encouragement. His voice continues to instruct us: do not be afraid, do not let worry color your life.
Brothers and sisters, we are not alone. When the storm rages all around us, and darkness seems to close in, he offers us peace and refuge in the midst of it. He promises us hope and strength. Proverbs 3:5 is a true watchword: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. That is God encouraging us through every crisis. Trust that.
In 1907, Pastor Henry Van Dyke had just finished the service at Williams College chapel. After breakfast, as he was leaving, he handed his host a scrap of paper with the words ‘Joyful, Joyful We adore Thee’, then he said, “Here is a hymn for you, your Berkshire Mountains were my inspiration. It must be sung to the music of Beethoven’s Hymn of Joy.”
I love that hymn, the greatest thing about it is you don’t even have to sing it. It’s a prayer, and perhaps it’s one we need today: ‘Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away. Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the Light of day’. I’m sure that we know that true joy is only available to those in Christ because we have redemption, forgiveness for our sins and we have the hope of heaven. A life full of joy is truly an amazing one, and it will get us through this brief period of darkness.
We should keep the words of that hymn in mind, in times like these… ‘Joyful, joyful, we adore you…’
Bulletin Board:
Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow’rs before Thee,
Op’ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!
All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
Earth and heav’n reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee,
Center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Flow’ry meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain
Call us to rejoice in Thee.
Personal Prayer From Jesus:
I am taking care of you. Trust me at all times. Trust me in all circumstances. Trust me with all your heart. When you are weary and everything seems to be going wrong, you can still utter these four words: I trust You, Jesus. By doing so you release matters into My control, and you fall back into the security of My everlasting arms.
I trust You, Jesus. Amen.
