Posts
Read these first installments of the ongoing 30-part devotional series Feed on His Faithfulness, based on Psalms 37, right here on Strike the Jordan!
Sunday, April 20, 2025
Feed on His Faithfulness
COOLLY CATCHING COBRAS - "Feed on His Faithfulness" Devotional #4
"Do not fret...trust in the Lord...commit your way to the Lord."
– Psalms 37:1-5 (NKJV, excerpts)
– Psalms 37:1-5 (NKJV, excerpts)
I had ... a call from a friend, Russ Weaver: "Dave, I want you to come to list my house."
This is a realtor’s dream call. But what came out of my mouth was: “Russ, you don’t want to sell your house right now.... Hang on to it. We’re in a buyer’s market right now. Besides, it’s October, and the next four months will be slow."
Two weeks later, Russ called again, “Dave, can you come over and list this house TOMORROW NIGHT AT 7:00?” Seeing his resolve, we booked the meeting.
“I’ll be prepared to discuss a detailed valuation with you,” I said.
“Don’t bother. I already know the price.”
“Oh yeah? How much?”
“$134,000.” (This was 1998, and it sounded high, but I hadn’t done the homework yet.) “Oh, and by the way, that’s not what I’m ASKING; that's how much we'll GET!”
After looking at recent sales in the area, tax records, and anything else I could think of, the highest value I could come up with was $114,000. My broker advised you don’t want to list anything above five percent over market value. This rationale got me to a list price of $119,900.
[Later,] sitting at the kitchen table, I discovered the price was non-negotiable. “But Russ, haven’t I demonstrated that the asking price should be $119,900?”
“Well, that’s what those papers say, but the Lord told me you would sell it for $134,000.”
― From When a House Buys a Person: Adventures in Real Estate, by David Herr (2021 - excerpts)
* * *
Bwa-ha-ha! So, how did that one work out!? Well ... let's leave it marinating a bit while we check in on another true-life scene, this one involving a disgraced and expatriated prince, barefoot, gazing into a brush fire in a remote desert....
So, the Lord said to [Moses], “What is that in your hand?”
He said, “A rod.”
And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” And he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand. (Exodus 4:2-4, NKJV)
I've often wondered how many times Moses' heart thumped against his rib cage before his trembling hand complied with the command to "Take it by the tail." (In case you're wondering, DON'T try this at home! The tail is ... let's just say ... not your best choice of a handle whereby to catch an ill-tempered cobra.)
This is a realtor’s dream call. But what came out of my mouth was: “Russ, you don’t want to sell your house right now.... Hang on to it. We’re in a buyer’s market right now. Besides, it’s October, and the next four months will be slow."
Two weeks later, Russ called again, “Dave, can you come over and list this house TOMORROW NIGHT AT 7:00?” Seeing his resolve, we booked the meeting.
“I’ll be prepared to discuss a detailed valuation with you,” I said.
“Don’t bother. I already know the price.”
“Oh yeah? How much?”
“$134,000.” (This was 1998, and it sounded high, but I hadn’t done the homework yet.) “Oh, and by the way, that’s not what I’m ASKING; that's how much we'll GET!”
After looking at recent sales in the area, tax records, and anything else I could think of, the highest value I could come up with was $114,000. My broker advised you don’t want to list anything above five percent over market value. This rationale got me to a list price of $119,900.
[Later,] sitting at the kitchen table, I discovered the price was non-negotiable. “But Russ, haven’t I demonstrated that the asking price should be $119,900?”
“Well, that’s what those papers say, but the Lord told me you would sell it for $134,000.”
― From When a House Buys a Person: Adventures in Real Estate, by David Herr (2021 - excerpts)
* * *
Bwa-ha-ha! So, how did that one work out!? Well ... let's leave it marinating a bit while we check in on another true-life scene, this one involving a disgraced and expatriated prince, barefoot, gazing into a brush fire in a remote desert....
So, the Lord said to [Moses], “What is that in your hand?”
He said, “A rod.”
And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” And he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand. (Exodus 4:2-4, NKJV)
I've often wondered how many times Moses' heart thumped against his rib cage before his trembling hand complied with the command to "Take it by the tail." (In case you're wondering, DON'T try this at home! The tail is ... let's just say ... not your best choice of a handle whereby to catch an ill-tempered cobra.)
But Moses obeyed, and the rest is history: he went on to repeat the miracle in front of Pharaoh, the most powerful ruler of his time. Moses' cobra coolly swallowed up all the other cobras—the ones brought forth by Pharaoh's conjurers—thereby demonstrating the omnipotence of the Great "I AM."
As we explore the wonders of Psalm 37, which is all about de-stressing our lives and "feeding on His faithfulness" (or, as Jesus later put it, "Take my yoke upon you ... and you shall find rest for your souls"), we come to the instruction in verse 5: "Commit your way to the Lord."
