Lifetime Daily DevotionsSample

Are You Settled in Your Mind? ...He is settled in his mind that Jehovah will take care of him.

                                                                                    Psalm 112:7 (TLB)

 

            She was going through a sordid divorce. Her life, her reputation, her mothering, her personality--everything was being cut open and dissected and shredded. The financial security to which she had become accustomed was gone; the post office had been notified that her prestigious address had changed. And Tuesday, another chapter would be added to her manila file in court:  Jan vs. Tom.

            I saw her on Wednesday and was expecting to find her slumped in her chair, head down, eyes red-rimmed--defeated. 

            "Jan! How did it go yesterday? Did you make it all right?"

            "All right? Hey! I'm on top of it! Let me show you something."

            And she began digging in her skirt pocket for what turned out to be a crumpled scrap of paper.

            "Look at this, Anabel."

            I took it and smoothed it out. It was written in pencil, so it was smeared and not all that legible, but there it was:

            Jan, Jehovah will take care of you ... and He did.

            Jan was settled in her mind.

* * * * * *

            If I truly believe that God is at work in my life, purifying, shaping, conforming me to the beauty of His image...

            if I truly believe He allows certain things to come into my life for the completion of His purpose...

            if I truly believe that He is a loving God and has no intention of hurting me, having only my best interests at heart...

            then how should I view each day?

            how should I accept each stressful event?

            how should I accordingly behave?

My habit is to excuse my misbehavior with pet, pat phrases:

                        "I'm awfully tired ..."

                        "It was all his fault ..."

                        "After all these years, I'm just going to quit trying ..."

                        "It might work for others, but not for me ..."

                        "I just can't do it ..."

                        "God's expectations of me are way out of line ..."

                            "It's that time of month ..."

            These excuses are antiquated, worn-out, stifling and, simply put, just not true.

There is one--and only one--question to ask myself:

Do I truly believe?

Do I truly believe?

Do I truly believe?

Do I truly believe?

 

To answer "yes" will settle my mind on any issue.