Psalms 118
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone;
23 the LORD has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
I am on vacation with family for two weeks. And I have a lot on my mind. Fears for the future. Some immediate like concerns about flying back stuck with two small boys on a 6 hour flight. Some decades away, such as will my boys love Jesus (and me) when they are teenagers? I have unfulfilled desires that hang over my head – things that God tells me to want for His kingdom yet He waits to work to fulfill them. So I sat in a rocking chair in the mountains of North Carolina with my sister that I haven’t seen in 6 months. Worrying. And God said, not quite audibly, but still quite clearly, “Receive THIS day from Me. Take no thought for tomorrow.” And then the angels whispered an obscure Stephen Curtis Chapman song about “This Day” in my ear that I can’t get out of my head now (still singing it a week later -- it's become the theme song for this 2 week vacation).
This day all His mercies are new
This day every promise is true
Father, help me to believe
Give me faith I need to know You
And trust You this day
This day
So I received THIS day from God. I opened my hands and let the worries fly up to Him. It’s His problem, not mine. And I received from Him the gifts of grace for that day – special conversation with my sister. An evening worshiping and reading scripture with my 16 year old nephew. Instead of worrying if my boys would love Jesus when they are 16, I received the gift of God’s grace that my nephew, whom I’ve watched grow up, does love Jesus and His Word and had sincere, thoughtful prayer requests to share. I received the treasure of a lunch with a friend who always points me to Christ despite the many burdens she faces in her own life, another gift of His grace that strengthened me in Him. And all which would have floated right past me if He had not pointed me to put off worrying about the future and receive from Him His grace and mercy for THIS day.
So THIS day, I receive His promises and plans for THIS day. THIS day, I am at peace in Him. And I take no thought for tomorrow, because God says clearly it’s worries are enough for itself. TODAY is the day I am living.
Matthew 6:34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself."
7 comments:
Beautiful Wendy! I share many of your concerns- the salvation of my boys, unfulfilled dreams of my own, and my thoughts are constantly on a little boy waiting for his forever family in Ethiopia... Thank you for the reminder to just enjoy today. Enjoy your trip!
This was a very timely post for me! Thank you!
Amen...enjoy your break, one day at a time.
Thank you.
Feeling anxious today about people that I know.
And I can completely relate to the "will they love Jesus (and me)" concern.
Thank you for this beautiful post! I too was a worrier. Until Phil 4:6-7 tells me not to worry about anthing, to be thankful for ALL things. I know that He loves me more than anyone and He will workout my future. Sometimes though Satan comes banging down my door and drags in that ton sized load of worry. It may take me a few minutes of worry to remember the scripture but I soon come back to peace in Him.
my spirit cries "yes!" in agreement!
I thought I had gotten over my "worry problem" until I read this post. Even those fleeting thoughts of "what if" and "I wonder" are forms of worry and distrust in themselves. Thank you for your words of encouragement.
Post a Comment