"For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior." Zephaniah 3:17
NLT
Technology is great until it stops working. My mornings run on a tight schedule.
Up at 5 am, on the computer and writing by 5:15. At least, that's the way I plan
it. Recently, my computer had other plans. I didn't see the low battery warning,
so in the middle of writing a blank screen appeared. Startups with an older
operating system take time. When I restarted and opened the document, what I had
written had disappeared. Then updates began installing, and I had to restart
again. By this time, I had decided it was time to dump my favorite writing
computer. My wife happened to have a new model she rarely uses. We decided to
switch. Then came the task of saving all my documents to a thumb drive and then
transferring them to her computer. Somehow I managed to maintain a quiet spirit
through it all-a major improvement from how I would have behaved in my younger
years.
In the entire scope of worldwide things causing turmoil, a malfunctioning
computer and an interrupted morning seems insignificant-and probably is. Yet
this could have led to turmoil in my spirit. Zephaniah's time period was
tumultuous. The ancient Babylonians were bearing down on Judah. The end wouldn't
be pretty. Turmoil would reign, but he assured them God would bring quiet in the
midst of the rampage if they trusted.
Turmoil comes in various shades. I've faced it in broken relationships I thought
would never end, financial upheavals that seemed to languish eternally, and
health issues which didn't look as if they'd go away. Through them all-when I
responded with trust, God gave me peace in the midst of what could have caused
turmoil. I expect him to do the same for whatever is in my future. When I place
my source of turmoil in his hands, I acknowledge his control over the situation.
Trusting him regardless of my emotions or understanding is what leads to
quietness of spirit.
Trust what's causing you despair to God's control.
Prayer: Father, we trust You for peace when times are troubled.
Martin Wiles
Hodges,
South Carolina, USA
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