Day 26: 31 Days of Prayer

July 26, 2010

Morning

Psalm 16:8 (NIV) I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

This “ALWAYS” is not what we must do, but what we will receive when we ALWAYS set the Lord before us. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 (NIV) Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

Father's Day was an enjoyable day for the Simonton family in 1990. The day that followed was not. Lee Simonton left for work with his new Father's Day wing-tip shoes and a promise to be home for lunch. At 10:40 a.m. his promise to return was broken. An irate customer stormed into the Jacksonville, Florida, General Motors Acceptance Corporation office where Lee worked and opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle and a handgun. Lee became a fatality, because he shielded a female co-worker from the gunfire. His tragic death brought unbearable pain to his wife and two children. The loss of both love and security were terribly frightening for them. They were hurt, scared, and angry over the lot they had received. Yet, from the pages of God's Word they found divine peace and hope. Psalm 37 gave Debra the strength to forgive the man who took her husband and replaced her bitterness with peace. Six-year-old Melissa took comfort in verse 25 of her mother's Psalm: "I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread." In Exodus 22:22-24, the little man of the house, eight-year-old Josh, claimed the promise of God to defend widows and orphans. Together they bravely walked the pathway of sorrow and along their journey they found "the peace which passes all understanding." It is only the Lord Jesus Christ who can provide such peace in the midst of painful sorrow. (Mattoon’s Treasures)

It is amazing to me how I (and you) turn elsewhere other than the Lord for peace. Sometimes those other things give us respite, but they never give us lasting peace. Only the Lord does that, because He, unlike anyone or anything else ALWAYS keeps His promises. The Lord Jesus is proof of that. 2 Corinthians 1:20 (NIV) For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. The next time your peace starts to fade, don’t run to the bottle, pills, TV, food, or other counselors. Set the LORD always before you, beginning today, and He will give you peace at all times and in every way. He promised.

Evening

Here are two other “ALWAYS” that we receive when we set the LORD ALWAYS before us. We ALWAYS prevail in this life. 2 Corinthians 2:14 (NIV) But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. Therefore we are always confident about our future in heaven. 2 Corinthians 5:1 (NIV) We know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven. Thank God for the gift of these two ALWAYS, then sleep in peace.