“Footprints in the Sand”

Photo by Suzi Rosenberg

Day 27

I love the poem “Footprints in the Sand”.  It reminds me that Jesus not only walks with me when I need Him but at times He even carries me.  I can depend completely on Him when I feel inadequate.

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.
This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.
So I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me?”
The Lord replied,
“The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you.”
By Mary Stevenson
We all need someone to be there for us in difficult times.

I woke up to the sound of the phone ringing.  I looked at my alarm clock. Three a.m.

I heard my dad talking on the phone in serious tones. He was asking about my older brother, Ervan.  When I heard him ask, “Is he going to live?” I knew something terrible had happened to my brother.

For the next few months most of my parent’s time was given to visiting my sick brother in the hospital. When he was finally well enough to come home they were busy taking care of him. They had to prepare special meals for him, and feed him, and change his dressings among other things. In time he healed and became independent again.

While my brother was sick he depended on my parents. My parents never neglected the rest of us but like a shepherd caring for a lame lamb until he is healed they had to give him a lot of extra care. During this time I’m sure my brother developed a very close relationship with my mom and dad because they spent so much time together.

There are times in our lives too that as His child God has to carry us.  We depend on him completely.  Sometimes it’s as we go through a difficult time in our life, like a divorce or an illness, or a financial crisis.  When situations are out of our control and we feel lost He comes and walks the dark hills reaching His hands out to us and carries us back to that safe place close to Him.  He cares for us as we depend completely on Him.

A shepherd has to leave his other sheep as he looks for the lost or hurt lamb, and a parent is forced to neglect the healthy child temporarily because of  their limitations. Unlike the shepherd and our parents, God isn’t limited.  He is with us 100% of the time while He is with the extra needy 100% of the time.  He never leaves us or forsakes us.
“If a man has a hundred sheep, and one wanders away and is lost, what will he do?  Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others and go into the hills to search for the lost one?”  Matthew 18:12 [The Living Bible]

“God has said, ‘I will never, never fail you nor forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5 [The Living Bible]
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I want to walk with you spiritually this year, inviting you to read the Bible through from cover to cover; from Genesis 1 all the way to Revelation 22:21.  If that sounds too difficult for you and your kids, you can join in again after you have taken a break or join us for the days you’re up to it.  We will start on Sunday, January 18th and finish Saturday, January 16, 2010.  I promise that you will understand the Bible in a much deeper way if you read it through from cover to cover in a year’s time.

Accept my challenge to read the Bible through in one year chronologically, including the Old and the New Testament.

Day 27 Today read:
Exodus 4:1-5:21
Matthew 18:1-20
Psalm 22:19-31
Proverbs 5:15-21

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Guardian Angels

Devotionals for Kids

“For he orders his angels to protect you wherever you go.” Psalm 91: verse 11 [The Living Bible]

I have a picture of an angel in our spare bedroom where our grandchildren sleep when they come to visit. The artist depicts the angel with gold colored long hair and a long floppy white shining dress. Huge white shimmering wings loom up behind his shoulders. They remind me of eagle wings. The angel’s eyes are focused on two young children, a boy and girl, as he escorts them across a rickety bridge. The dilapidated bridge resembles a wooden sidewalk suspended in air. A board is missing just behind the children and a broken pole at its side is all there is for a railing.

Every time I look at this picture I fear for the safety of the children. Just one misstep and they would fall. Then my eyes rest on the huge all encompassing angel and I feel the children are safe

The Bible says God sends “His angels to protect you wherever you go.” Psalm 91: verse 11 [The Living Bible]

We are never to worship angels or to pray to them. They are God’s ministers to help us. We pray to God and He directs His angels to do whatever He wants them to do to help us. God wants us to worship only Him. Matthew 4:10 says to worship and serve only the Lord our God.

Memory verse for this week:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1: verse 9 [NKJV]

Going deeper for parents:

It’s great for us to appreciate angels but there are many misconceptions about these heavenly creatures. In our awe of them we have conjured up faulty theories. Where we know barely anything about them we have filled in the gaps with our earthly imagination.

People do not become angels when they die. Not even good people. Not even Christians. Angels were created by God as angels to worship Him and to be His messengers. The Bible doesn’t say exactly when He made the angels but it seems it was before He created the world. In Job 38:4 and 7 the Bible tells us that the angels witnessed the creation of the world.

Lucifer, the head of the angels, led a rebellion against God, and was thrown out of heaven with a third of the angels who sided with him. Lucifer became Satan and the angels cast out with him became demons. Isaiah 14: 12-17 refers to this time.

So people do not become angels after they die but the Bible says that after Christians enter heaven we become even greater than the angels. You see, God will give us and not the angels the right to rule over His creation. We even get to judge the angels. I believe that refers to the fallen angels. You can read about this in Hebrews 2:5 to verse 8 and 1 Corinthians 6:2 and verse 3.

We venerate angels and we should. It is no small event if God sends His angel to speak to us or to give us aid. But, we are not to worship them. God used an angel to show John the apostle what would happen in the future. John was about fall down and worship the angel. Quickly the angel told him not to but to worship only God. You can read about this in Revelation 22:9. God wants us to worship only Him. Matthew 4:10 says to worship and serve only the Lord our God.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

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