Times

MY TIMES ARE IN HIS HANDS

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CD COVER-FRONT
As I stated in my Bio, I am a singer, songwriter and guitarist. Over the years, the Lord has blessed me greatly by giving me “songs in the night” to comfort my soul and those of others. In the next devotionals, I’m going to add my songs to enhance our devotional experience.  The Lord has always given me a verse on which to meditate and then a song from that verse. Other than the Word of God, there is nothing like music to soothe the soul…and what better way than the two of them together.

My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
Psalm 31:15

Do you ever feel that as the years have flown by, so have the dreams in your heart taken flight and disappeared into oblivion? You don’t have to be old to feel this way, although the older you get the more the thoughts haunt you. I know, not only have I been there…I’m still there! What I mean is, on occasion, I still deal with such thoughts. I have, however, learned to temper them with the promises in God’s Word…the most relevant of those being, “my times are in His Hands.”

My Father God knew all the mistakes I would make before I made them. He knew I would not be perfect or even near perfect and yet He loves me! You notice I said, “He loves me, not He loved me.” His love is unconditional. His love is irrevocable. His love is merciful. His love is capable of restoring hopes and dreams that you thought were long gone. When people in your life, even your own family have given up on you and deemed you unsuccessful, His plans for you are still intact! Even when you have given up on yourself, He will not loosen His hold on you! “For He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] (Hebrews 13:5b AMP)

As long as you have breath in your body, it’s not too late! “For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.] (Romans 11:29 AMP) God never says, “Uh oh, they’ve done it now! They’ve made one mistake too many. I’m writing them off.”  No, God knows the plans He has for you. He wants you to get on your feet, dust yourself off, and get back on track toward the goals He has put in your heart.

You’ve heard the saying, “Who knows what the future holds?” That is a true statement. We don’t know what the future holds. But if we are a Christian, we know Who holds the future! And the plans He has for us are good! “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 LB)

Look at your future through God’s eyes. It’s growing brighter and brighter each day! He hasn’t given up on you. Now don’t give up on yourself!

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO HEAR THE SONG…

THE BIG PICTURE

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FRUIT STAND

He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.
Daniel 2:21

My times are in your hands.
Psalm 31:15a

As I was driving in to work one morning, I passed a local fruit and vegetable stand. The man who runs it was putting out his wares for the day. He had tables full of melons, tomatoes, peaches and all kinds of vegetables. I thought to myself, “How in the world does he make enough to keep this place going? Obviously he can’t make over two to three dollars profit on each basket or item sold.” Then it was as if the Lord said to me, “He has to look at the big picture. He can’t look at each sale of the day or even the sales for the week. He has to count the profit at the end of the month or maybe the end of the season. And in the meantime, he has to faithfully attend to his produce, culling out any items that may have gotten overripe or gone bad overnight. He has to cover them or take them in at night and bring them back out in the morning. He has to sit there all day expectantly, whether he has a customer or not. And he has to do this one day at a time, one week at a time until the season is over.”

Does the job seem mundane? I’m sure it does. Does it seem unprofitable at times? Absolutely! Does it all seem an act of futility in the big scheme of life? No doubt! Then why is this fruit stand even necessary? Well, first of all, it provides a means of livelihood for both the owner and the worker. It provides a service to people to enrich their life. It provides a sense of accomplishment as daily duties are performed and people are served. And lastly, it is where these people are destined to be at this particular time in life whether by choice or by happenstance.

Does this all sound too familiar to you? It does to me! There are times when I ask myself each of those questions and in the moments that follow, I have a choice to make. Do I trust my Heavenly Father enough to believe that at this moment in time I am right where I’m supposed to be, doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing…and if not, that He will show me differently? Am I too busy complaining to count the blessings of the moment? Am I looking at a single day’s accomplishment instead of looking at the big picture? Am I looking at this present session instead of looking at the whole season of my life?

“Lord, help me to see ‘my times’ through Your eyes
and adjust my attitude accordingly.”