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Still Watching
Devotional for Wednesday, January 27, 2010 by Rod Marshall
Psalm 9:9-10 - The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. (ESV)Recently, when I became ill, I was sent off to hospital post haste. I knew I was in big trouble, so like any sensible, childlike Christian, I cried out to God to help me.
Upon occasion, God gives me a reassurance through a physical sign: a rainbow. Now, this is just between Him and me, an indulgence, if you like, by a loving Father to a feeble son, ever since I was sixteen years old (see Rainbows). It has happened too many times now for it to be just my wishful thinking. (Maybe I will tell more sometime.) There is also the accompanying sense of peace that goes with the sign, lest I think that all rainbows are a sign, as when I go fishing for one when I am feeling insecure.
The morning after my admittance into hospital, I was sitting waiting for the investigation to begin. In my stupor, I sought a sign from God as to His view on this. Praise Him: He answered my prayer with a little fleeting rainbow. Just the one glance out of the window, and there it was, just for a few seconds. It was His way of saying: I AM here.
I thought, "At least God is with me through all this, so whatever the outcome, I am in safe hands," and I rested on that. The worse I got, the closer He became. It made life so much easier knowing that He was watching over me; all my anxieties about being pricked, catheterized, IV-dripped, and prodded diminished.
Even more surprising was the way He overruled human wisdom, but that is another story. He kept me safe from unneeded surgery and enabled the correct treatment to be done during the trial, and I praise Him for it. So can you! He has answered the many prayers sent on my behalf, for which I give thanks.
Prayer: Lord, we thank You that we can trust in Your love for us. As Christians, You want to meet us at our point of need, to forgive our sins, and to deliver us from evil. We praise You! You are a God who is faithful and can be trusted, no matter how things appear, because You say that through Jesus, You have reconciled us by grace, and nothing can separate us from Your love. Nothing! Thank You, Lord! Amen.
Rod Marshall <rmarshall@glos.ac.uk>
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
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Today's Music:
I Surrender All.