“Do not be terrified by them, for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God.”   (Deuteronomy 7:21)

I must say that I am not surprised that Russian authorities have had to search for wanted terror suspects during weeks leading up to the opening of the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. It’s almost an expectation these days that when the masses gather, there is the potential threat of harm. Additionally, competing American athletes have been warned not to wear their uniforms outside of the games so as to not become potential targets. Speed skater Tucker Fredericks has asked his family not to attend the Olympics, even though it’s his third and most likely final participation.  He had security concerns, and worrying about them would be a distraction.  And finally, airlines providing transportation headed to Sochi were warned just days before the opening ceremonies that terrorists may try to hide explosives in toothpaste tubes on Russian-bound flights.  How sad . . . all of it.

Is it the best of times, or the worst of times?  It’s just another example of today’s world and how “the devil is in the details.”  We often hear this phrase when someone is talking about how small things can be overlooked and cause problems later on.  The figure of speech is actually taken from an earlier saying, “God is in the details.”  So which is it?  An argument can probably be made for both. However as Christians we stay focused on the God details, knowing that He “is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”  (Psalm 46:1)

If we allow our fears to keep us from doing things, then the terrorists win.  This was the prevailing mantra after the attacks on 9/11.  This does not mean that we act without caution. As Believers, we must ask for spiritual wisdom to guide our decisions and help us discern between good and evil.  In doing so, we gain confidence to face an uncertain world.  Recently I heard it stated this way:  “What we know of God encourages us to trust Him in all we do not know.”

Athletes train for many years to accomplish what some will describe as ‘awesome’ during the Olympic competitions.  It’s an expression that has become overused in recent years.  Yet long before it was popularized, the writers of scripture used the word awesome over and over again to describe our Lord and God.  The awesomeness of God didn’t require any training.  It was there in the beginning, continues to be, and will endure for evermore. He is the One who has demonstrated the wondrous details of Creation and Salvation, and it is in Him I am assured to place my faith. How awesome is that?

REFLECTION:  What threatens you from feeling totally secure in your daily walk?  In the details of your life, what tangible person or item provides your greatest refuge?  If it was no longer there, what would be your source of strength?

(MY NEXT WEEKLY DEVOTION WILL BE UPLOADED ON SAT. FEBRUARY 15, 2014.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE REMINDED OF THE WEEKLY POSTINGS, SEND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO: LookUpwrd@aol.com  YOUR ADDRESS WILL NOT BE SHARED AND IT’S FREE)

“I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”   Ephesians 3:16

When I would become frustrated at work or needed a sum of money for a particular reason, one of my favorite expressions used to be, “Well maybe I’ll win the lottery.”  The person to whom I was speaking would often say, “Do you play?”   To which I would reply, “Well, no I don’t.”  Rather dumbfounded, the comeback frequently was – “Don’t you know you have to play to win.”  I’d just smile and say, “Oh really?”

Recently the Seattle Seahawks’ fullback Derrick Coleman has received national attention.  At the age of 3, he was diagnosed as deaf. No one would have guessed then that someday he would be going to the Super Bowl.  After facing rejection and fighting for himself all of his life, he became the first deaf player in the NFL.  He was just that determined.  Coleman gained notoriety when his story was highlighted in a battery commercial, using the tagline, “Trust the Power Within.”

One of the first lessons children who play sports learn is how to face life in the eyes of defeat; how to get back up when you fall down.  To be an effective witness for Christ, one of the things we also need to embrace is staying in the game – how to “keep on keeping on” as some say.  We were never promised that as a Christian we would not have to deal with opposition, adversity, and discouragement.  In fact, it is our response to hardship that demonstrates our faith.  Scripture states it like this:  “So don’t throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.  You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”  (Hebrews 10: 35-36)

Winning a Super Bowl would be great, but true happiness doesn’t depend solely on winning.  “At the end of the day, football doesn’t define me,” states the Seattle Seahawks’  quarterback Russell Wilson.  Living life to the fullest with confidence in the source of the power within keeps us in the game regardless of what the final numbers are on the scoreboard.

REFLECTION:  As Christians we have heard the expression, “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.”  How can you translate those words to a person you know who is having trouble coping with life?  How does God’s Holy Comforter provide an inner “peace that passeth all understanding” for you?  Could you possibly use a sports analogy to help someone better understand how to find spiritual confidence in the face of adversity?

