Meditation from Still Waters Pond

 

I was reading things in the news before I went to bed last night, and I went to bed with a lot of troubling thoughts on my mind regarding our current "world situation", and I tossed and turned all night long. I prayed and asked the Lord to give me peace and help me sleep, but I kept waking up and those thoughts kept coming back to me...and I was praying that God will give me and my family and loved ones the courage to stand strong and not give in to the pressures of the enemy. It was not a restful or peaceful night. I apologize for even sharing this with you now because I certainly don't want to cause anxiety or alarm.  But these are difficult times and we do have grave concerns about the future of our country.

But I woke up this morning and began to read our devotions, and the Psalm that we read was Psalm 9:8-13, but in particular verses 9-10 jumped out at me from the page, and I had to just stop and read it again out loud:  

"The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. 

 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; 

 for You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You." 

 And then it was so pleasant to look outside and see the Great Blue Heron out there in Still Waters Pond, fishing for his breakfast and finding refuge in a peaceful little cove, oblivious to the bright sun and noises of the traffic on the other side of those trees. He was focused on one thing, and didn't seem to worry about the "what ifs" of life...he just went about doing his daily routine, seeking nourishment in the place where God had placed him. 

We also read from Habakkkuk 2:4 

"Behold the proud,

His soul is not upright in him;

But the just shall live by his faith."

I continued reading our devotions for the morning, and the next passage was from the Gospel of Matthew 17:14-21.  

And the response that Jesus gave His disciples when they asked way they could not cast out the demon from a young boy, Jesus said to them in verse 20:

"Because of your unbelief.

For assuredly, I say to you,

If you have faith as a mustard seed,

you will say to this mountain,

'Move from here to there,'  and it will move;

and nothing will be impossible for you."

And when you put all of this together, you have the following formula for peace of mind and courage for the future:

Release. Trust. Believe.

Nothing will be impossible for you.

I think I will sleep much better tonight. And I hope you will also find refuge and peace for your soul as you consider these words as well.

A daily meditation from Still Waters Pond.