steering clear
For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock? (v.32).
READ: 2 Samuel 22:26-37
It would have been easy for Teresa Clarke to get discouraged and pitch the whole idea. She had failed her driving test 12 times over the past 27 years—never managing to get her license. During that time, she spent more than $25,000 on 450 hours of driving instruction.
But Teresa got behind the wheel again last summer and passed test number 13! The woman from Wroxham, England, now can finally drive wherever she chooses.
In 2 Samuel 22, we read about David and how he could have been driven to discouragement because of “all his enemies” (v.1). His adversaries were many and varied. Some were human (Goliath, Saul, Absalom, the Philistines), and some were personal struggles (backsliding, lust). He had failed many times (Psalm 51:3-4), but his hope was found in a faithful God (v.26) who could dispel his darkness with holy light (v.29).
The song found in 2 Samuel 22 (also presented nearly verbatim in Psalm 18) highlights the character of God—who He is. Israel’s king could write these words of victory, for the truly Victorious One had proved to be a shield (v.31), rock (v.32), and fortress (v.33) for him and his people. David was able to overcome discouragement because he took his eyes off himself and focused them on the One of whom he wrote, “Who is God except the Lord?” (v.32). That same God helps us overcome enemies and personal failures today and forever. As Paul wrote, “The Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:18).
Teresa Clarke knows this truth. When asked why she wanted to drive, her first words were, “I’m looking forward to taking people to church.” She wants more people to know the One who has “made a wide path” (v.37) for her—helping her steer clear of discouragement. —Tom Felten
How have you been trying to deal with your challenges and enemies? What will it mean for you to seek God and His deliverance today?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...getting “in the way”
June 13, 2009
READ: John 14:1-6
Jesus said . . . , “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” —John 14:6
The ancient Romans were known for their roads, which crisscrossed their empire with wide, heavily traveled highways. It’s what Jesus’ audience would have pictured when He claimed, “I am the way” in John 14:6.
While this verse indicates that He is the way to heaven, there’s really more to His statement. Cutting through the underbrush of the dense jungle of our world, Jesus is our trail-guide who makes a new way for us to live. While many follow the way of the world by loving their friends and hating their enemies, Jesus carves out a new way: “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you” (Matt. 5:44). It’s easy to judge and criticize others, but Jesus the Way-maker says to take the plank out of our own eye first (7:3-4). And He cuts a path for us to live with generosity instead of greed (Luke 12:13-34).
When Jesus said “I am the way,” He was calling us to leave the old ways that lead to destruction and to follow Him in His new way for us to live. In fact, the word follow (Mark 8:34) literally means, “to be found in the way” with Him. You and I can make the choice to travel the familiar and ultimately destructive ways, or we can follow Him and be found in the way with the One who is the way! — Joe Stowell
We don’t need to see the way if we’re following the One who is the Way.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...
Latest Comments