"My WAY? WHAT way?"
Think of the old proverb "Man proposes; God disposes." (Sure, that's not a direct quote from the Bible, but the principle is absolutely scriptural; for example, Proverbs 16:9 and 19:21.) The idea is that we are free to PENCIL IN our goals, schedules, and itineraries for life's journey, but IMMEDIATELY commit them to our loving Father, earnestly and actively seeking His divine eraser and red-ink correction pen!
Back to Moses—the mighty prince who had escaped those same Egyptian courts by the skin of his teeth forty years earlier. And his "way," his life plan, was to just keep doing what he was doing: hang out on the back side of the desert disguised as a sheepherder, raise children and grandchildren, and ABSOLUTELY NOT do anything to attract Pharaoh's attention.
But then, GOD!
As we explore the wonders of Psalm 37, which is all about de-stressing our lives and "feeding on His faithfulness" (or, as Jesus later put it, "Take my yoke upon you ... and you shall find rest for your souls"), we come to the instruction in verse 5: "Commit your way to the Lord."
"My WAY? WHAT way?"
Think of the old proverb "Man proposes; God disposes." (Sure, that's not a direct quote from the Bible, but the principle is absolutely scriptural; for example, Proverbs 16:9 and 19:21.) The idea is that we are free to PENCIL IN our goals, schedules, and itineraries for life's journey, but IMMEDIATELY commit them to our loving Father, earnestly and actively seeking His divine eraser and red-ink correction pen!
Back to Moses—the mighty prince who had escaped those same Egyptian courts by the skin of his teeth forty years earlier. And his "way," his life plan, was to just keep doing what he was doing: hang out on the back side of the desert disguised as a sheepherder, raise children and grandchildren, and ABSOLUTELY NOT do anything to attract Pharaoh's attention.
But then, GOD!
Yes, "I AM That I AM" came with His glorious eraser and red marker. And, before you know it, Moses was catching cobras by the tail. Which was practice for his showdown with Pharaoh—who fancied himself the great cobra-god-king (as evidenced by his headpiece featuring a rearing cobra).
So, then ... let's bring this in for a landing on OUR OWN runway. And here's where it gets dicey. Sure, this all sounds good on paper ... in a "Bible story." But MOSES CHEATED, right!? Think about it!... He's standing there in front of a miraculous Burning Bush, with the miraculous voice of the Great "I AM" thundering in his ears, recruiting him for a miraculous assignment, and then topping it off by ... POOF! turning Moses' walking stick into a live snake. Sure, under those circumstances, I could see myself in his shoes—ahem! that's right ... skip the shoes—plucking up the nerve to catch that critter by the tail. Wouldn't YOU, given all those props to boost YOUR faith?
But my own day-to-day experiences? Not always so overtly miraculous. I can identify more with Dave, the guy in our lead story. I'm the real estate agent that's got it all figured out. I know my profession. I know the housing market. I know the rotten state of the economy. I just ... KNOW!
But then, GOD. Hallelujah!
You can read the full details and the amazing ending in David Herr's book. Which is packed with many such stories chronicling his journey of faith—learning step-by-step to expect God to show up and do amazing things ... even in a field as mundane as real estate! It's just what happens, in any walk of life, when you "commit your way to the Lord." In a nutshell—spoiler alert—Dave (or GOD, actually!) DID sell Russ's house for EXACTLY $134,000, and it sold to a down-and-out couple who desperately needed a touch of God in their lives. Which came to them through the purchase of the house. And that's not all! Russ again heard from God to gift BACK to that couple $25,000+ of the purchase price in the form of a check. And that check was EXACTLY the amount the couple needed at EXACTLY the right moment to resolve a crisis and turn their lives around.
See, Russ was probably a step or two ahead of Dave on his learning journey. Learning to stop stressing. To, instead, pencil in your plans and "commit [them] to the Lord" for his glorious editing, following His instructions even when they sound "crazy."
Someone once asked Smith Wigglesworth, who is remembered as the "apostle of faith"—a man of great signs and wonders—"How can I achieve such faith as yours?"
Wigglesworth's response is often quoted, for its stunning simplicity: “How can one come to possess great faith? Now listen, here is the answer to that: First, the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. Faith must grow by soil, moisture, and exercise.”
Remember the shepherd boy David? He didn't start his career on the battlefield with Goliath. As he explained to King Saul, it started small. It started with learning to bravely trust God against wild animals that attacked his sheep. Then larger wild animals. Then, ultimately, the giant who defied God's own sheep—the Israelites.
So, how do I put this into practice? How do I bridge the gap from stressing over my plans, my future, what I believe God is asking me to do, versus what my senses tell me is doable? How do I get used to obeying what I THINK God is asking me to do, when it just SOUNDS CRAZY? In other words, how do I advance from where I am now in my spiritual journey to ... coolly catching cobras on command??
