November 21, 2006
Encouragement for Today
Principle 1
“He’s Still God”
Micca Monda Campbell
Proverbs 31 Speaker and Author, Director of Outreach
Key Verse:
2 Corinthians 4:8, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair.” (NIV)
Devotion:
I was away speaking when the tornado struck the mid-south where my family and I live. My children were in “lock down” at their school for hours.
My husband felt helpless as our daughter begged from her cell phone, “Come get me, daddy. Please, hurry!” He was desperately trying to retrieve both of our children, but debris from the raging winds blocked his every path. Two hours later, he finally reached the school and found it, along with our children, untouched by the tornado. Our house had been passed over as well. Others were not as fortunate.
As I drew nearer to home, I looked on in disbelief as I weaved my way through the devastation. It felt as if my town had been ransacked by intruders. I felt cold and naked as I viewed the homes of friends, and business that had been stripped bare by the fury of the tornado.
Then, I saw the church. It once was a magnificent church standing tall and proud in our community. It was a symbol of all that was good. Now it was wounded and exposed; stripped of her beauty and glory. “Not the church, Lord.” I prayed. As destruction surrounded me, I looked to the heavens and questioned, “How will we survive this awful tragedy?”
Jesus promised that we would encounter trials and tribulation in this fallen world, but we need not despair. Why--because our hope is in God. Hope helps us see the God of restoration instead of becoming paralyzed by the mess of destruction.
Volunteers, workman, friends and neighbors put their hope in God and worked together to rebuild our city. It was a precious sight. It was the evidence of hope and the reflection of love.
Right now, you may be surrounded by trouble too, but you are not alone. You cannot be hedged in because you are not without help. You have great support. God is your helper. You don’t have to be perplexed, uncertain or concerned about your future. God has promised to deliver you. Even if you are being persecuted by enemies, or rejected by loved ones, God says, “I will never leave you.” There’s no need to fight your fears. Put your trust in God and allow His power to work through your weakness.
Months later, the faithfulness of God in times of trouble became apparent as I drove by the church. The yard had been cleaned and the walls patched. It looked as if she had been lovingly dressed up in second-hand clothes. Still recovering from near destruction, her message had not changed. Draped in a large sign that covered the front of her structure, she declared to all,
“HE’S STILL GOD!”
In this life, will we be pressed - yes, even crushed sometimes – and it can be perplexing, but we need never despair. Because no matter what storm we face, no matter what kind of trouble presses in; and no matter who’s out to get us, the truth remains the same: “He’s Still God!”
My Prayer for Today:
Dear Lord, may we never live in despair when trouble surrounds us. Help us to trust in the fact that You’re still God and the battle is not our, but yours, in Jesus’ Name, A men.
Application Steps:
Make a list of all your doubts and fears. Then, confess them to God. Ask Him to replace your doubt with faith in what only God can do.
Reflection Points:
In what do you put your hope in, self or God?
Do you allow God to show His power and Glory through your weakness?
In what ways has God proven in your life “He’s Still God?”
Power Verses:
Psalm 135:6, “Whatever the Lord pleases He does, In heaven and in earth, In the seas and in all deep places.” (NKJ)
Deuteronomy 20:4, “for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.” (NKJ)
Deuteronomy 10:14, “Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it.” (NKJ)
Romans 8:31, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (NKJ)
Additional Resources:
Micca Campbell's Testimony DVD
Show Me the Way Worship CD by Gwen Smith
Originally published Tuesday, 21 November 2006.
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