Thursday, May 30, 2013

Selah

16th c. copy of the 9th c. ms.
National Library of Ireland
Consists of 365 quatrains for daily devotion


     In the movie Shadowlands, a student tells C.S. Lewis, "We read to know we're not alone." Proverbs 15:23 tells us,


'Joy belongs to a man with answers in his mouth, and a word in its time, how good it is.'
LEB 

     
     We humans are creatures of habit. My day begins early. I stagger from the coffee maker to the shower (notice the priority) to the sofa where I read the daily passage from a devotional. Over the years there have been my favorites- Spurgeon, Chambers, Lewis, Nouwen, and for the past few years, a Messianic Jewish devotional. They all have one thing in common-
the writer speaks from a hidden place, 
having spent much time with God, and reminds us we are not alone.

     Truth transcends culture but a writer's voice is unique to a time. There is a new addition to my mornings- Selah, A 90-Day Journey of Grace and Hope by Joseph Iregbu. Joseph Iregbu speaks to our time. He says,

Our world is full of many reasons to give up and lose hope but you don’t have to. There is every reason to think the world is caving in on you, but it is not. You may have convinced yourself God is not on your side, but He is.


     Selah is a 90-Day devotional that reminds us there is hope. Here is an excerpt from Day 7-

"The presence of problem is not the problem. The problem is our failure to see beyond the problem." 

If we fail to see beyond our present situation, finding hope becomes a challenge. Troubles have a way of making the heart forget the promises of the Gospel- 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'

Today, I encourage you to consider just one promise in the Bible. ... consider the One who made that promise... Do not believe your problems are bigger than God.

If you are searching for a devotional to begin, or end, your day I suggest Selah.



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