Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "Even In Crisis" for Thursday, 11 September 2014 - Read Psalm 46:1-11

Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "Even In Crisis" for Thursday, 11 September 2014 - Read Psalm 46: A Song of the Sons of Korah
1-3 God is a safe place to hide,
    ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
    courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
    the tremors that shift mountains.
Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
4-6 River fountains splash joy, cooling God’s city,
    this sacred haunt of the Most High.
God lives here, the streets are safe,
    God at your service from crack of dawn.
Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten,
    but Earth does anything he says.
7 Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
8-10 Attention, all! See the marvels of God!
    He plants flowers and trees all over the earth,
Bans war from pole to pole,
    breaks all the weapons across his knee.
“Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
    loving look at me, your High God,
    above politics, above everything.”
11 Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
Paul wrote, “I eagerly expect and hope that I will . . . have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.”(Philippians 1:20 (NIV))
One night my wife and I were returning home in high spirits after a house fellowship meeting. We boarded a commuter bus headed to our area. Suddenly, a man with a gun forced the driver to divert from the route. At first I thought, He’s a young man; I can take him. But when I stood to try to overpower him I noticed that he was not alone. A gang of six armed men was positioned on the bus. One of the men hit me on the head with the butt of a gun and I fell down.
The men moved from seat to seat as they robbed every passenger of their belongings. Those who resisted were beaten severely. Women screamed and men were terrified. No one came to our rescue.
Eventually, they stopped the bus and disappeared. We then realized all our possessions were gone: handbags, wallets, cell phones, laptops, and other items. I turned to my wife, and to my surprise she was very calm. I asked her, “How can you remain so composed?”She smiled and quoted Philippians 1:20 to me.
Since then I’ve learned that we can always find our strength and courage not in ourselves but in God.
The Author: Geoffrey Omondi Odette (Nairobi, Kenya)
Thought for the Day: God’s word helps us stand against hard times.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to find our strength and courage in you only, for you care for us always. Amen.
Prayer focus: Public transportation passengers
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