Ordinary Time

Pause

Life gets noisy. Sit for a moment in the eye of your storm. Close your eyes. Feel and hear yourself breathe.

Take absolute confidence in one thing — God’s got this.

This moment, this day, this life — God’s got this.

Listen

All you nations, bless our God! Let the sound of his praise be heard! God preserved us among the living; he didn’t let our feet slip a bit.

Psalm 66:8-9

Think

Slipping is scary. I’ve slipped in my yard, on ladders, even in my house. There is nothing like losing control — free-falling in what seems like slow motion. Are things slipping in your life? Today’s verses summarize this week’s theme — God’s got this! It is the Lord’s work, after all.

Russell Carter was an athlete and a great student… one of those guys that had it all. At thirty, heart disease threatened to take his life. Carter prayed to have the faith and grace to accept his future, even if it meant death. Well, he lived to be 79 and wrote a beloved song about finding firm footing in God’s promises. If you feel like you’re slipping, let Carter’s words encourage you today:

“Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.”

Bill Ogletree

Pray

O Lord, thank you for your presence. Help me to stand firmly on your promises — knowing that you are in control of every aspect of my life. With this knowledge, help me be about your work in my world. Amen.

Go

Mother Teresa once wrote that we can let God’s grace work in our souls by accepting whatever God gives us and giving whatever God takes from us. She says: “True holiness consists of doing God’s work with a smile.”