FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2014 DONATE • RADIO DEVOTION Shipwrecks Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. —2 Corinthians 11:25 Writing to the church in Corinth, the apostle Paul said, in effect, Trust me. Ive been through it. I know more than I ever wanted to know about shipwrecks. I have never been literally shipwrecked, but I have been through some pretty rough seas. I remember being on one of those Bible study cruises years ago with a group of people from our church. We were trying to have an evening service as the ship bounced and rocked on the choppy waves. People were getting sick and lurching out of the room. Lets just say the pastor gave an early benediction and ended the service before it ever really got started. But that wasnt a shipwreck; it was only rough seas. Weve all had our share of rough seas, havent we? Ive had my share of hardships in life. More than many? Perhaps. But not as many as some. I remember thinking not that long ago that maybe the days of big shipwrecks in my life were over. Oh, I know there always will be some difficulties, challenges, and trials in the Christian life. But Id found myself hoping that I might somehow escape any big, traumatic events through my remaining years. You know . . . relatively smooth sailing the rest of the way to heaven. But of course, that was not to be with the unexpected death of our oldest son Christopher in July of 2008. Anyone who has ever done any sailing can tell you how rapidly the weather can change—how quickly you can find yourself facing stiff winds and rising seas. The fact is, we cant know whats ahead of us in life. We cant see the storms that may be churning just over the horizon. But God can! And what was true for the psalmist in a time of uncertainty and great storms is true for you and me as well: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake. . . . The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress (Psalm 46:1-3, 7, NIV). Todays devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 09:02:04 +0000
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