No Rubbernecking!

After taking off almost a month from blogging, I’m back, and so happy to be!

If you’re a subscriber, first, thank you so much! And, if you haven’t actually been to the blog lately, I want to invite you to come back and check out some changes, including new songs on the playlist and some great links. I’ve also added a box where you can suggest blog topics that I’d love to have you fill out. This blog is for you and I pray you are encouraged in the Lord by it. Now, let’s dig into the Word!

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“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You,
because he trusts in You.”

Isaiah 26:3 NKJV

Every now and then you see a news story about someone driving off the road and into another vehicle that has stopped off to the side. At first I think, didn't they see that car?  But the odd thing is, when a driver becomes focused on something on the side of the road, he will actually begin to veer off the road toward that object.

As I write this, there is a lot going on in the world that we can begin to fix our attention on—violence in the middle east, and most recently, anarchy in Egypt, a sky-rocketing U.S. debt, increasing acceptance of sin to name just a few. Even in our own lives, and more personally, many times in our own hearts, there is conflict, pain and uncertainty.

When we begin to focus on these things, our minds will follow and at first that will cause us to slow down our progress on the path the Lord has set us on—following and serving Him.  Eventually, we'll veer off onto a wrong avenue and begin a journey down a dark road of despair. Soon we'll look back and find that much of our peace is gone.

But we have the sure promises of God.

God has given His children the promise that if we keep our minds focused on Him we will have peace. If instead of focusing on problems, we immerse ourselves in His Word and let it penetrate into our hearts, continually praying to Him for wisdom and strength, and allow Him to take care of the battles that rage around and even within us, we will find that He is faithful, we will learn to trust Him more and more, and His peace will reign in our hearts.

It’s not always easy to do, especially when we get blindsided with difficult news or we encounter a turn we didn't anticipate.  I think we have to begin our journey every morning making a new commitment for that day to focus on the Lord. And one day our journey will be over and we’ll greet the Lord and say, “I’m home!”

God bless!




Photo attribution to Stuck in Customs on flickr.