For more inspiration about some of the players who are taking the field in this year’s Super Bowl, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxznMSLI7-M

(MY NEXT WEEKLY DEVOTION WILL BE UPLOADED ON SAT. FEBRUARY 8, 2014.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE REMINDED OF THE WEEKLY POSTINGS, SEND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO: LookUpwrd@aol.com  YOUR ADDRESS WILL NOT BE SHARED AND IT’S FREE)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.        (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

Have you ever watched a TV program that was being broadcast from a place where you had visited?  When this occurs you can visualize yourself in that location and sometimes remember many details from the surrounding setting and even the emotions you experienced when you were there.  I vividly remember how I felt in 2005 when President Bush spoke from New Orleans’ Jackson Square following the devastating damage of that city after Hurricane Katrina.  As I watched, the tears welled up in my eyes because only a few months before I had been at that very landmark.  I could recall the shops around the square and walking across the street to Café Du Monde where I enjoyed several fresh-made beignets.  While I would have been touched by the destruction from this event even during normal circumstances, my heart ached for the people who lived and worked in this city because I had personally been there.

Life experiences sometimes equip us to be prompted to help in situations that tug at our heart.  It’s part of that sense of urgency that the Holy Spirit provokes in our lives.  Who better to help a very sick individual than someone else who has had that illness and survived?  Who better to talk to when you are experiencing child-rearing issues than another who has gone through struggles with their own children?  Because God has allowed a similar situation to occur in your life, you are now equipped to help someone get on the other side of their problem.

Yes, the very God who is at the center of our faith will, at times, allow heartache and sorrow to occur in our lives.  It is that same God who, with His great love for us, helps to carry us out of the valley so we can begin our journey back up the mountain again.  Why would that very God, then, not encourage us to intervene when we see someone else struggling through a situation that so closely parallels our own?   It’s like He is saying, “Okay, you have been here.  You are familiar with the territory and all the surrounding feelings.  You know how you got from this place to where you are now.  So, you are my instrument . . . go help.”

It’s when we do this that we begin to understand why we went through that experience.  It’s also the beginning of the healing journey for the hurting individual.  Ernest Hemingway once said, “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.”   True empathy and some of our best strengths come out of our own experience. After all, scripture tells us that “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”  (Proverbs 27:17).  So, go hone your skills.

Reflection:  What are some of the times that you have felt most vulnerable in your life?  Who did God send to help you through it?  What did you learn from that experience that makes you uniquely qualified to allow God to use you?  What miracle has happened when you have loved someone because you felt that nudging from God to do so?

(MY NEXT WEEKLY DEVOTION WILL BE UPLOADED ON SAT., JANUARY 25, 2014.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE REMINDED OF THE WEEKLY POSTINGS, SEND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO: LookUpwrd@aol.com  YOUR ADDRESS WILL NOT BE SHARED.)

“Lift your eyes and look to the heavens . . . “  (Isaiah 40:26)

My friend was telling me about a new bird feeder she was given for Christmas.  It is a sphere with metal bar openings just far enough apart so that that squirrels and larger birds are not able to get into the food source.  Shortly after the birds had discovered the feeder and were flying in and out for the first time, she looked beneath it on the ground.  There was a squirrel munching on some of the seed that the birds had allowed to fall.  The squirrel didn’t have to attempt to get into the feeder.  All it needed to do was sit below and look up.

Animals are often instinctively smarter about life than we humans.  Verse 1 in Psalm 19 tells us that –

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

So it would seem logical then that we should spend some time each day looking heavenward. Perhaps that’s why I like to have my morning devotions on my knees in front of my back window gazing up into the tree and the sky beyond.  I have seen that old tree make many seasonal changes.  Some of those seasons have been joyous times, and during others I have poured out my heart to God who thankfully doesn’t change as the seasons and my situations do.  Edward McKendree Bounds, who wrote many books focused on the subject of prayer, states that “The men who have done the most for God in this world have been early on their knees. He who fritters away the early morning, its opportunity and freshness, in other pursuits than seeking God will make poor headway seeking Him the rest of the day. If God is not first in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, He will be in the last place the remainder of the day.”

James and Paul spent hours on their knees in prayer.  George Washington prayed on his knees in the snow for his army at Valley Forge.  Recently quarterback Tim Tebow became famous (and criticized by some) for kneeling to pray before games. The devout Christian didn’t seem to care. When on your knees, you are in a position of humility and surrender.  It’s good to remember as we leave the celebration of Christmas that “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow . . .”  (Phillipians 2:9-10).

On your knees is a good place to be, because you can always Look Up.  As we enter this New Year, I invite you to begin a time of weekly devotions together.

Reflection:  Have you ever had a life experience that was so overpowering and burdensome that it drove you to your knees in prayer?   If you don’t already pray on your knees, maybe you should consider it.  If you are unable to physically do so, try coming up with a creative way in which you can humble yourself before God each day as you search for direction in your life.  Remember, when it comes to connecting with God, it’s not about the position of your body but more about the condition of your heart.

(Watch for my next devotion post on Saturday, January 11, 2014)