Friday, October
25, 2024
GOD NEVER PANICS!
(a CLASSIC devotional from 2010)
Ps 91:1-2
91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide
under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in
him will I trust.
Panic is the
result of challenges that are greater than our store of resources. We come up
against a force too strong to deal with and we run away. This happens often
with men but never with God. He has an unlimited supply of options at His
disposal. His strength is unmatched.
Secret Place! The idea from the Hebrew word is simply a “cover,” hiding place or
disguise. The idea of a “secret” place suggests an inner circle of those
initiated into a choice brotherhood. It is a place for insiders, for those who
are intimately acquainted with “the Most High.” It is a place of acceptance no
matter how diverse the individual members of this secret society may be. They
have status. They are granted entrance and protection.
Shadow of the Almighty! The Hebrew is Shadday (shad-dah'-ee) and springs
from one of the names of God, El Shaddai. Shaddai itself occurs forty-eight
times in the Old Testament and is translated "almighty." The other
word so like it, and from which we believe it to be derived, occurs twenty-four
times and is translated "breast." As connected with the word breast,
the title Shaddai signifies one who nourishes, supplies, satisfies. The
Egyptian goddess Isis was clustered over with breasts because all things
are sustained or nourished by the earth or nature." The same was true of
the idol of the Ephesian goddess Diana in Acts 19, for Diana
signified nature and the world with all its products.
(From Names of God, Copyright 1944 by The Moody Bible Institute of
Chicago.)
Perhaps that is too much information for this early in the morning,
but the idea is that God is quite capable of satisfying the needs of His
people! The Almighty is all-mighty.
When I first became pastor of my latest church the secretary had a
small item on top of her file cabinet which read simply “God Never Panics!”
I will never forget misreading it for the very first time as “God Never PUNTS!”
When you think about it, it still makes good sense. If God had a football team
there would be no punts!
Dear Lord, I know I can hide in your secret place today. I am a member
of a beloved band and have access to the “hideout.” I know also that I have no
need that can’t be more than adequately met by your rich supply. Let there be
no panic today. AMEN
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