54. Miracles Come in Cans

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PRAY FOR UKRAINE, SYRIA AND VENEZUELA

Perhaps you have heard the words “You can’t” repeatedly throughout your life. Many people are good at telling others what they cannot do. Even people you wouldn’t necessarily consider to be “against” you may have tried to discourage you from doing something you wanted to do by telling you that you couldn’t do it. Parents, teachers, coaches, friends, family members, and leaders of church groups or social activities often fail to realize the power of their words over young lives. So many children and teenagers

grow up thinking “I can’t” when that isn’t true at all! No matter how many times you have heard someone say to you, “You can’t,” I want to say to you, “Oh, yes, you can!” I believe that miracles come in cans-our belief that we can do whatever we need to do through Christ Who is our strength.

I believe in you; God believes in you; and it’s time for you to believe in yourself. Today is a new day! Put the past and all its negative, discouraging comments behind you. Negative words and words that speak of failure come from the enemy, not from God, so decide right now not to allow the power of “you can’t” to influence you anymore. In contrast, God’s Spirit encourages you and will do everything to urge you forward toward success in every area of life. God tells you to have courage, so always remember if you feel “discouraged,” that is from the enemy and if you feel “encouraged,” that is from God. Choose to agree with God and say to you, “I can!” And let the power of your positive thoughts and words outweigh the power of the negative words anyone else has ever spoken to you.

 Think about It

 Complete this sentence: Yes, I can

  Instant Gratification

When the Polaroid SX-70 camera was introduced in 1972, it revolutionized photography. An article by Owen Edward in Smithsonian magazine described the camera as “a miracle of physics, optics, and electronics.” When a photo was snapped, “a blank square would emerge from the front of the camera and develop before our eyes.” People were sold on speedy, immediate results.

 Oswald Chambers saw a strong connection between our desire for the immediate and lust: “Lust simply means, ‘I must have this at once’; it may be a bodily appetite or a spiritual possession. . . . I cannot wait for God’s time, God is too indifferent; that is the way lust works.”

In Psalm 27, David wrote of his waiting on God during a time of great trouble when there was no solution in sight. Instead of giving in to despair, he maintained his confidence that he would “see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (v.13).

We live in a world that worships the immediate. When it seems there is no sign of our deepest longings being fulfilled, the psalmist urges us to cling to the eternal God. “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” (v.14).

 Help me, O Lord, to be content! My lips to seal,

To every vain desire, each whim-instead to kneel,

Acknowledging Thee, Lord and King, and in that place

To kneel, to pray, to wait until I see Thy face! –Adams

 The answer to our craving for the immediate is to focus on the eternal.

Insight

One of the main focuses of this psalm is the Lord’s “house” (v.4). At the time of David’s writing, the temple had not yet been built. The place of worship (the tabernacle) was regarded as a symbol of the presence of God among His people.

Read: Psalm 27:4-14

Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. —Psalm 27:14

Bible in a Year:
Numbers 28-30; Mark 8:22-38

 Мгновенное удовлетворение

 Читать: Псалом 26:4-14