September 30, 2008
G.F.I.
“Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 (NASB)
Devotion:
I pulled in the driveway grateful to be home after a five-day conference. I pressed the remote and the garage door rolled open. Bloodied water trickled toward me as I stepped from my car. I knew immediately what had happened - the freezer had gone out. All the meat had thawed and the bloody, watery juices had drained out of the freezer into a maroon stream that slowly ran toward the driveway. Yuck.
Mark, my husband, was out of town. I stood in my garage disgusted and slightly freaked out. Of course, I called my husband for help. I didn’t care if it was late and there was a three-hour time difference between us.
He patiently said, “Check the G.F.I.”
“The what?”
“The ground fault interrupter. It’s in the electrical outlet where the freezer is plugged in.”
Sure enough, the G.F.I. had tripped and in response the freezer shut down. Nothing was technically wrong with the freezer, except now it had hundreds of dollars of rotting food sitting inside it. Because of a tripped G.F.I., my evening turned from one of anticipated relaxation to hours of vexing cleanup.
Isn’t our faith sometimes like that, too? We are believing and trusting the Lord, when all of a sudden something unexpected happens – our own G.F.I (God Faith Interrupter) gets tripped. In response, our faith shuts down and we melt like a gallon of vanilla ice cream in a hot garage.
It’s certainly difficult to understand the twists and turns in our journey of faith. When a God Faith Interrupter occurs, we grope in the darkness for something to reassure us that regardless of our circumstance, the Lord is loving, merciful, and He will guide us. God Faith Interrupters might shake our faith. They can be scary. They certainly will be unexpected and uncomfortable, but the Lord holds the charge of power to uphold our faith even when it shuts down temporarily. We must turn to Him.
Express to the Lord your fear of a “God Faith Interrupter” tripping you up. Then thank Him that He will be with you, showing you mercy and loving-kindness, no matter what happens in the days ahead. Then resolve to stay plugged into Him, no matter what.
Dear Lord, I prefer those times when my life goes smoothly. However, I ask for an extra measure of faith when my life takes an unexpected twist. Teach me to trust Your sovereignty in my life, and to rely on Your strength. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Birds in My Mustard Tree: For Those Who Struggle with Faith by Susanne Scheppmann
Sanctuary: A Devotional Bible for Women
Visit Susanne’s Blog
Application Steps:
Read Genesis 39. Note the G.F.I. in Joseph’s life. Consider how our Key Verse correlates with Genesis 39:20-23?
Reflections:
What G.F.I. (God Faith Interrupters) have occurred in your life?
Did you believe that God was with you throughout the ordeal? Why or why not?
Power Verses:
Jeremiah 31:3, “The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” (NIV)
Genesis 39:20b-21, “But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.” (NIV)
Psalm 57:1, “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.” (NIV)
© 2008 by Susanne Scheppmann. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
616-G,
Matthews, NC 28105
Originally published Tuesday, 30 September 2008.
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