2020-04-07
Genesis 19:27 NKJV
Abraham had a special place where he met with God. So did Daniel, when his life was threatened: “In his upper room…he knelt…three times that day…and prayed and gave thanks before…God, as was his custom” (Daniel 6:10 NKJV). Jesus, too, had a special place: “Before daylight, He…departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed” (Mark 1:35 NKJV). Here’s an idea: Establish a “God place” in your life. When problems and pressures threaten to overwhelm you, go to your God place. When you need guidance, go to your God place. Hymnist William Walford penned these time-honored words: “Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer! That calls me from a world of care, and bids me at my Father’s throne make all my wants and wishes known. In seasons of distress and grief, my soul has often found relief; and oft escaped the tempter’s snare, by thy return, sweet hour of prayer!” In the words of Henry Ward Beecher: “Wherever you have seen God pass, mark that spot, and go sit in that window again.” Your God place can be anywhere, but it should be somewhere. After you’ve been there a while, a kind of aura will surround it. You’ll create memories of intimate times with God. It will become your sanctuary, which simply means “a place of refuge and safety.” David wrote, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). Call it your God place, your secret place, your sanctuary, or whatever, but establish such a place in your life.
Soul food: Lev 5-7; Matt 27:27-32; Ps 25:8-15; Prov 9:18
Genesis 19:27 NLV
Abraham het ‘n spesiale plek gehad waar hy God ontmoet het. Daniël het ook so ‘n plek gehad toe sy lewe in gevaar was: ‘…Hy het daar ‘n venster gehad wat oop was in die rigting van Jerusalem. Hy het daar drie maal ‘n dag op sy knieë gegaan om vir sy God te bid en om Hom te loof, soos hy gewoond was om te doen’ (Daniël 6:11 NLV). Jesus het ook ‘n spesiale plek gehad: ‘Nog voor dagbreek die volgende oggend het Jesus opgestaan en alleen op ‘n stil plek gaan bid’ (Markus 1:35 NLV). Vestig ‘n ‘God plek’ in jou lewe. Wanneer probleme en druk dreig om jou te oorweldig, gaan na jou God plek toe. Wanneer jy leiding nodig het, gaan na jou God plek toe. Die gesangedigter, William Walford, het hierdie tydlose woorde geskryf: ‘Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer! That calls me from a world of care, and bids me at my Father’s throne make all my wants and wishes known. In seasons of distress and grief, my soul has often found relief; and oft escaped the tempter’s snare, by thy return, sweet hour of prayer!’ Jou God plek kan enige plek wees, maar dit moet net êrens wees. Nadat jy ‘n wyle daar vertoef het, sal ‘n tipe teenwoordigheid dit omring. Jy sal herinneringe van intieme tye met God daar skep. Dit sal jou heiligdom word, ‘n plek van toevlug en veiligheid. Dawid het geskryf: ‘Hy wat woon in die skuilplek van die Allerhoogste, sal rus in die skadu van die Almagtige’ (Psalm 91:1 NLV). Noem dit jou God plek, jou geheime plek, jou heiligdom of wat ook al, maar vestig so ‘n plek in jou lewe.
Sielskos: Lev 5-7; Matt 27:27-32; Ps 25:8-15; Spr 9:18
2020-04-06
Psalm 113:9 NLT
Imagine the agony a single parent goes through when they are required by a court order to put their children on an airplane, alone, for an extended visitation with the other parent. Yes, it’s necessary and it’s fair, but it can be painful. One single mom described her feelings this way: “I stand in the terminal, and I watch the kids’ airplane disappear into the clouds. I feel an incredible sense of loss. The loneliness immediately starts to set in, I worry constantly about their safety, but I resist the urge to call every hour to see how they’re doing. And when they do call me to tell me how much fun they’re having, I grieve over the fact that they’re having a life completely separate from my own. My only consolation is knowing that they’re coming home soon. But I’m haunted by the fear that they won’t want to come home to me.” For the single parent who identifies with this hurting mother, there’s a way to get through the painful days of waiting. Instead of seeing this time alone as a period of isolation and deprivation, view it as an opportunity to recharge your batteries and reinvigorate your spirit. Spend time with friends. Read your Bible and pray. Return to a hobby you’ve set aside. Fill your day with things that are impossible amid the responsibility of child care, recognizing that your children will benefit when you do. They’ll return to a re-energized you, instead of one coming off weeks of depression. God says, “My grace is all you need.” Today draw on His grace.
