Thursday, December 07, 2017

Devotional 12-7-17

Elephants and Crickets

Please read Psalm 1:1-3 and Philippians 4:8

Have you ever had an elephant in your house? Probably not! But if you ever did, you would know exactly where it was. Have you ever had a cricket in your house? Last year I did, and I spent days searching for it. I would listen for that high-pitched chirping, and just when I thought I had found it, the chirping would stop. I spent a lot of time on this little cricket - lookng for it, listening for it. But when I stopped focusing on the cricket, one day it left my house.

At times life brings us “elephants” - the huge ordeals of death, divorce or disease. But for the most part, our days are spent with the circkets: those little things in life that seem to annoy us, stress us, dominate our thougths, and take our minds off more importnat things.

When our days seem full of cicket chatter, we can intentionally tune it out by turning to the Lord through scripture and prayer. We can thing about whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is commendable and worthy of praise. When we are listening for God’s word, we won’t be able to hear the crickets!

Prayer: Gracious God, keep our thougths on you today and how you want to use us in your world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Michael Vaught (Tennessee)
Published in the Upper Room on December 19, 2014.

Submitted by Mike Bowen.

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