"The Lord is Faithful."

August 10, 2016
Well, I am finding out that being a blogger means I need to be blogging!  Funny how time slips away.  It really does.

In the morning I look forward to the Bible Verses from "Daily Light for Every Day" complied by Anne Graham Lotz.  The devotional was given to me years ago by one of the nurses that mentored me when I began serving as Chaplain at Emmanuel Nursing Home.  It has always blessed my heart that the nurses and caregivers at that nursing home were ministering in heartfelt ways with their varied skills to the residents making life better, so much better.  Amazing people are called to caregiving at a nursing home.  I was blessed to be in their midst for almost 20 years.  

Today's Bible verses  remind us that we are children of God.  Salt of the earth and shining like lights in dark places.  And all because "The Lord is faithful."  Yes, the Lord is faithful.  "The Lord is faithful, Who will establish you and guard you from the evil one." (2 Thessalonians 3:3)  "Now to Him Who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever, Amen."  (Jude 24-25) Yeah!  Makes you want to stand up and give a punch into the air!  The Lord is faithful.  

With that verse ringing in my heart, I go to another little book gifted to me from a family who appreciated the care their loved one received at the end of his long and illustrious life.  The book is called "God's Minute, A Book of 365 Daily Prayers Sixty Seconds Long for Home Worship."  It was printed in the USA in 1916, 1923 and then again in 1943 by the Universal Book and Bible House in Philadelphia.  365 pastors from all over the United States wrote one prayer to be used in this book.  The book was presented on Confirmation Day, May 20, 1951 from Pastor Irwin O. Jacobson of First Lutheran in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, to his confirmands.  It is a precious, priceless book of prayers.  

The prayer for August 10 is written by Pastor Harvey E. Cressman of Philadelphia, PA.  "Our God and Father, we give Thee thanks, that there is One who knows us and cares, and daily calls us to higher and better things.  

We humbly confess our short-comings and pray for They forgiveness 
wherein we have hesitated in the face of duty, 
or have been half-hearted in the pursuit of our tasks, 
or wilful in our own conceits.  
We thank Thee for another day in which we may make amends for our failures and meet the responsibilities of the new hour with fresh inspiration and courage.

We pray for the blessing of Thy presence through all the tangled pathway of years to come.  

Help us to commit ourselves afresh to Thy love and leading in the home, in our business, in our church and in all those relations which involve the happiness and well being of others as well as the peace of our own hearts.  Give us the courage to take our stand on the side of integrity and justice, of mercy and sacrifice in all of the righteous struggles of our day.  

MAY WE NEVER SETTLE DOWN TO TASKS BELOW OUR BEST ABILITIES AND BE SATISFIED.  THOU HAST CALLED US TO GREATER THINGS, may we not disappoint Thee, but press toward the mark of highest calling.  We offer this petition in the Jesus' Name, Amen."

Yes, The Lord is faithful.  Tangled though our life path may be, The Lord is faithful.  Challenging as the days may become, the Lord is faithful.  The Lord is faithful.  May that be my mantra this day.  Reminding myself that I am not alone.  I am not insignificant.  I am not abandoned.  The Lord is faithful.  And that gives me reason to hope, to love, to look forward to the day with open arms and an open heart.

Blessings on all the tangles in your life.  Call upon His Name and remember, the Lord is faithful!

Vicki