Our Daily Bread Feb 19 Spotting God / By: Kimya Loder You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3
Today's Scripture & Insight: Isaiah 26:1-9 1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts.2 Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith.3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.5 He humbles those who dwell on high, he lays the lofty city low;he levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust.6 Feet trample it down— the feet of the oppressed, the footsteps of the poor.7 The path of the righteous is level; you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth. 8 Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.9 My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you.When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.
A pirouette is a graceful spin that’s executed by ballerinas and contemporary dancers alike. As a child, I loved to do pirouettes in my modern dance class, whirling round and round until I was dizzy in the head and fell to the ground. As I got older, a trick I learned to help me maintain my balance and control was “spotting”—identifying a single point for my eyes to return to each time I made a full circle spin. Having a single focal point was all I needed to master my pirouette with a graceful finish. We all face many twists and turns in life. When we focus on our problems, however, the things we encounter seem unmanageable, leaving us dizzy and heading toward a disastrous fall. The Bible reminds us that if we keep our minds steadfast, or focused, on God, He’ll keep us in “perfect peace” (Isaiah 26:3). Perfect peace means that no matter how many turns life takes, we can remain calm, assured that God will be with us through our problems and trials. He’s the “Rock eternal” (v. 4)—the ultimate “spot” to fix our eyes on—because His promises never change. May we keep our eyes on Him as we go through each day, going to Him in prayer and studying His promises in the Scriptures. May we rely on God, our eternal Rock, to help us move gracefully through all of life.
Today’s Hymns: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
With Eyes Of Faith
Scripture to Respond: Hebrews 12:2-3 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Mark 9:8-9 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
Reflection: What problems have you been focused on lately? What has God revealed in Scripture about the trials you face?
Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, forgive me for focusing on the problems I face each day. I know You’ve conquered the world and remain bigger than my trials. Help me turn my eyes and heart to You in every circumstance.
Wong Wai Tung (Chief executive officer of The Great Wall Education Foundation) & Sam Chow (Administrative officer of The Great Wall Education Foundation)