So, then ... let's bring this in for a landing on OUR OWN runway. And here's where it gets dicey. Sure, this all sounds good on paper ... in a "Bible story." But MOSES CHEATED, right!? Think about it!... He's standing there in front of a miraculous Burning Bush, with the miraculous voice of the Great "I AM" thundering in his ears, recruiting him for a miraculous assignment, and then topping it off by ... POOF! turning Moses' walking stick into a live snake. Sure, under those circumstances, I could see myself in his shoes—ahem! that's right ... skip the shoes—plucking up the nerve to catch that critter by the tail. Wouldn't YOU, given all those props to boost YOUR faith?
But my own day-to-day experiences? Not always so overtly miraculous. I can identify more with Dave, the guy in our lead story. I'm the real estate agent that's got it all figured out. I know my profession. I know the housing market. I know the rotten state of the economy. I just ... KNOW!
But then, GOD. Hallelujah!
You can read the full details and the amazing ending in David Herr's book. Which is packed with many such stories chronicling his journey of faith—learning step-by-step to expect God to show up and do amazing things ... even in a field as mundane as real estate! It's just what happens, in any walk of life, when you "commit your way to the Lord." In a nutshell—spoiler alert—Dave (or GOD, actually!) DID sell Russ's house for EXACTLY $134,000, and it sold to a down-and-out couple who desperately needed a touch of God in their lives. Which came to them through the purchase of the house. And that's not all! Russ again heard from God to gift BACK to that couple $25,000+ of the purchase price in the form of a check. And that check was EXACTLY the amount the couple needed at EXACTLY the right moment to resolve a crisis and turn their lives around.
See, Russ was probably a step or two ahead of Dave on his learning journey. Learning to stop stressing. To, instead, pencil in your plans and "commit [them] to the Lord" for his glorious editing, following His instructions even when they sound "crazy."
Someone once asked Smith Wigglesworth, who is remembered as the "apostle of faith"—a man of great signs and wonders—"How can I achieve such faith as yours?"
Wigglesworth's response is often quoted, for its stunning simplicity: “How can one come to possess great faith? Now listen, here is the answer to that: First, the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. Faith must grow by soil, moisture, and exercise.”
Remember the shepherd boy David? He didn't start his career on the battlefield with Goliath. As he explained to King Saul, it started small. It started with learning to bravely trust God against wild animals that attacked his sheep. Then larger wild animals. Then, ultimately, the giant who defied God's own sheep—the Israelites.
So, how do I put this into practice? How do I bridge the gap from stressing over my plans, my future, what I believe God is asking me to do, versus what my senses tell me is doable? How do I get used to obeying what I THINK God is asking me to do, when it just SOUNDS CRAZY? In other words, how do I advance from where I am now in my spiritual journey to ... coolly catching cobras on command??
Why not pray ...
"Dear Father,
You command my trust. That I de-stress and "commit my ways" to You. That I ultimately catch cobras by the tail and do other things that don't seem to make any sense, but that You have prompted me to do. Which means they would lead to the perfect and beautiful outcome You have planned ... if only I would obey. Please give me the grace to start small, but START. Maybe practice doing one "crazy" thing each day at Your Spirit's prompting. First the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. I choose to start TODAY. I choose to commit my ways to You. Show me today's cobra—a LITTLE one, please!—and, by Your grace, I'll be catching the "big boys" soon enough.
In Jesus' name. Amen."
---
Originally published as a “Bradstix” devotional on the National Minute of Prayer Facebook page 4/20/2025.
Copyright © Brad Fenichel 2025 All Rights Reserved
Monday, April 7, 2025
SLUGGARDS COME IN VANILLA, CHOCOLATE, AND STRAWBERRY - "Feed on His Faithfulness" Devotional #3
"Do not fret ... Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart."
– Psalms 37:1,4 (NKJV, excerpts)
"A few treats!? The Captain wasn't kidding!" says young Kris Atwood, as he crests a strenuous mountain climb and encounters a rest area piled high with sweets and goodies. "Ohhhhh! Mmmmmmmm!! Wow! Let's see... [munch ... slurp] Ohhhhhh, wow!"
Here he's startled, his feasting interrupted by three heavy-eyed Sluggards in Neapolitan colors, who spend their lives at this very spot doing nothing but napping and devouring treats.
"Sit dowwwwwnnnnn. Enjoy the feasssssssttttt [sllllurrrrrrp!]," says Vanilla Sluggard.
"Rest uuuuuuuuuup a biiiiiiiiit," says Chocolate Sluggard.
"Caaaaaan't," says Kris, becoming more drowsy by the moment under the Sluggards' spell. "Gotta get to the Gaaaaaaates of Wizzzzzdommmmmmmmmmm."
