3 Ways To Tell The Almond Story

Day 1

Read  Psalm 42
I struggle with memories.  My earliest memories of my childhood are not that early.  I really think that part of that is due to the health struggles that I had and also the tendency of being an avoidant personality.  Diving into all of that is for another time and place, I’m simply sharing with you that I don’t do as well looking back and remembering as I do living in the moment.  The Psalmists, here, is sharing their heart also.  When I read it, it feels like one of those moments when you finally realize the metaphorical distance between you and God.  I don’t think that he is trying to portray that they backslidden in their walk and that is why they are so far away, but rather, to keep the theme of the storms for the week, the winds and waves have battered so much against them that they find themselves realizing they have been distracted and moved.  Have you ever been there?  Are you there right now?

Notice what the Psalmist does here.  He remembers the days when he would lead the people into the place of God singing praises.  The image that I get in my mind here is of a big parade on a big celebration day, but going to church to praise God. It is good to have those memories, even if that may seem like a bit of an exaggeration of reality.  It is good to have them because one day, when the waves and wind are beating us up and taking us farther than we expected, the memories and the longings will draw us back to God.  

Take notice of where you are as you are reading this Psalm.  Do you long for the days of praise because you find yourself in days of struggle?  

Regardless of what your situation is this morning, how could you praise God today?

How does this become part of your prayer today?

Day 2

Read Psalm 57
Every single year that I have ever been to the Apple Festival in Delmont, it has not been good.  I remember the worst year.  Elliana was a baby and Paxton was much younger.  The rain fell on the festival right after we had waited in a really long line for our food.  Since we were in line, we also missed the preparation for the storm and therefore didn’t have a place to shelter.  We tried to shelter under the apple cider tent, but the wind was making it rain sideways and the food we were carrying was destroyed, and not eaten.  The kids were crying and the walk back to the swampy field where dozens and dozens of cars were stuck, was miserable. But when we finally got into the truck, soaked, starving, and disturbed, it was wonderful. It wasn’t ideal.  It was just wonderful, considering what we just endured.  I would have preferred to be dry, at home, and full…but it was wonderful. 

This is a Psalm of self talk from a storm.  It is a forced perspective of praise that is not about health and wealth or ideal situations, but rather it is a reminder of who God is in the middle of the storm.  It is a reminder to take cover in the good place, under His wing and remain steadfast.  Notice all of the peril around the praise language.  The language of spears, swords, devastation, storms, destruction.  Then the Psalmists counters that with praise and thanksgiving, with reminders of who God is.  That is how you weather a storm.

What are five things you are thankful for today?

What are three things about God that you could praise Him for today?

Why is it important to remember these things in the struggle?

How does today’s devotion inform your prayers?

Day 3

Read Romans 8:18-38
The depth of the bad is not near as good as the height of the good.  That is the call that movies you hope to keep going through what you are battling.  There is still hope of good, and not just any good, the best of the good.  This side of good is nowhere near as great as the good that is promised after the bad.  This good is simply a shadow of what is going to be seen and understood.  Paul is giving me a perspective for fighting through life that is a great way to frame everything.  We live in a broken world that needs fixed.  It is teetering on destruction but it is not totally gone.  

The truth is that Jesus loves us and has done the incredible work of saving us from our sins.  This gives us a hope that endures the bad.  If all else falls apart, Jesus still loves you.  It may not feel that important to realize that in this moment, but that love is a reminder that he will not let you drown or perish.  Although now may be a time of seemingly storminess, God’s love is still anchoring you, pulling you out on the other side.  There is not a struggle, fight, destruction, peril, or storm that can take you out of the love of Jesus.  So you can get through this and you can make it to the end and the end is where the best is yet to come! So don’t let this one take you out of the game and don’t think that this is the end of it all, because the end of it all is the love of Jesus which is really the beginning of the absolute best of it all!

What do you notice in these verses that help you today?

How can you share these with someone today to encourage them?
  
How does this become part of your prayer today?

Day 4

Read Acts 16:25-34
I like the progression of this chapter.  Here is the backstory: Paul and Barnabus, the dynamic duo, have some sort of something happen that makes them decide it is best to go different directions.  Paul brings along a new young man, Timothy, to assist in the ministry.  In that training time, they run into some roadblocks in the ministry that eventually leads them to Macedonia and not where they were trying to or wanted to go.  The Holy Spirit was leading them in a different direction.  Good thing they listened, because that is where they met Lydia, an influential figure in the rest of the story and she gives her heart to Jesus. Things seem to be going really smoothly and they have to be thankful for that on the way to the prayer time.  That is when they see another chance to walk out ministry and they do.  But this is not viewed as a good thing for the town and some big wallets, so they are sent to prison. What an emotional roller coaster!

Prison had to seem like the last place they needed to be in an already behind ministry adventure.  They has a choice to make: the gospel stops in prison or God still gets His glory.  Since they couldn’t do ministry or preach in their situation, they praised God.  Little did they know, that decision was being heard by prisoners and the jailer and the result was another wave of people getting saved.  The important part to see is the choice they made for the situation they were in.  I am reminded that I face that every single day.

What will you do with the way the day is today, praise God or let the struggle overcome you?

Who will be hearing your praise today if you were giving it?

What do you learn from this story?

How does this become part of your prayer today?

Day 5

Read Psalm 46
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  That is what Proverbs and Psalms teaches us in a few different places.  But the fear of the other things that can be feared is part of the dethroning of God is our hearts.  This Psalm reminds us that God is a “very present help in trouble.”  That seems like a really good thing to meditate on, because it may not always be obvious, so you need to keep going back to it and saying it.  Maybe even out loud would be good, that way you know it and you hear it. And maybe someone else hears you say it.  I wonder how many people we will run into today that just need to be reminded of that idea?

I wonder how many people need to be reminded of the works of the Lord that are proclaimed throughout the Bible today?  It will be good for those people that are running around and trying to survive it all, just to be still and be reminded of these truths.

How do you share with someone around you today, this idea?

What are some of the wondrous works of God as recorded in the Bible that you can recall right now?

Where are you experiencing fear in your life right now?

How does this become part of your prayer today?


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