A parent is charged with watching over their child from the time they are born and everything has to be done for them, to the time they become strong enough to assume responsibility of taking care of themselves, and beyond! This instinct and responsibility was given by our God who tenderly cares for us from the moment we give Him control. He is the image of a good parent to us. Hopefully as we pause to meditate on this Scripture God will give us reassurance of His protective, caring and loving hand that holds us secure each day.

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2021-06-29
WRITTEN AT: Tucumcari, NM

BY: Ed Algreen

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 37:23-24
TRANSLATION:New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly,  He delights in every detail of their lives.  24 Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.

APPLICATION: It seems like many days are filled with challenges that cause us to wonder: can it get any worse? Often it feels like we are at the end of our rope and holding on only by a knot, but we are thankful that all days are not like that! For the believer in Christ, we have a hope that surpasses all human understanding, for God repeats over and over in His Word that He watches out for us; He cares for us; He loves us unconditionally; He restores us from our brokenness, despair and disappointments and as promised in our Scripture today, He delights in every detail of our lives; He directs our paths and He holds our hand, especially when we stumble or fall! For my Christian friends reading this devotional, all of this is enough to help us rise above our doubts and fears. But it saddens us for our friends who have said ‘no’ to our Savior, and they are enduring serious days where they feel all alone and forsaken by the whole world around them. These are often our close friends, and we wish there would be something that we could do to help them. Sure enough, there is lots we can do to help. For you see, we are Christ’s representatives here on earth. Our friends need to feel the same love coming from us that we receive from Jesus Christ. They need to know that we are not judging them, but rather we are wanting desperately to help them through their struggles. They need to know that when they feel the world around them are against them and looking for ways to ridicule and punish them, that they could depend on the children of God to unconditionally love and care about them. To be Jesus in the flesh before them. Friends, we will never replace Jesus or be a substitute for Jesus at anytime – it’s impossible. But oh that we might be reminders to our unsaved world that Jesus is truly alive, because they see evidence of Him in us. May we always point them to the Savior so that they too might find rest and peace in Him in this troubled world. Always remember that God is watching over us – not just so that we might gloat in His goodness, but I believe, so that His goodness might overflow through His children here on earth to encourage others who need Him. A good friend always likened us to to one beggar giving bread to another beggar who needs Jesus! Just as Jesus watches over us, may our friends sense that Jesus wants to watch over them, because they could see first hand how His love reaches through us to love on them!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: We have a Savior who not only saved us from our sin, but He watches over us when we struggle and/or fall. I need that reassurance, and I hope that you will also benefit from that reminder!

PRAYER: Praise You Jesus, for You care for us like no one else does, and when others despise us because of our failures. What an awesome reminder that, as Your children, we are to express that same kind of love to those that we know and/or come into contact with. But oh what joy it is to know that instead of giving up when we feel distraught and forsaken, we could lift our heads up high, knowing that the Creator of this Universe loves us and cares for us. Thank You Lord Jesus for showing us what real love is all about. We know that it’s easy to love those that love us and are kind to us, but now we know that through Christ we can also love everyone, just like You love us! May others see Jesus today, even if the only person they see is one of His children! Draw all men to Yourself today dear Lord, especially those we touch in some way. AMEN!