I am a Christian, a retired teacher, a mother and a grandmother. I love to read and I love the Lord Jesus Christ! Unless otherwise specified ,all visual illustrations are from the YOU VERSION APP of the Bible.
Since Christ and His Word never changes, when our identity is rooted deeply in Him, then it does not change. We know who we are in Him because He doesn’t move or change. Circumstances change, the people around us shift, attitudes change, but Jesus doesn’t. His love for us never changes, the gift of salvation never goes away and God never moves away from us. Our identity is built on the firm foundation of the rock who created us to be just who He needs us to be in order to fulfill His purpose for our lives.
As a grammarian and a retired foreign language teacher, I am generally aware of the use of tenses in sentences. I notice present, past and future tenses and sometimes that makes all the difference in my thinking. Today in my devotional, it’s all about the present tense, where I am right now.
The Lord keeps me from all harm…right now. He is currently watching over me and all that I do. I consider that very comforting. God is not confined by the constraints of time as we know it because He is infinite, but He steps into my present and is carefully watching over me. Comforting, isn’t it?
The verb “is” means currently, present tense. God has been my refuge and strength in the past and will continue to be in the future. But for today, I can count on Him to be my refuge, to be my strength right now, right where I am and in the circumstances I am currently facing. Encouraging, isn’t it?
Every day, each of us faces new troubles, whether from our health, our family circumstances, our finances or whatever comes up. God is always present, right there with us, no matter what we face. He saves us, present tense, from whatever enemies may attack us. The promise is that He will protect us and the reality is in the present tense. His hand is already there, ready for us to grasp and be saved by His power and mercy and grace. Humbling, isn’t it?
Although my focus is on the present tense in this little blog today, I want to end with a view of the future. God is always trustworthy. He is a rock on which we can stand and take refuge. We can trust Him forever because He never changes and He never will. Powerful, isn’t it?
As you read your devotional today and spend time with the Lord, may He be ever present in your heart, mind and soul.
As I get ready to head to my third medical appointment in as many days, this is the Scripture that I’m leaning on. Today, I go to get a Reclast infusion for my bones. My prayer is that God will let it work and do no harm. This is the last of these treatments that I can get because my bones are still thinning even with the treatment, and there are no other measures to take since my arthritis doctor has tried them all with me. It’s all good, though, because God will take care of my bones just as He takes care of the rest of me. He knows what I have need of and supplies it. Tomorrow I go to my cardiologist to discuss the results of my stress test and ultrasound that I had last week. I got the results sent to me via email, but since I don’t understand them, he will interpret them for me. The good news is that I have not had chest pains since he started me on my new meds. So, for doctors, I trust and verify. But for God, I just trust. Imagine! He is the “Rock of Ages” who has been there forever. He is totally trustworthy and all that is happening to me right now is in His capable and loving hands. I can think of no one else to trust as I trust Him. Forever and always! I hope the same trust is a part of your life, too. Have a blessed day, my friends!
www.bible.com/reading-plans/39304/day/2
www.bible.com/1171/isa.26.4.mev
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 