A Wedding, Two Funerals, and A Birth
By Amanda Wong We were looking forward to 2008 being a great year for the Lee family. Cousin Peng had announced that he would marry his longtime fiancée, Marilyn, on January 8—an auspicious date according to Chinese tradition. With the year starting on such a bright note, we believed that more glad tidings would follow. [...]
ODB: seeing God’s hands
September 6, 2010
READ: Ezra 7:1-10,27-28
He came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. —Ezra 7:9
On Jack Borden’s 101st birthday, he awoke at 5 a.m., ate a hearty breakfast, and was at his law office by 6:30 ready to begin his day. When asked the secret of his long life, the practicing attorney smiled and quipped, “Not dying.”
But there’s more to it than that. Mr. Borden, who was baptized at age 11 in the Clear Fork of the Trinity River, told Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram reporter David Casstevens, “I’m a firm believer that God has His hand in everything that happens. He is letting me live for some reason. I try to do the things that I believe He wants me to.”
Ezra the priest experienced the “good hand of his God upon him” when he led a delegation to Jerusalem to provide spiritual leadership for the former captives who were rebuilding the temple and the city (Ezra 7:9-10). Ezra found strength and courage in knowing that the Lord was with them each step of the way. “So I was encouraged, as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me” (v.28).
When we see the Lord’s hand in our lives, it brings forth a deep “Thank You” and a growing desire to do what He wants us to do. —David McCasland
If you know that God’s hand is in everything, you can leave everything in God’s hands.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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Loading ...ODJ: never alone
The first time I was brought before the judge, no one came with me. Everyone abandoned me. May it not be counted against them (v.16).
READ: 2 Timothy 4:1-18
She remembered the day her dad left. Though only a child, she lay in bed and listened to her mother crying herself to sleep in the other room. At 5 years of age, she determined she would never be the cause of her mom’s tears. Now 14, she shared how she had determined to be happy and carefree in front of everyone, regardless of whatever pain she felt inside. Still more girl than woman, she had only begun to grieve the lost relationship with her dad.
Romans 8:38-39 tells us that nothing can keep us from God’s love. In the “rubber meets the road” of real life, however, we struggle to see God’s love for us when someone we love walks away. We may know in our heads that God loves us, but we don’t know how to live it out, especially when a close relationship is severed. In their palpable absence, our heart asks: What about me made them leave? Our unanswered questions and swirling thoughts threaten to overwhelm us.
The apostle Paul knew what it was like to be forsaken by those close to his heart—people in whom he had invested much (2 Timothy 1:15). He felt the loss, and his calling didn’t shield him from loneliness (v.12). Through it all, he remained focused on his true purpose for living and refused to be waylaid by what others said or did (vv.17-18).
We can’t live in fear of losing people, and we can’t live thinking that our world will fall apart if we’re alone. Loneliness is real, and grieving doesn’t mean we’ve lost faith (John 11:35). No matter what we go through, however, we must not lose sight of who loves us most—the One who promised to be there always (Hebrews 13:5). —Regina Franklin
Have you ever felt abandoned by someone? How can times of feeling alone strengthen our love for God?
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