WATCHWORD:
22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.
23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”
25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.
26 So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.”
Lamentations 3:22-26
Meditation:
Who’s Planning Your Day?
Last night I was in turmoil when it was time to turn the light out and go to bed. I had written a meditation for this morning, but, frankly, it was silly and I wasn’t happy with it. Yet, beside the crazy twists and turns that my mind was doing, I had my conversation with God and then went to sleep … 6 hours! For me, that’s great!
This morning, the turmoil of yesterday was gone, and in its place, I had four separate ideas, each born of my morning meditation readings, and prayer. So a special thank you to Sarah Young, Oswald Chambers, Joyce Meyer and whoever posts the scripture for Verse-A-Day. And so it was that I started my day with the Lord’s inspiration through the writings of these scribes.
How about you? How did you wake up this morning? Are you open to what God has planned for you? Or, are you plotting your day, or maybe you are simply resigned to another same-old, same-old that yesterday was and tomorrow probably will be. If that’s your state of affairs, then let me say to you, as a friend, GET OVER IT! This is the day the Lord has made and he’s a better planner than you are.
Jesus tells us: “As you look into the day that stretches out before you, you see many choice points along the way. The myriad of possibilities these choices present can confuse you. Draw your mind back to the threshold of this day, where I stand beside you, lovingly preparing you for what is ahead… Instead of trying to create a mental map of your path through this day, focus on My Loving Presence with you. I will equip you as you go, so that you can handle whatever comes your way. Trust me to supply what you need when you need it.”
Then you hear another voice in your mind that is not your friend. It may be saying stuff like, ‘Trusting in the Lord sounds good, but what am I going to do today? I need a plan! Now! Then, if you are really listening, you will hear, very faintly, “Dearest Child of mine, “Peace, be still. Come, my child, talk to me.”
“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who trusts in Him!” Psalm 34:8
Humor Is Good for the Soul:
I went to a mixed religion seminar. The Christian Priest came, laid his hands on my hand and said, “By the will of Jesus Christ, you will walk today!” I smiled and told him I was not paralyzed.
The Rabbi came, laid his hands on my hand and said, “By the will of God Almighty, you will walk today! I was less amused and told him there was nothing wrong with me.
The Mullah came, took my hands and said, “Insha Allah, you will walk today!” I snapped at him, “There’s nothing wrong with me”
The Buddhist Monk came, held my hands and said, “By the will of The Great Buddha, you will walk today!” I rudely told him there was nothing wrong with me.
After the sermons, I stepped outside and found my car had been stolen. (I quit!)
Closing Prayer:
Lord, today I confess my struggle with the desire for control. I often want to dictate the outcomes of my life, trying to force things to happen in my timing and according to my plans. But today, I choose to surrender all to You. I yield my plans, my timing, and my desires to You, trusting that Your ways and thoughts are infinitely higher than mine… Amen and amen.
