| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “The end of anxiety and despair” Our Bible verse for today: “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.” Psalm 42:7 (NIV) Our thought for today: “Most camels do not simply, suddenly, drop dead” I love Psalm 42. It’s one of my favorites. If you read it in its entirety, you realize it was written by a man who was heavily burdened and facing many problems. In verses 1-2 we read that he was looking for God like a thirsty man in need of a drink of cool refreshing water. In other verses we discover that he was being tormented and mocked by his enemies. In verse 10 he says that he was in agony to the point that his bones hurt. And in verses 3, 5, and 11 he reveals that he was distraught and depressed. But verses 7-8 are the lynchpin that the entire Psalm turns on. In those verses the writer affirms that God’s deep provision is more than enough to meet his needs. Out of his deep need, the writer appeals to God’s deep provisions. He likens God’s blessings to the mighty rush of water from a great waterfall that is just pouring over him. Despite his despair and depression, this guy knows where his hope and help are found. His needs might be deep, but God’s provisions are even deeper. This morning I want to take us back to yesterday’s devotional and the story about the camel. In that story we learned that the camel is an amazingly durable animal that can go for a very long time without food or water and still carry its load. But then suddenly, with little or no warning, the camel will simply fall over dead. It happens because although the camel showed no outward signs of weakening, inwardly its reserves of water, food, strength and stamina were being depleted. And we learned that we Christians sometime allow the same thing to happen to us – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. But the fact is that most camels do not suffer that fate. Most camels do not simply, suddenly, fall over dead. And the reason they don’t is because their needs are not neglected. Most camels are properly cared for. In order for them to be able to carry their heavy loads and to complete their long and arduous journeys they are fed, watered, and rested as they should be, and that’s done even if they don’t appear to need it. The truth about the camel is that when he is properly cared for, he then has great stores of reserves to draw upon which enable him to have tremendous stamina and resilience. And as long as those reserves continue to be replenished, the camel will be just fine. The same is true for us. We must be careful that our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual reserves are not sucked dry. As we learn from our friend in Psalm 42, the Lord is a deep source of renewal for us and He will restore our vitality, but we need to frequently turn to Him for that renewal. Most camels do not simply, suddenly, drop dead – and neither should we (literally or figuratively), and that won’t happen if we don’t allow ourselves to become depleted. We’ll continue to explore this important point tomorrow. God bless, Pastor Jim |
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