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Light, space, zest - that's God! So, with him on my side I'm fearless, afraid of no one and nothing. When vandal hordes ride down ready to eat me alive, Those bullies and toughs fall flat on their faces. When besieged, I'm calm as a baby. When all hell breaks loose, I'm collected and cool. I'm asking God for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long. I'll contemplate his beauty; I'll study at his feet. That's the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, The perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic. God holds me head and shoulders above all who try to pull me down. I'm headed for his place to offer anthems that will raise the roof! Already I'm singing God-songs; I'm making music to God. Listen, God, I'm calling at the top of my lungs: "Be good to me! Answer me!" When my heart whispered, "Seek God," my whole being replied, "I'm seeking him!" Don't hide from me now! You've always been right there for me; don't turn your back on me now. Don't throw me out, don't abandon me; you've always kept the door open. My father and mother walked out and left me, but God took me in. Point me down your highway, God; direct me along a well-lighted street; show my enemies whose side you're on. Don't throw me to the dogs, those liars who are out to get me, filling the air with their threats. I'm sure now I'll see God's goodness in the exuberant earth. Stay with God! Take heart. Don't quit. I'll say it again: Stay with God. (Psalm 27 The Message)
Good day, dear Friend! May this find you well, and blessed, and filled with joy for the Lord! I'll begin by giving a shout-out to the preacher's kids that read this devotional. God blessed Nellie and me with four wonderful daughters, and I know there's a special place in Heaven reserved for PKs! They have, more than likely, had unexplainable life experiences that the rest of the population never have had, or endured things that few others have endured. To my girls, I love you and thank God for you, and I ask that God's grace be with you all always. You went through a lot for the sake of a Dad who loved Jesus enough to work for Him. And having you by my side made the journey so much better and blessed! And thanks to my wife who blessed me with those babies, and whose counsel and presence continues to bless me even now!
With that in mind, I share again what may cause some embarrassment to my daughters. One night our parsonage's air conditioning went out. It was an older home, right behind the church. The church I was serving was about half a block large, with the back part being a small parking lot, our driveway, and our home. Summers in Texas get mighty hot and this night the heat in that house was unbearable, and guess where we slept? Dad turned-on the church's air conditioning and there around the altar area we placed our blankets and pillows and slept, nice and cool and in the house of the Lord. I thought of that event because of how the psalmist was feeling as he wrote this psalm. I love the verse, "God took me in." Wow. That was me. My parents never abandoned me, but I left for college at 18, ready for the call God placed on my heart to serve Him. I would return home for summer vacation, find a job, work long hours, and then go back to school. But as soon as I felt God's call, God took me in. God provided a way for me to attain a university and seminary education, and always provided us with a place to live, food on our table, clothes to wear, and the blessings of coming to know some of God's finest people. David had found the same. (Although he had a nice palace to live in; but i bet he never had to take his children to school in the church van that day a tree fell across the driveway!) But, this version of the Bible gives it an umph that others don't. David is on fire as he's writing this, talking "fearless, afraid of no one and nothing," being "calm as a baby" (yes, babies are sometimes calm!) He is "collected and cool," and asks that he might live in the house of the Lord his entire life long. Well, our daughters can claim they lived in the house of the Lord for one night, which is pretty much more than the general population. And yes, a one day experience of pulling up to their school in an old church van with the church's name as big as it can embarrassingly be on the side; no one can really claim that either! David knew the beauty of God because he came to know God at an early age. The word of God was his education, time in prayer and worship were those things that made him fearless and calm, and also allowed him to find "quiet, secure" places in a noisy world. And it was God to made him feel like he was head and shoulders above those who tried to pull him down.
The psalmist also knew the power of prayer. This version has it in modern language the way David prayed, "Be good to me! Answer me! I'm seeking Him! Don't hide from me now! You've always been there for me; don't turn your back on me now!" Even if his mother and father walked out on him, David said that God took him in. And from that point on, God blessed and guided his life.
Friends, the last words of this passage are for you and me: "Stay with God! Take heart. Don't quit. I'll say it again: Stay with God." Boom! The other options lead nowhere but destruction. You may seek to numb your pain in ways that kill, steal and destroy; but staying with God goes the opposite way: Life, recovery, and strength. Claim those for yourself right now!
PRAYER: Father, David has said it all, but we say it again, no matter what we're facing, You have it in perfect control. I want to stay with you. Some praying this may need You to take them in, and may it be in whatever way that has to be; but bring calm and peace to their lives. God, be glorified in my life. That's my prayer, in Christ Jesus, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Bring the joy of calm to someone not having a good day today!
Love you all!
Eradio Valverde
Here is the last chapter of Mark! I pray it blesses you; share it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4UB4hS8k-U&t=8s