Soul food: Lev 1-4; Matt 27:11-26; Ps 25:1-7; Prov 9:17
Psalm 68:6 NCV
Whatever season of life we’re in, we can all experience loneliness. It can hit us when we leave home, move to a new area, or face rejection. It can make us feel like we don’t belong. But in God’s kingdom we always have a place where we belong. And however many times we face rejection, we’re accepted by God. The Message paraphrase of 1 Peter 2 says: ‘You are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you – from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted’ (vv.9-10). We’re His children and He loves us. The Bible says: ‘The Father has loved us so much that we are called children of God. And we really are his children’ (1 John 3:1 NCV). Whenever we’re feeling rejected by others, we need to remember that our identity is found in Him. Throughout the Bible, God reminds people that He’s with them. He told Joshua: ‘Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forget you’ (Joshua 1:5 NCV). And Jesus told the disciples: ‘I will not leave you all alone like orphans; I will come back to you’ (John 14:18 NCV). He promises to be with us too. He will never leave us. Even when we’re walking through dark valleys, He’s walking right beside us (take a look at Psalm 23:4). Even when everyone else leaves us, He’s still there. Even when we feel lonely, we’re never actually alone. We belong to God, and we belong in His kingdom.
Lev 1-4; Matt 27:11-26; Ps 25:1-7; Prov 9:17
Psalm 113:9 NLV
Dink jouself in aan die angs waardeur ‘n enkelouer gaan wanneer hulle deur ‘n hofbevel gedwing word om hulle kinders, alleen, op ‘n vliegtuig te sit vir ‘n uitgebreide besoek aan die ander ouer. Ja, dis nodig en dis regverdig, maar dit kan pynlik wees. Een enkelma beskryf haar gevoelens as volg: ‘Ek staan in die lughawe en kyk hoe die kinders se vliegtuig in die wolke verdwyn. Ek voel ‘n verskriklike gevoel van verlies. Die eensaamheid skop dadelik in, ek bekommer my oor hulle veiligheid, maar ek weerstaan die versoeking om hulle elke uur te bel om te hoor hoe dit met hulle gaan. Wanneer hulle my bel om my te vertel hoeveel pret hulle het, rou ek oor die feit dat hulle ‘n lewe heeltemal apart van my eie het. My enigste troos is die wete dat hulle binnekort weer huis toe kom. Die vrees dat hulle nie na my toe sal wil huis toe kom nie, spook egter gedurig by my.’ Vir die enkelouer wat met hierdie enkelma identifiseer, is daar ‘n manier om deur die pynlike dae wat jy moet wag, te kom. In plaas daarvan om hierdie tyd alleen as ‘n periode van isolasie en ontneming te sien, sien dit as ‘n geleentheid om jou batterye te herlaai en jou gees te vernuwe. Spandeer tyd saam met vriende. Lees jou Bybel en bid. Begin weer met die stokperdjie wat jy eenkant gesit het. Vul jou dae met die dinge wat onmoontlik is om te midde van die verantwoordelikheid van kinders grootmaak te doen en besef dat dit tot voordeel van jou kinders is. Hulle sal na ‘n energieke ouer, in plaas van ene wat weke lank depressief was, huis toe kom. God sê: ‘My genade is vir jou genoeg.’ Put vandag krag uit sy genade.
Sielskos: Lev 1-4; Matt 27:11-26; Ps 25:1-7; Spr 9:17
