Wednesday, July 15 2020 Devotional
"Thus says the Lord: 'Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.'" Jeremiah 9:23-24 We sing, “Knowing You, Jesus; knowing You; There is no greater thing.” These words are more true and more appropriate now than ever before. We don’t know what the future holds, we’re not even sure what’s happening next week. I have felt really stupid making plans and then having to cancel them in the last few months. We planned for Vacation Bible School, then had to cancel it. We planned to have the Barnabas Team here and had to cancel that. We were going to the Annual Conference, had bought the airplane tickets and everything, and had to cancel that. It seems like every plan we make lately is swept out from under us by unfolding circumstances we can’t predict or control. All our wealth, medical science and technology, and all our military might and government stability is paralyzed by a microscopic virus. I know people who are afraid to leave their houses. Yesterday 70 people died of the disease in Maricopa County alone. 702 are currently in Intensive Care Units. I’m not reciting these statistics to scare people; they are simply the facts, the reality in which we live. Where do you find peace and rest in a time like this? When wealth and wisdom, science and power mean nothing, how do we get through it? It’s actually pretty simple: we don’t put our confidence in any of these things. We don’t know the answer to the virus, but we know the One who does. We don’t know if our retirement investments will weather the storm but we have a Father who has promised to take care of us. We don’t know who will get the disease next but we know the Lord of Life, and at the end we’re going Home to Him! We can put our confidence in this: that we actually know the One who says, “I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight.” His steadfast love, His justice and His righteousness haven’t even slowed down, because He delights in bringing them to us. Lord Jesus, thank You for making Yourself known to me. Keep my heart in tune with what you’re doing. I will trust You. I trust in Your wisdom, Your justice, steadfast love, and power. Nothing is beyond Your control. Lord, keep me close to You. Amen.
Pastor Dan Giles