The Upper Room Daily Devotional of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "The Soldier" for Monday, 18 April 2016 with Scripture: Psalm 144:(0)-15

The Upper Room Daily Devotional of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "The Soldier" for Monday, 18 April 2016 with Scripture: Psalm 144:(0) By David:
(1) Blessed be Adonai, my rock,
who trains my hands for war
and my fingers for battle.
2 He shows me grace; and he is my fortress,
my stronghold, in whom I find shelter,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues my people under me.
3 Adonai, what are mere mortals,
that you notice them at all;
humans, that you think about them?
4 Man is like a puff of wind,
his days like a fleeting shadow.
5 Adonai, lower the heavens, and come down;
touch the mountains, make them pour out smoke.
6 Shoot out lightning, and scatter them;
send out your arrows, and rout them.
7 Reach out your hands from on high;
rescue me; save me out of deep water,
out of the power of strangers,
8 whose mouths speak worthless words
and whose right hands swear false oaths.
9 God, I will sing a new song to you;
sing praises to you with a ten-stringed harp.
10 You give kings their victories;
you save your servant David from the cruel sword.
11 Rescue me, save me from the power of strangers,
whose mouths speak worthless words
and whose right hands swear false oaths.
12 Our sons in their youth will be
like full-grown saplings,
our daughters will be like sculptured pillars
fit for the corner of a palace.
13 Our barns are full with crops of every kind;
the sheep in our fields number thousands, tens of thousands.
14 our oxen are well-fed,
our city walls have no breach,
our people are not taken captive,
and there are no cries of protest in our cities’ open places.
15 How happy the people who live in such conditions!
How happy the people whose God is Adonai!
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Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.[Matthew 6:10 (NIV)]
Watching my son line up with his platoon, I stood lost in memories. I remembered tucking him into bed with his teddy bear. I thought about his running to hug me so tightly that I could not breathe. His mischievous grin lit up a room. Tears gathered in my eyes, but I held them in, struggling to be brave. I heard the sergeant call for attention, and the platoon turned to march to the plane. “I love you,” I whispered one more time.
My heart cried out to God. I prayed that God would protect him and that he would be open to know God. In my heart, I placed my son in God’s care, saying, “Your will be done.” I wanted to protect my son from the dangers of the war. I could not protect him, but I could trust God. I had released my son into the hands of his Creator. As I did, I remembered the words of Psalm 144:2: “He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield in whom I take refuge.”
Whatever happens, I know God will be with us. We cannot control all the circumstances in our lives, but we can trust God to carry us through the darkness. Because God’s grace and mercy endure, God will never fail us.
The Author: Lisa Ward (Alabama, USA)
Thought for the Day: In the storms of life, God reaches out to carry us.
Prayer: Faithful God, may your will be done in our lives today, and may we trust you with all we have. Amen.
Prayer focus: Military families---------------------