"Noooooo hurry, dahhhhhhhhhhhling!" says Strawberry Sluggard, "reeeeeeeeeeeelaxxxxxxxxxx!"
"Resssssssssst. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeat!" says Vanilla Sluggard, dragging Kris by the foot with a candy cane toward another pile of sweets.
"Sluggards!! Captain said to watch out for sluggards!" says Kris, as he springs to life and takes off running down the Path of Righteousness, continuing his trek to Mount Wizzdom.
"Got away!" the Sluggards whimper, as they give up and return to their idleness.
–Scene from the stop-action claymation movie Hoomania (Adelphi Productions / Gospel Films, 1985)
* * *
Our protagonist in this vintage kids' flick [Hint: YouTube!] is Kristopher "Kris" Atwood, who is magically transformed into a pawn in a board game based on the Book of Proverbs, where he is schooled in the Ways of Wisdom. As he enters the game, the "Captain" explains the object of the game (which is to reach the Gates of Mount Wizzdom) and reads him the rules—including: beware of Sluggards, don't draw a Dodo Card, and you're allowed to sample some treats that you'll encounter along the way.
Continuing our journey through Psalm 37—the chapter on de-stressing our lives and feeding on His faithfulness—let's ponder what may be the number-one stressor we all hate to admit to: "If I take His yoke upon me ... I'LL NEVER AGAIN BE ALLOWED TO ENJOY THE GOOD THINGS OF LIFE!"
See, we imagine God to be like the von Trapp father character in The Sound of Music—all about work, and study, and ... oh, horrors! ... certainly NO relaxation or enjoyment! And yet, our Lord front-loads this point at the top of the Psalm. Right after the preamble about "do not fret" and "feed on His faithfulness," He drops into the laundry list of stressors and how to combat them. And in His divine wisdom, He starts right out of the gate with Number One: "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart."
Are we saying that God's antidote to stress is that He wants us fat and happy? Certainly not! If that were the case, then the Apostle Paul seems to have missed the memo. See I Corinthians chapter 4: "hungry and thirsty ... beaten and homeless ... reviled and defamed" ... oh, my! In this world we will have tribulation, and being ambassadors of Christ naturally comes with adversity.
And yet, here's where we circle back to Matthew 11:28-30, because HIS YOKE IS EASY. Just as our Lord endured the cross because of "the joy that was set before Him," He empowers us to find great JOY in the journey. He DE-STRESSES the tribulation and adversity, balancing it with His provision of every good thing in Christ Jesus.
How, then, do we achieve that delicate balance? It's simple, as with all facets of Psalm 37. We start in verse 3 by trusting (in the Lord), doing (good), and dwelling (in the land--where we feed on His faithfulness). In other words, STOP the fretting! Yield up your neck to His yoke; He does the rest ... and GIVES us rest.
- In the Old Testament, God balanced the duty of bringing sacrifices to the temple—heave offerings and wave offerings—with the joy of feasting on those sacrifices ... "whatever your heart desires" (Deuteronomy 14:26).
- As the people experienced great revival, with tears of repentance, Nehemiah encouraged them to "go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10, NIV)
- When the prodigal's brother complained that his father had never given him "a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends," did the father admonish him about the evils of feasting? On the contrary, dad responded, "You don't get it! All I have is yours!"
Ah ... and here's where we begin to find our Heavenly Father's heart revealed in the words of Jesus! See, when we grasp the fact that we're true sons and daughters of the Almighty, that all He has is ours, that we can offer our neck to His yoke without fear—to work HIS field, to be about HIS business, to seek first HIS kingdom and righteousness in the earth, to be servant-ambassadors of Heaven rather than living for ourselves, and to DELIGHT ourselves in the Lord and in His yoke—well, NOW we experience the fulfillment of the desires of our heart ... which just might be the desires of HIS heart birthed in us more and more each day, hallelujah!
"But," you might ask, "exactly WHEN should I expect to see the desires of my heart fulfilled?"
Remember the rules of the game. As the Hoomania "Captain" said, you will encounter "treats along the way." Sometimes it will be after a grueling uphill battle, or simply when you least expect it. But with your neck in the yoke, you will surely find goodness, mercy, and rest for your soul—His "peace that passes all understanding."
Why not pray ...
"Dear Father,
Forgive me for secretly being a Sluggard—prioritizing the "few treats along the way," such as comfort, entertainment, and relaxation—to the exclusion of serving in Your yoke. Help me de-stress at the thought of missing out on the "good things of life" and instead "trust, do, and dwell" in Your faithfulness, seeking Your kingdom first, and thereby finding Your promised provision and REST.
In Jesus' name. Amen."
---
Originally published as a “Bradstix” devotional on the National Minute of Prayer Facebook page 4/6/2025.
