Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Podcast version here:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/stushie/Trying_Times.mp3
To paraphrase Thomas Paine, “These are the times that try the souls of men and women.”
The Stock Market has crashed again and the recession is getting deeper. No matter how many bail outs that our leaders employ, they just don’t seem to be working. We’re now at a 12 year low as far as the financial market is concerned, which means that we’re right back to where we were in 1997. If we follow the same pattern to reach our all time highs, it’s going to take about seven years to make up for the difference.
A lot of people are unsettled and sadly some have become unemployed. Everyone is tightening their belts and reducing costs. For the moment, gone are the days of unlimited credit cards, spending sprees, and buying luxuries. Most folks are doing well with what they have and just glad to be surviving.
In times like these, faith in God becomes a bulwark, an anchor, and a fortress. We need to feel that no matter what we are experiencing, He will help us to endure. That’s why today’s words, expressed and written by the prophet Isaiah 2700 years ago, are highly relevant to what we are going through.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
In other words, no matter what we face, our fears will not overwhelm us and our troubles will not destroy us.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, these are anxious times and we all worry about the future. We pray that You will help us endure and support us in the coming years. Remind us also that our lives and our faith are eternally invested in You. Guide us, protect us, and love us. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.
John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.
Teacher Devotions are hard to specifically find on the Internet. This teacher devotions blog was set up to help teachers find devotions for themselves, their staff, and students. The teacher devotions will be updated regularly, so that new devotions for teachers will be made available. Teachers can check out the latest teacher devotions by clicking the following teacher devotions link at http://teachdevs.blogspot.com/
Monday, March 2, 2009
teacher Devotions: Trying Times
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment