We Can Expect a Complete Recovery

April 2

I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has

passed.

Psalm 57:1

A sickening snap could be heard above the noise in the crowded gymnasium.

Amy grabbed her leg, severe pain evident on her face. The conspicuous bulge

below her right knee gave mute testimony that the leg was badly broken. 

While teammates and coach watched from a few feet away, team trainers tended to the injured girl. Mom and Dad had been courtside and now hurried to Amy’s

side. 

EMTs took her vitals, stabilized the leg in a temporary air splint, and

loaded Amy into a waiting ambulance to the crowd’s empathetic applause.

Amy was transported to the local hospital where surgery was required

to mend the break. 

After removing tiny bone splinters, they reset the break by realigning the jagged edges and placing surgical screws through the bone.

They finished by placing the leg in a cast. There had been no complications; the

break would heal just fine. Amy would be on crutches for eight weeks and then

placed in a walking cast. They could expect a complete recovery.

h

We would never leave a broken leg unattended. Yet there are those who, for one

reason or another, fail or refuse to admit to their broken spirit. It is God’s desire

that we bring Him our brokenness.

When spiritual breakage occurs, it leaves jagged edges that rub together,

causing scar tissue to form. Left unattended, our spirits cannot heal correctly.

We live in turmoil, never finding the joy or peace promised us and possibly

never realizing our full spiritual potential.

We live from our hearts; they must be safeguarded! When David was hurt-

ing, he took refuge in the shadow of God’s wing, allowing the threat to pass.

In the same way Amy’s broken bone was realigned, our broken spirit must

also be brought into a position that will promote healing. We must seek refuge

in Jesus Christ. The wound must be stabilized and given time to heal so it can

bear weight again. Jesus says if we come to Him, we can expect a complete

recovery.

Prayer

“I don’t admit to this kind of pain easily, Lord. I don’t want

people to know I am wounded. Help me put aside my foolish

pride and begin the healing. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Stick Close Now

April 1

There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24

Mason and his men scanned the jungle with practiced eyes. 

His platoon had

come under heavy fire west of Dalat, South Vietnam. They were just twenty

clicks north of Ho Chi Minh City. Everyone’s safety depended on trusting

your life to the man on either side of you. 

Looking at Sgt. Bowman, Mason gave him a one arm up, hand in front of the face, two fingers pointing to his eyes, then extending them toward the jungle in a flat, arching motion, ending with a closed fist. They would hold here until the scout returned. 

Bowman moved closer to Mason. “Whaddya think, L.T.? Seems too quiet.” Bowman barely heard the lieutenant’s reply. “We hold tight for now. Majors’ll be back soon. Stick close now. I want everybody close enough for visuals. No matter

what you see or hear—nobody moves until I give the order. Pass it on.”

Majors returned two hours later. The VC had pulled out. There’d been seven of them, and he’d found indentations from the bipods of two fifty-caliber machine guns. Mason signaled the men to gather. “Okay, small fires for coffee and beans. Put ’em out and get some rest. Mitchell and Byrnes, you have first watch.”

h

There is a bond of trust in the military that transcends almost all others. To

share your life with family brings closeness; to have shared the fight for life and

for the freedom of others brings inseparable devotion. 

As close as those bonds are, there is one closer: an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. And the reason it is the closest bond of all is due to His unyielding faithfulness to us. 

Our undying love will, at times, fail us and others. We are well-meaning people, yet

fallible. Jesus, however, will never fail us. His love is unconditional; His mercy

freely given; His grace goes as deep as necessary. He is constantly seeking to

bring us under His protection. And in Him, we truly find a friend Who does

stick closer than a brother.

Prayer

“I am weak, Lord Jesus. And so thankful that You are

not. Draw me into the deepest part of Your love and

protection. Stick close to me now, Lord. Amen.”

 Left at the IGA

March 31

Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does

he not leave the ninety-nine … and go after the lost sheep until he

finds it?

Luke 15:4

They were headed for the nursing home to visit Gramma. Sally, one of five girls,

was asleep in the back seat when Momma stopped at the IGA. Living twenty-

plus miles from the grocery store meant taking the opportunity to shop when

it presented itself.

Awakening, Sally found the car empty. Getting out of the car, Sally entered

the store undetected. Drawn to the shiny aluminum strip along the display

cases in the cold-food section, Sally momentarily forgot her objective. The cool,

variegated silver bar (at just the right level for a four-year-old) called to her,

inviting her to run her fingernails against its irregular surface. Sally giggled as

she ran to the meat case at the back of the store. From one end of the store to

the other she went, fingernails gliding over the shiny, diamond-plated surface.

It tickled her fingers!

As she turned to make her next pass, she could see up the long aisle and

out the doors at the front of the store. She froze! Momma’s car was mov-

ing! She was being left behind! She ran for the front of the store screaming,

“Momma!” As she reached the doors, she was gently scooped off her little

feet by a kindly woman. Comforting Sally and holding her close, she tenderly

whispered, “Momma will be back, hon. Don’t you worry.” She knew the young

mother would return. And sure enough, ten minutes later, through bullet-sized

tears, Sally saw her Momma jump from her car, running, arms extended toward

her.

h

Everything changed when Momma realized her child was nowhere to be

found. Her purpose shifted from a visit to Gramma to a mission of finding

her lost child.

Jesus feels the same way about those who have strayed from the flock. He

will not rest until they are safe in the fold. Like Sally, we can become side-

tracked by the things of this world. And like the kindly woman, Jesus will send

one of His own to comfort and embrace the lost child until, through the tears,

he sees Him coming.

Prayer

“Thank You, Jesus, for always looking

for us when we’re lost. Amen.”

 He Knows My Name!

March 30

The Lord knows those who are his …

2Timothy 2:19

Ricky was on his way to his in-laws to pick up his wife. It was a warm spring

day so he drove with the car windows down. As he passed by his Amish neigh-

bor’s farm he was surprised to hear one of the boys holler, “Hi Ricky!” I had no

idea any of these kids knew my name! 

He waved and hollered, “Hi Guys!” to the passel of kids, and thought back to a day almost two months ago, when he and his wife had stopped by to introduce themselves to their new neighbors.

Ricky had to admit he was a bit chagrined that he couldn’t remember the

name of the boy who’d just called his; it was kind of disconcerting … and hum-

bling. Yet there was another sensation, one deeper and more meaningful, which

surfaced and remained: It felt wonderfully validating for someone to know and call

him by name! It was as if the young boy had pronounced a blessing over him by

speaking his name in the presence of his brothers and sisters. He was saying,

“I know you, Ricky Miller. You matter enough to me to have remembered your

name from that first day you stopped at my house.” 

It was then Ricky remembered the boy had been standing beside his father when he’d introduced himself. Abe! That’s his name! Ricky made a mental note to return the blessing … as well as learn the names of all ten of Abe’s siblings.

h

To be hailed in this manner is akin to being handed a glass of ice-water on a

hot summer’s day when you’ve been working all day in the hot sun. Its wel-

comed coolness penetrates every part of your being, bringing pleasant relief;

and this from a mere acquaintance.

Jesus is more than ‘acquainted’ with us. He knows us intimately! His death

and resurrection purchased our salvation! He says, “I know you! You matter

so much to me that I have known your name from before your birth! You are

Mine!” See Revelation 2:17

Prayer

“There is a thrill that runs through me, that permeates

my entire being at this knowledge, Lord Jesus! I am

blessed because You know my name! Amen.”

 A Moment Away

March 29

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing murderous threats against the

Lord’s disciples.

Acts 9:1

Ben had lived a rough life. As a matter of fact, he was still living a rough life.

Six feet two inches tall, two hundred forty pounds of solid muscle, Ben

was an oil-field roustabout, making his living wrestling thirty-foot joints of

steel pipe and pumping oil wells in the dead middle of winter. He was strong

and seasoned. He was also opinionated as far as things related to the God of

the Bible. Quick witted, he always made a derogatory comment when anyone

mentioned God or Jesus, saying things like, “God is an excuse for weak people

who can’t make it on their own!”

A friend once asked Ben what he thought he might say to God when he

found himself standing before him on the day of his death. He contemptuously

answered, “Why, I’m gonna ask Him, ‘Where’s the best fishin’ hole?’” Continu-

ing to pray, this friend never gave up on Ben. He constantly spoke to Ben about

God’s love, praying God would draw him into a saving relationship, perhaps on

his own road to Damascus, like Saul. And after thirty years of witnessing, and

interceding on Ben’s behalf, on a warm summer’s morning Ben invited Jesus

into his heart!

h

At times we may be tempted to give up on those who seem to have too rough

an exterior toward the things of God. Tired of their rhetoric, we’re tempted to

distance ourselves from their unseemly actions.

Saul’s story gives us hope. One moment he was cursing the kingdom, the

next he was serving the King. Not everyone who rails against God, breathing

murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples, will be changed. But we are

not to give up on them. They might be a moment away from nearing their

Damascus.

Do you know someone like Ben? If so, ask God for another measure of the

grace you were saved by and then extend it to the Ben God placed in your life.

Prayer

“God of grace, give us strength. Show us what the hard cases of

life look like to You. Grant us wisdom to know what to say and

then give us the courage to speak in love. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 T.J.’s Windmill

March 28

Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain

understanding.

Proverbs 4:1

T.J. was a Massey-Ferguson man himself. But he didn’t seem to mind his new

six-foot windmill being John Deere green and yellow. The colors were a good

contrast as it stood beside the American flag he displayed every day.

When his grandson erected the windmill, placing it where T.J. could catch

sight of it from his recliner in the living room, no one had any idea of the effect

it would have on people’s lives.

T.J.’s house was situated in the bottom of a river valley running east to west,

allowing the predominant westerly winds unbidden access to the windmill.

Windy days were an event; not because watching the windmill itself was so

interesting, but because something about that spinning windmill stirred T.J.’s

memories, causing him to talk about the past. His ninety plus years spanned

countless changes in our nation’s history. You never knew if you were going

cotton picking in Mississippi, drilling oil wells in the hills of Ohio, or crossing

Germany and France as a medical battalion aide during World War II. As a

matter of fact, you could never be sure of what you were in for when the wind

blew. But if you listened closely, there was wisdom, experience, and instruction

to be gained.

h

Listening is an art form. Listening to the elderly is priceless. Unfortunately, many

of our elderly are discarded as senile and troublesome, despite the fact that their

very presence proclaims they have yet to complete their final earthly purpose.

There is an untapped wealth of knowledge and experience stored within

the memories of our elder statesmen and women.

Solomon instructs us to gain wisdom at our fathers’ knees, not view them

as spent and of little use.

By refusing to listen to them, we forfeit invaluable assistance and under-

standing. We label them of no value. This is foolish at best and at worst is

complete arrogance.

They are not meant to merely mark off each day until they die. We should

avail ourselves of such knowledge before it fades.

Prayer

“Teach us to respect our elders, Lord. Help us recognize

the value of their memories and appreciate their minds.

Show us how to treat them with the reverence they deserve

and the respect You decree. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”