Copyright © Brad Fenichel 2025 All Rights Reserved
Sunday, February 9, 2025
A ROACH OR TWO - "Feed on His Faithfulness" Devotional #2
"Do not fret...trust in the Lord...and feed on His faithfulness. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday."
– Psalms 37:1-6 (NKJV, excerpts)
– Psalms 37:1-6 (NKJV, excerpts)
In the middle of the dais was a great gilded chair. Upon it sat a man so bent with age that he seemed almost a dwarf; but his white hair was long and thick and fell in great braids from beneath a thin golden circlet set on his brow.... His beard was laid like snow upon his knees; but his eyes still burned with a bright light glinting as he gazed at the strangers.
At length Gandalf spoke. "Hail, Théoden son of Thengel! I have returned."
The old man rose to his feet, leaning heavily on a short black staff ... "I greet you ..." he said, "but truth to tell your welcome is doubtful here, Master Gandalf. You have ever been a herald of woe.... Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow? Tell me that." Slowly he sat down again in his chair.
"You speak justly, lord," said a pale man sitting upon the steps of the dais. "Even now we learn from Gondor that the Dark Lord is stirring in the East. Such is the hour in which this wanderer chooses to return. Why indeed should we welcome you, Master Stormcrow? Láthspell I name you—Ill-News..." He laughed grimly, as he lifted his heavy lids for a moment and gazed on the strangers with dark eyes.
Then suddenly [Gandalf] changed. Casting his tattered cloak aside ... he spoke in a clear cold voice.... "Grima son of Gálmod, a witless worm you have become. Therefore be silent, and keep your forked tongue between your teeth.
He raised his staff. There was a roll of thunder ... the fire faded to sullen embers. There was a flash as if lightning had cloven the roof. Then all was silent. [Grima] Wormtongue sprawled on his face.
"Now Théoden son of Thengel, will you hearken to me?" said Gandalf. "Do you ask for help?" He lifted his staff and pointed to a high window. There the darkness seemed to clear, and through the opening could be seen, high and far, a patch of shining sky. "Not all is dark. Take courage, Lord of the Mark.... I bid you come out before your doors and look abroad. Too long have you sat in shadows and trusted to twisted tales and crooked promptings."
Slowly Théoden left his chair. A faint light grew in the hall again.... With faltering steps the old man came down from the dais and paced softly through the hall. Wormtongue remained lying on the floor.... The doors rolled back and a keen air came whistling in.
"Now, lord," said Gandalf, "look out upon your land! Breathe the free air again!"
"It is not so dark here," said Théoden."
"No," said Gandalf, "Nor does age lie so heavily on your shoulders as some would have you think. Cast aside your prop!"
"Dark have been my dreams of late," [Théoden] said, "but I feel as one new-awakened."
― From The Two Towers (1954) Chapter VI (excerpts), by J.R.R. Tolkien
* * *
A wise old preacher once said, "We never grasp just how far Man has fallen till we start the journey back."
At length Gandalf spoke. "Hail, Théoden son of Thengel! I have returned."
The old man rose to his feet, leaning heavily on a short black staff ... "I greet you ..." he said, "but truth to tell your welcome is doubtful here, Master Gandalf. You have ever been a herald of woe.... Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow? Tell me that." Slowly he sat down again in his chair.
"You speak justly, lord," said a pale man sitting upon the steps of the dais. "Even now we learn from Gondor that the Dark Lord is stirring in the East. Such is the hour in which this wanderer chooses to return. Why indeed should we welcome you, Master Stormcrow? Láthspell I name you—Ill-News..." He laughed grimly, as he lifted his heavy lids for a moment and gazed on the strangers with dark eyes.
Then suddenly [Gandalf] changed. Casting his tattered cloak aside ... he spoke in a clear cold voice.... "Grima son of Gálmod, a witless worm you have become. Therefore be silent, and keep your forked tongue between your teeth.
He raised his staff. There was a roll of thunder ... the fire faded to sullen embers. There was a flash as if lightning had cloven the roof. Then all was silent. [Grima] Wormtongue sprawled on his face.
"Now Théoden son of Thengel, will you hearken to me?" said Gandalf. "Do you ask for help?" He lifted his staff and pointed to a high window. There the darkness seemed to clear, and through the opening could be seen, high and far, a patch of shining sky. "Not all is dark. Take courage, Lord of the Mark.... I bid you come out before your doors and look abroad. Too long have you sat in shadows and trusted to twisted tales and crooked promptings."
Slowly Théoden left his chair. A faint light grew in the hall again.... With faltering steps the old man came down from the dais and paced softly through the hall. Wormtongue remained lying on the floor.... The doors rolled back and a keen air came whistling in.
"Now, lord," said Gandalf, "look out upon your land! Breathe the free air again!"
"It is not so dark here," said Théoden."
