The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“But I will sing of Thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning” (Psalm 59:16).

We believe that Psalm 59 was written when David’s house was being watched by Saul’s army. David escaped just in time before it was discovered that he was no longer home. It was a close call, but the Lord really helped David. Now the next morning David sings aloud of God’s mercy to him.

This word “mercy” is chesed and means “goodness and lovingkindness.” King Saul was being maniacal in his hate, jealousy, and desire to kill David. But God was being merciful, good and kind to him. Hopefully today you will not be surrounded by armies seeking to apprehend and try to kill you such as David experienced. But whatever you are facing, if you know Christ as your Savior, be watching for His power and mercy today. You’ll be glad that you did.

This is what I’m thinking today: I surely need the Lord’s power and mercy in my life. How about you?

These verses have lately especially blessed and encouraged me in my walk with the Lord Jesus. I am super excited to share them with you today.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear…The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (Psalm 46:1, 2a, 11).

Sandy, not her real name, was ready to be taken to surgery when her pastor briefly read Psalm 46 to her. In his prayer, he asked the Lord to bless the surgical team, Sandy’s family as they waited, and Sandy herself. He prayed that she would sense the Lord being her very Present Help and that the Lord would help her this day.

As the team wheeled Sandy into the operating room, one of the nurses said, “Your pastor’s Scripture reading was just exactly what my pastor read this past Sunday.” The two had a very brief but precious praise time together.

You don’t have to be headed for surgery to be blessed by the Lord’s assurance that He is our Refuge and we need not fear. How will this play out in your life today?

This brings me much joy: I love the promise of having a Refuge. I need Him very much every day. How about you?

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).

The words unlearned and ignorant in the King James Version actually speak of Peter and John not being educated and trained in their schools of learning.

The very educated rulers, elders, and scribes (Acts 4:5) examined and commanded Peter and John concerning their proclamation of the Lord Jesus Christ. How interesting that these highly educated men perceived that Peter and John had not been trained in their school. Compared with their degrees, these two Christ-followers were untrained fishermen, and yet their boldness was stunning. The confidence displayed by these early disciples made others take note that they had been with Jesus.

Please understand. I am not against education. But please do not think for a moment that you must be highly trained to be a blessing to others. Wherever you are today, watch for opportunities to be bold (not rude!) in telling someone about the Lord Jesus.

Here is how I am praying today: “Lord, please help me not to be rude today. However, please indeed help me to be bold and intentional in how I live for You and tell others of You today.”

You probably memorized these verses many years ago. Aren’t they such a blessing indeed?

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

The railroad engine was massive, weighing nearly 200 tons. Sam was at the control of the lead engine as it pulled ninety-seven freight cars on the trip. As he approached the large intersection in the middle of the town, many warning signs announced his approach. The red lights started flashing as the warning bells began to sound. The large gates slowly lowered. Sam blew the incredibly loud air horns with the appropriate sounding. Two long, one short, and one long blast of the air horn warned people of the train’s approach.

Everyone stopped except the young motorcyclist. He darted around the stopped cars and made his way past the lowered gate and flew across the track just seconds before the train sped through town. Sam screamed in horror as he narrowly missed the young man who defied all the warnings.

It reminds me today of how many are defying the clear warning that there is only ONE way of salvation and only ONE Savior. I know it isn’t popular in this day of being inclusive to believe and proclaim that the Lord Jesus is the only way to the Father and Heaven. However! That is just what the clear warning of Scripture says.

For today: If you have never trusted Christ ALONE to be your Savior, please visit www.michaelpeck.org and click “Heaven.” It will show you from the Bible how to know Christ.

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name” (Matthew 6:9).

Miss Sally and Mr. Tom stood before the boisterous group of boys and girls in JOY Club that Tuesday afternoon. What a wonderful opportunity to reach the boys and girls in their community! Sponsored by their local church, this ministry opened their doors to boys and girls who were full of energy! They were having a great time in their afternoon club. Some of the energy of the boys and girls was used up in the game time. This Tuesday afternoon Miss Sally had brought in some homemade cookies for a little snack. But now it was time for the Bible lesson. Mr. Tom reminded the boys and girls that this was the most important time in their club.

This was what he called “our special time”! This was the time that Mr. Tom would open his Bible and teach the boys and girls God’s Word. He reminded them of why it was important to be very quiet and listen carefully during the Bible lesson. It was because our Father in Heaven is absolutely holy. We want to honor and respect Him. What great principles the boys and girls were learning in the afternoon club!

I had the opportunity of being one of those boys and girls in an afternoon Bible club in my little community. My Bible club teacher was Miss Glenna. I have been thinking a lot about those days. Come to think of it, being quiet before the Lord, respecting Him because He is awesome, and truly worshiping Him from my heart are things I want to do as an adult even though I learned them as a child. How about you?

For today: Throughout my day, I need to remember that our Father in Heaven is holy.