[Membersandfriends] Wednesday, September 08, 2004

Tue Sep 7 22:01:46 PDT 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Wednesday, September 08, 2004

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GOD'S PRESENCE
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Luke 12:4-7 (NRSV)

"I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight. But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows."

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Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified . . . for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
- Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)
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IT all happened fast.  Within a month, a series of medical tests showed that I had to have my cancerous prostate removed.  I had always been scared of medical procedures, so a week before the operation I looked for something in the Bible to remove my fear and to give me strength.  I decided to open the Bible randomly and read whatever verse my eyes fell on first.  That verse turned out to be Deuteronomy 31:6.  Those words kept me calm and strong throughout the days before and after my operation.

When we are faced with life-threatening situations, we often forget that God is with us through it all.  When we look back on our lives, we may recall occasions when we were in great despair, only to sense God's closeness and remember God's promise never to leave us or forsake us.  Matthew 10:29-30 reminds us that if God cares even for sparrows that fall to the ground, surely we do not have to fear because we are more valuable than many sparrows!

Prayer:  Dear God, give us the faith to trust that the battle is yours and not ours.  Help us in times of fear to trust that you are always with us.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Our strength comes from God's presence with us.

-- Edward A. Baryeh (Ashanti, Ghana)

PRAYER FOCUS: Those awaiting medical-test results

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RELATED READING ...

A TURBULENT PEACE: Psalms for Our Time. Through his one-page devotional commentary on each of the 150 Psalms, author Ray Waddle shows that God speaks clearly to our contemporary conditions through the Psalms' poetic and sometimes turbulent imagery.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=148875

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The scripture quotation is from the NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION of the Bible, copyright (c) 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.