"No," said Gandalf, "Nor does age lie so heavily on your shoulders as some would have you think. Cast aside your prop!"
"Dark have been my dreams of late," [Théoden] said, "but I feel as one new-awakened."
― From The Two Towers (1954) Chapter VI (excerpts), by J.R.R. Tolkien
* * *
A wise old preacher once said, "We never grasp just how far Man has fallen till we start the journey back."
So, as we begin this devotional ascent from the pits of endless stress into the glorious freedom of peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, it is essential that we understand what brought on the stress in the first place and how to avoid sliding right back into that gloomy place so we have to repeat the journey over and over again.
When Adam and Eve had their Great Fall, they—and all of us with them—tumbled into a chasm of Sin so unfathomably deep and hopeless that only our Lord Jesus could lift us out. His nail-scarred hands "brought us out of darkness into His marvelous light," hallelujah! (I Peter 2:9) If we've put our trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins and made a commitment to follow Him, then we are SAVED. No question about it.
And yet, bringing us out of Sin and darkness does not altogether get the darkness OUT OF US. It's a process—a "journey back." In Paul's words, "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6) Praise God, He WILL complete it because He is FAITHFUL. He will keep peeling off layers of our dark, sinful nature on a daily basis until the day we stand before Him. Let us then be educated from the pages of Scripture about the journey, feed on His faithfulness—that is, trust Him to get us there—and keep walking "in the light as He is in the light" to experience His cleansing grace every step of the way. (I John 1:7)
Back to King Théoden. When he rose from his throne in the presence of Gandalf and his companions, Tolkien tells us, "The strangers saw that, bent though he was, he was still tall and must in youth have been high and proud indeed." Yet, here he stood, a miserable shell of a man, tormented with dark dreams and crushed by despair. As we learn from the narrative, this was all due to Théoden's choice of a counselor, Grima Wormtongue, who drained the king of all hope and replaced it with melancholy, dysphoria, despair, and (very nearly) death.
When I was six, my father was a pastor and missionary, and our family spent a year or two traversing the U.S. "Bible Belt" states visiting dozens of churches. Those dear people, who were hospitable to a fault, would often lodge us in a "parsonage"—typically a small building detached from the church, which stood unoccupied except for rare occasions when someone like us needed a place to stay. You would expect such lodgings to be musty and need a bit of airing out. But the real fun was always after sundown. That's when you'd walk into the kitchen and flip on the light. Sure enough, fifty or more cockroaches, of all sizes and breeds, would simultaneously emit a startled little shriek and vanish into the nearest crevice in the floor or baseboard. (OK, I may have just imagined the shriek.)
Obviously, there don't nobody invite roaches into their home! But in southern latitudes, if your home is devoid of light and life for any length of time, one or two of these critters is sure to find a way in. They consume any bits of food you may have around, raise a family, and generally pollute the place with their unholy conduct.
Our spiritual house is no different. "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (I Corinthians 3:16) But, when we neglect to "walk in the light as He is in the light," we evict the Holy Spirit from certain rooms of our temple—telling Him, "Sorry, this one's off limits. I can manage this part of my life quite nicely, thank You!" And what follows should come as no surprise. Grima Wormtongue and his tribe of roaches show up in that dark place. They eat away at our faith and replace it with fearful thoughts, dark dreams, stress, fear, anxiety, and DESPAIR.
John 3:19-21 tells us, "...Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
See, when it comes to mapping and navigating life's journey, if it's not "done in God," then it's self-reliance. Self-reliance begets poor choices. Which beget wickedness. Which begets self-absorption and bondage to vice. Which begets fretting, faithlessness, stress, worry, and ultimately DESPAIR.
But when we ask the Holy Spirit, "Please, throw open every sealed room in this temple and flood it with Your holy presence and light!" the result is that we walk in His light and our deeds are "done in God." And God-reliance ("feeding on His faithfulness") begets wise choices. Which begets righteousness. Which leads to Christ-centeredness and a desire to serve the God we love. Which begets peace, faith, trust, and ultimately RADIANT JOY!
"But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. I will praise You forever, because You have done it; and in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good." (Psalms 52:8-9)
"Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy..." (Isaiah 60:1-3,5a)
When Gandalf arrived in Théoden's palace (though unwelcome at first due to the "roaches"), he brought light that dissipated all stress and despair, replacing it with hope and RADIANT JOY.
Let us intentionally carve out time on a weekly—if possible, a DAILY—basis to spend in His presence soaking in the light of His Word, in prayer, and listening for His still, small voice to guide and inform our journey. Because only in His presence do we find the "path of life," which leads to "fulness of joy." (Psalms 16:11)
Why not pray ...
