Corona Devo 252

It all just feels like too much.  

The crazy thing is, for most of us, the "too much" is not even physical.  It is not as if we are in a work-camp, being beaten and starved.  It's not as if we are drifting alone on a shard of wood in the middle of the ocean, trying to stay afloat and getting sun-scorched.  

Or is it?

The battle today is not physical (for most of us).  It is mental.  It is emotional.  And you better believe that it is spiritual.  

On these (mental, emotional, and spiritual) battlegrounds, we are being beaten down each day, sometimes into a condition where we cannot even move, from the mental exhaustion or emotional depression.  We are drifting alone in the oceans of the world.  It feels like no one can reach us to save us, or worse: that no one even cares to.

But that is not true.  Let me phrase it differently: That is not Truth.  The Bible is God's Word, and it provides Truth to our hearts and Jesus came to be our lifesaver when our spirits are beaten, starved and drifting alone in the waves of this world.  

We can turn to the Lord, and we can trust Him to save us and to fight for us.  The first step is turning to Him, and in the very next breath, we honor Him.

Psalm 29 (A psalm of David.)

1 Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings; honor the Lord for his glory and strength.

2 Honor the Lord for the glory of his name.  Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. ~Psalm 29:1-2

If the woes of our world have caused us to doubt God's authority, glory, strength or the splendor of his holiness, shame on us.  We have lost perspective when our problems appear to us as larger than the Problem-Solver.  We cannot forget who God is.  And once we refresh our hearts, minds and souls of who God is, we become open and aware of His power.  And God IS power:

3 The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea.  The God of glory thunders.  The Lord thunders over the mighty sea.

Above the sea of sickness (physical and mental).  Above the seas of fear, injustice and depression.  WHATEVER sea is threatening to engulf us today--The voice of the Lord echoes above it, and The Lord thunders over the mighty sea.  God holds command over the physical seas of earth and the raging seas in our lives too.  His Word makes this clear, and God has purpose in clarifying it for you and me today.

4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.

5 The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.  ~Psalm 29:4-5

Are there any trees of sin or falsehood that have grown tall in our lives?  Trees of resentment, entitlement, or perhaps trees of fear or self-deprecation?  The voice of the Lord splits and shatters those trees of falsehood.  God has more for us.

He also sees the mighty cedars of the world that have inappropriate power and control over people.  They come in all different varieties, but they lead His people astray, and God will have dominion.  He stands in authority and in greater power than anything or anyone, and the voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.    

6 He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf; he makes Mount Hermon leap like a young wild ox.  ~Psalm 29:6

Do we have mountains in our lives?  Situations we cannot get around or through (and we have tried) because the mountain is too tall and wide.  Do we have mountainous people in our lives that seem to block and blot-out our path and our joy?   

God can move our situational and people mountains, and He can make a way for us around them.  It will occur on His (holy) timetable, but He can make our mountains skip like a calf and leap like a young wild ox.  

I'm ready when You are, Lord.  I wouldn't mind if a couple of my situations/people-that-feel-like-mountains skipped or leapt away and out of my life.  God can do that. 

7 The voice of the Lord strikes with bolts of lightning.

8 The voice of the Lord makes the barren wilderness quake; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.  ~Psalm 29:7-8

Some of us are in the wilderness.  Alone, miles from comfort, and somedays miles from sanity.  It is barren.  It is lonely.  And hear this today: it is temporary.  We will not be in this wilderness forever.  Hang on for today.  The Lord makes the barren wilderness quake; the Lord shakes the wilderness...  God is with us and He sees us and He will shake things up to free us, and rescue us from our wilderness.

9 The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks and strips the forests bare.  In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”

10 The Lord rules over the floodwaters.  The Lord reigns as king forever.

11 The Lord gives his people strength.  The Lord blesses them with peace.  ~Psalm 29:9-11

It's no secret that we are fighting emotional, mental and spiritual battles with ourselves, others, and the world today.  The battle scars are real, and some are deep.  But the battle is not over.  And don't you dare give up.  The Lord gives his people strength.  The Lord blesses them with peace.

Take Him up on that.  Ask God for strength, and He will strengthen you for the battle today.  Receive the Lord's blessing of peace today.  Let it filter through your thoughts and calm your mind and heart.

Yes, we are in a battle, but The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea (3), The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars (5), He makes...mountains skip like a calf, and The voice of the Lord makes the barren wilderness quake (7).  

We ARE NOT drifting alone in the oceans of the world.  God loves us deeply and He is reaching out today to save us.

The Lord gives his people strength.  The Lord blesses them with peace.  ~Psalm 29:11

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com

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