Christian Devotionals and Scripture Applied to Everyday Life

"Follow your instruments and not your sight." These words from an official who was being interviewed caught my attention as I was getting ready for work the other morning. I was rushing around with the usual bed making, hairdressing, & makeup applying when the words were spoken on the TV news show. During a very foggy evening flight, a US military Black Hawk helicopter had crashed into the Santa Rosa Sound. Unfortunately, four National Guardsmen and seven Marines were missing following the accident. The man on the newscast expanded his statement by explaining that when a pilot is flying through the fog, it is very important to rely on the aircraft's instruments instead of the captain's eyesight. Dense fog is very deceptive and one's eyesight is not reliable. Though it takes an act of faith, one is best served to trust the instruments to give the best guidance as to how to proceed. How true this is in our daily lives! When our circumstances land us in a deep fog, it often becomes unclear how we should respond. It is so tempting to react according to our feelings. Yet usually our feelings are unreliable. We may think we know what someone else is thinking or why something has happened, but if we respond according to our faulty perceptions it may cause us to crash and burn. We will be left with wreckage of a relationship or an unfixable problem.

Perspiration trickled down his dark skin as he sat in the chariot squinting into the sun. The vehicle joggled slowly along the desert road while he wiped the dampness from his eyes and again focused on the ancient words in front of him. His mind was reeling with questions regarding the things he was reading. There was something there that touched a wounded place in his heart but he just didn't understand the meaning. Bitter memories of days gone by floated across his mind. He remembered so clearly all the  physical indignities he suffered in the past - the humiliating experience that had made him a eunuch. It was supposed to be an honor to serve Queen Candace of Ethiopia and, in fact, he was a very high and well-respected financial official in her court, but there was still a deep wound that oozed in the very core of his being - an empty hole in his spirit that needed to be filled.

I sat in complete shock as the leader of my Bible study group made the announcement that one of our members had passed away that week. I was devastated at the loss of someone so young, but the truth was that my greatest hurt was personal. I had been part of this group for the better part of a year. Though we had met weekly, certain privacy rules hindered our opportunity to know each other deeply. Even though we prayed for each other, the requests were carefully worded by the leader who had contacted each participant during the week. Often the real meaning behind the request was lost in the interpretation. When the leader asked us to pray for this dear young woman who was ill, I had no idea how sick she really was. For all I knew it was a cold that persisted through the frigid months of winter.

HELP!! Don't you just feel like screaming that word once in a while? We all have weeks like this (or maybe even months or years!!). Life gets too full or too complicated. Your mind starts spinning wildly! Your heart starts beating uncontrollably! And that desperate word finally just escapes from your lips - HELP! I believe the author of Psalm 61 felt this way. Though it is hard to pinpoint the exact situation that David was experiencing at this moment, it is easy to feel his pain. He seems desperate and longs for God to come to his aid. 

There are times in life when you will feel exhausted and overcome with your circumstances. God beckons us to come to Him for strength during these times. One thing that has been a great blessing to me and has helped me to hold firmly to my confidence in God's provision has been daily devotional guides. I have lots of them and keep them strategically placed all over the house. I don't read every one every day, but when I feel like I need a pick-me-up, I can grab the nearest one. It is amazing how God always seems to place in my hands and heart the exact words I need to keep me going.

Within the past few years I read a book that, though a true story, was absolutely unbelievable. Unbroken is the incredible biography of a 1936 Olympic qualifier in the 5,000 meter race, and a World War II survivor. This Christmas the movie came out in the theaters, and I enjoyed watching it on the big screen with our family. Louie Zampirini was born on January 26, 1917, to Italian immigrant parents. Because his family could not speak English well, his young life in Torrance, California, was not easy and he was often the target of bullies. Louie tried to find ways to compensate for the bullying and developed habits of fighting, drinking, smoking, and stealing.