"Dear Father,
Forgive me for entertaining roaches unawares in the temple of my spirit—resulting in perpetual stress and unholy fear. Please throw open every room, fill it with Your presence. May Your 'glory be seen upon' me. May Your Holy Spirit 'bring forth [my] righteousness as the light, and justice as the noonday. (Psalms 37:6)' Help me journey back—from fear, to faith, to radiant joy in Jesus Christ my Lord and King.
In Jesus' name. Amen."
---
Originally published as a “Bradstix” devotional on the National Minute of Prayer Facebook page 2/9/2025.
Copyright © Brad Fenichel 2025 All Rights Reserved
Sunday, January 26, 2025
ARE WE GOING UP ... OR SEIZING UP? - "Feed on His Faithfulness" Devotional #1
"DO NOT FRET..."
– Psalms 37:1a (NKJV)
– Psalms 37:1a (NKJV)
---
Towns had put the cartridges back into the Coffman starter, trying ... to work up some faith in the machine before morning. These cartridges at least were real; they would turn the engine, and the engine would run. Maybe at full revs the big Thorne and Crossley prop would somehow manage to drag the whole heap of junk across the sand on its skids until they ran into a water point.
He’d asked Stringer, “Why do we have to risk getting airborne? We could just taxi out, all the way.”
“I don’t think you mean it seriously, Mr. Towns. I should remind you that the coolant system is designed to operate chiefly at cruising airspeed, therefore the engine would overheat and seize up within ten miles or so, leaving us a hundred and fifty miles short of the nearest oasis. Also the skids wouldn’t stand up to the continuous shock; I have designed them to withstand one take-off and one landing, and their calculated life is approximately one minute.... This airplane has been designed to fly, Mr. Towns. It isn’t a toy to be wound up and sent along the floor.”
Who are these people? Why are they (apparently) stranded in a great desert with a junked airplane? Will they ever reach a “water point” alive?
Sorry, no spoilers! Read The Flight of the Phoenix, by Elleston Trevor, 1964. (No—not the movie! The book!)
But, the point is that Frank Towns—former pilot of what's now the “heap of junk”—seems to have momentarily forgotten the key difference between a dune buggy and an airplane: that the latter is designed for three-dimensional travel. (Translation: flight!) It simply cannot “taxi out” for any significant distance without self-destructing. It must go up! It was created to go up.
You may have guessed by now that this post isn’t all about aeronautics. So, then… As a disciple of Jesus, there is nothing more vital for me than to hear from the Master. I need His guidance with day-to-day decisions, and I need a revelation of the unique plans and roles, the unique mission, that He has for me. And, most importantly, I need the wherewithal to get it all DONE.
But all too often, I bounce along the desert floor with only a vague sense of His will, striving to get it all done in my own power, and blundering into every dune and sandstorm along the way. I must go up! I was created for three-dimensional travel. And yet ... days turn into weeks, weeks into years, and altitude is still zero. Just when I think I’m on the verge of accomplishing something meaningful for God ... oo-pphhhhh! Another mouthful of sand! Failure. Stress. Anger. I’m seizing up!
At the time of this devotional post, we're about four weeks into January. Most of our New Year's resolutions have seized up, and we're sitting 150 miles short of the nearest water point, right? Well, David, the “man after God’s own heart,” knew something about connecting with the purposes of God and GETTING THINGS DONE. His Psalm 37 is a precious and timeless message on the principles of "WAIT ON THE LORD," "do not fret" (in our modern vernacular: "DON'T STRESS OUT"), and "TRUST GOD TO CARRY YOU THROUGH."
In fact, these aren't just "oh, by-the-way" suggestions. On the contrary, they are bedrock eternal truths that ring out again and again across the pages of Scripture.
- Isaiah 40:31 tells us that if we WAIT ON THE LORD, He enables us to soar like an eagle, run without fatigue, and walk without tiring. All of which speaks of a supernatural suspension of forces in the spiritual realm analogous to the physical law of GRAVITY.
- Matthew 11:28-30 is our Lord Christ's command to all who are weary and HEAVY-laden (STRESSED OUT) to come to Him for rest. He invites us to yield our neck to be hitched into His yoke--His purposes, His WORKLOAD--which at first seems counterintuitive. But it comes with a solemn promise that we'll find it surprisingly EASY and LIGHT! Yet another suspension of the GRAVITY principle through the power of Him who works in and through us to will and to DO His good purposes.
Dear Christian, we ignore these powerful principles--which span both Old and New Testaments--to our own detriment. New Year's resolutions ... any-time-of-year resolutions, for that matter ... even if they are sincerely based on what we understand as God's will for our lives, lead only to fretting, stress, burn-out, and SEIZING UP.
He’d asked Stringer, “Why do we have to risk getting airborne? We could just taxi out, all the way.”
