The Upper Room Daily Devotional Nashville, Tennessee, United States “God’s Unfailing Strength” for Monday, 29 December 2014 - Scripture: Isaiah 41:8-10

The Upper Room Daily Devotional Nashville, Tennessee, United States “God’s Unfailing Strength” for Monday, 29 December 2014 - Scripture: Isaiah 41:8-10 “But you, Israel, are my servant.
    You’re Jacob, my first choice,
    descendants of my good friend Abraham.
I pulled you in from all over the world,
    called you in from every dark corner of the earth,
Telling you, ‘You’re my servant, serving on my side.
    I’ve picked you. I haven’t dropped you.’
Don’t panic. I’m with you.
    There’s no need to fear for I’m your God.
I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you.
    I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.
Don’t fear, because I am with you; don’t be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will surely help you; I will hold you with my righteous strong hand.[Isaiah 41:10 (CEB)]
I felt the helicopter lift off the pad. I was strapped onto a narrow stretcher, struggling to breathe through an oxygen mask. An emergency medical technician watched me carefully. “Are you doing OK?” she asked.
I nodded, but I wasn’t OK. The emergency room doctor had ordered that I be flown to a big-city medical center. I knew I was in danger of dying. “Is this it?” I asked God.
“No, this isn’t it,” came God’s strong, certain reply.
I settled back and peered through the window at the white clouds and blue sky. My anxiety subsided. I felt a quiet strength flood my being. I knew I was going to be OK, no matter what.
Isaiah reminds us that God chose a tiny, ragged band of people to be God’s own. In doing so, God promised to hold them and to sustain them through all their trials. They were not always faithful to God and not always grateful, but God was always with them. God’s powerful love would not let them go. Those promises belong to us, too. God’s nature is to love and strengthen us through all the difficult times in our lives.
Read more from the author, here.
"Toward a New Year"
The packages have been unwrapped, family and friends have come and gone, special worship services have ended. The excitement and anticipation of Advent has been fulfilled. Now we await the New Year, perhaps with resolutions in mind or perhaps with simply a quiet wondering of what will unfold as we hang up the new calendar on the wall. We may hear predictions in the media about what lies ahead, but no one really knows. One thing is certain: the Gift we received in Christ’s birth is a confirmation of our faith, the certainty that God’s love is constant and sure.
My trip in the medical helicopter I describe in today’s devotion was an opportunity to be reminded of God’s steadfast presence. When I arrived at the big hospital in downtown Fort Worth, TX, the emergency room doctors determined that I had a pulmonary embolism – actually, several blood clots in my lungs. One clot was situated next to my heart. The danger was that a clot could dislodge at any time and travel into my heart, stopping it. I was moved immediately into intensive care where the doctors administered “clot busting” medication through an IV. I was to remain in intensive care for a week, and then moved to a regular room for a few days of observation. Because of my “conversation” with God in the helicopter, I was able to rest and be at peace with the process.
I have bipolar disorder, a fact of my life that I have learned to live with. Sometimes, during periods of depression, I have had to struggle to remember God’s promise to always be with me. Depression is usually accompanied by anxiety, which makes it difficult to hold on to the truths of the faith. The uncertainty and fear that depression brings can make it difficult to relate to God and others and to believe in a purpose for life.
Having survived a life-threatening medical issue, I have given considerable thought to how I want to spend the second half of my life. My goal is simple: I want to help others live a better life through my writing, teaching, and speaking.
To that end, I’ve recently started a blog at www.balancingbipolar.com. My intention is to provide some inspiration and practical suggestions for how to live life with bipolar disorder. Although it is aimed primarily at people with bipolar disorder, my hope is that friends and family might also find it helpful as they seek to understand the person in their life who has bipolar. I write not as one who has all the answers, but as one who has traveled the bipolar path for many years and now desires to share what I have learned along the way. My hope is that the blog will inspire conversation and lead to a greater understanding of how to live with the illness.
As the year draws to a close, my wish is that we will carry the reality of the Incarnation forward into a new year filled with opportunities to make the gift of Christ present in new ways. It is the fact of that Presence in our lives that gives us the hope and certainty that we can overcome the challenges life brings.[Denise Kirk-Hall]
The Author: Denise Kirk-Hall (Texas, USA)
Thought for the Day: God is the source of our strength.
Prayer: Loving God, thank you for sustaining us through all the trials in our lives. Remind us that you are always close, and help us to be faithful. Amen.
Prayer focus: Emergency medical teams
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