December 22 Devotion

And he said, "Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire; but Jehovah was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. --I Kings 19:11-12

O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures for ever! --Psalms 118:1

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never fail you nor forsake you." Hence we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid; what can man do to me?" --Hebrews 13:5-6


Walking Hand in Hand
This year my granddaughter learned to walk. Once she started pulling up, there was no stopping her. She began cruising around furniture, then walking while holding a hand, and the next thing we knew she was taking steps on her own. She was so proud of herself and her confidence built quickly. She wanted to walk all by herself. When I was with her, I noticed that when she came to an uneven path she would put her little hand behind her back as if to say, "I know you're there if I need you. You'll catch me if I fall."

Our relationship with God is a lot like that. We want to walk on our own; take credit for our successes. We are so proud of ourselves. In our society we love to honor a self-made man. But it's those moments when we stumble and fall that we remember God is in reach. And God is always there for us. The Psalmist tells us "his steadfast loves endures forever." Just reach out, God is there.

The image of "the still small voice" intrigues me. That deep inner whisper that says, "I'm God and I'm here." We've all heard stories of people who were in the depths when they finally cried out to God for help and felt His presence immediately. In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, especially with the extra activities associated with the Christmas season the still small voice hardly has a chance of being heard. We have to stop, center ourselves and listen. Listen. Reach out your hand. God is there.

Anita Gardner Farrell