“I don’t think you mean it seriously, Mr. Towns. I should remind you that the coolant system is designed to operate chiefly at cruising airspeed, therefore the engine would overheat and seize up within ten miles or so, leaving us a hundred and fifty miles short of the nearest oasis. Also the skids wouldn’t stand up to the continuous shock; I have designed them to withstand one take-off and one landing, and their calculated life is approximately one minute.... This airplane has been designed to fly, Mr. Towns. It isn’t a toy to be wound up and sent along the floor.”
---
Who are these people? Why are they (apparently) stranded in a great desert with a junked airplane? Will they ever reach a “water point” alive?
Sorry, no spoilers! Read The Flight of the Phoenix, by Elleston Trevor, 1964. (No—not the movie! The book!)
But, the point is that Frank Towns—former pilot of what's now the “heap of junk”—seems to have momentarily forgotten the key difference between a dune buggy and an airplane: that the latter is designed for three-dimensional travel. (Translation: flight!) It simply cannot “taxi out” for any significant distance without self-destructing. It must go up! It was created to go up.
You may have guessed by now that this post isn’t all about aeronautics. So, then… As a disciple of Jesus, there is nothing more vital for me than to hear from the Master. I need His guidance with day-to-day decisions, and I need a revelation of the unique plans and roles, the unique mission, that He has for me. And, most importantly, I need the wherewithal to get it all DONE.
But all too often, I bounce along the desert floor with only a vague sense of His will, striving to get it all done in my own power, and blundering into every dune and sandstorm along the way. I must go up! I was created for three-dimensional travel. And yet ... days turn into weeks, weeks into years, and altitude is still zero. Just when I think I’m on the verge of accomplishing something meaningful for God ... oo-pphhhhh! Another mouthful of sand! Failure. Stress. Anger. I’m seizing up!
At the time of this devotional post, we're about four weeks into January. Most of our New Year's resolutions have seized up, and we're sitting 150 miles short of the nearest water point, right? Well, David, the “man after God’s own heart,” knew something about connecting with the purposes of God and GETTING THINGS DONE. His Psalm 37 is a precious and timeless message on the principles of "WAIT ON THE LORD," "do not fret" (in our modern vernacular: "DON'T STRESS OUT"), and "TRUST GOD TO CARRY YOU THROUGH."
In fact, these aren't just "oh, by-the-way" suggestions. On the contrary, they are bedrock eternal truths that ring out again and again across the pages of Scripture.
- Isaiah 40:31 tells us that if we WAIT ON THE LORD, He enables us to soar like an eagle, run without fatigue, and walk without tiring. All of which speaks of a supernatural suspension of forces in the spiritual realm analogous to the physical law of GRAVITY.
- Matthew 11:28-30 is our Lord Christ's command to all who are weary and HEAVY-laden (STRESSED OUT) to come to Him for rest. He invites us to yield our neck to be hitched into His yoke--His purposes, His WORKLOAD--which at first seems counterintuitive. But it comes with a solemn promise that we'll find it surprisingly EASY and LIGHT! Yet another suspension of the GRAVITY principle through the power of Him who works in and through us to will and to DO His good purposes.
Dear Christian, we ignore these powerful principles--which span both Old and New Testaments--to our own detriment. New Year's resolutions ... any-time-of-year resolutions, for that matter ... even if they are sincerely based on what we understand as God's will for our lives, lead only to fretting, stress, burn-out, and SEIZING UP.
But when we release ourselves from the expectation of accomplishing one iota of His will in our own power, when we instead let Him hitch us up alongside Him in His yoke, that is when all the forces of spiritual GRAVITY are nullified because He is the one doing the work--alongside us and THROUGH us.
This is the first in a series of 30 posts, entitled "Feed on His Faithfulness," where we will explore the exciting promises of Psalm 37 and related Scriptures. We'll find PRACTICAL steps to DE-STRESS our Christian lives and rediscover the JOY of the journey, as we wait on the Lord and grow our trust (faith) in Him to carry us through--in HIS time, in HIS way, and for HIS glory, hallelujah!
This is the first in a series of 30 posts, entitled "Feed on His Faithfulness," where we will explore the exciting promises of Psalm 37 and related Scriptures. We'll find PRACTICAL steps to DE-STRESS our Christian lives and rediscover the JOY of the journey, as we wait on the Lord and grow our trust (faith) in Him to carry us through--in HIS time, in HIS way, and for HIS glory, hallelujah!
Why not pray ...
"Dear Father,
Forgive me for the besetting sins of fretting, stressing, and burning out. Remind me each time I'm tempted to "taxi out all the way" that You designed me instead to GO UP. That I MUST go up or seize up! Help me break the cycle. Hitch me to Your yoke, that I may find rest for my soul in You, and You alone.
In Jesus' name. Amen."
---
Originally published as a “Bradstix” devotional on the National Minute of Prayer Facebook page 1/26/2025.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)