Daily Devotional for December 27, 2011

John 20:1-2
Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance. She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, breathlessly panting, "They took the Master from the tomb. We don't know where they've put him."

Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.

I don’t know about you, but I have had things scare me so badly that I ran for help, breathlessly panting in fear and panic. So I can easily get an idea of how Mary Magdalene felt when she approached Jesus’ tomb and realized that the massive, heavy stone had been rolled away from the entrance. All of us have probably known moments of panic so profound that we felt as if we couldn’t catch our breath. And in these moments, most of us run to someone we can trust… our parents, a spouse or significant other, a dependable relative, teacher or coach, our pastor, or perhaps our dearest friend.

Sometimes, when we are truly desperate and scared out of our wits, we run to our Heavenly Father. We fall to our knees (if only figuratively), and ask God to please rescue us and/or show us what to do. And God answers! Not only does He answer when we run directly to Him… He answers when we turn to a trusted friend or relative, as well. I believe that God uses others in those moments to guide us… to calm our fears… to speak rationally and calmly on His behalf and tell us what to do.

I am thankful that God meets our every need… especially when we are in a panic. I am so grateful to know that He will place people in my path to help me through the scariest, most breathless times of my life. When I don’t know where to turn or what to do… God knows. If I will only stop and listen for His voice, He will handle the rest.

Aren’t you glad that God is always busy looking out for us? Doesn’t it give you joy to know that even when you are in a breathless panic, God is putting people in front of you to help you figure out the best course of action? This is a good time to stop and thank God for all He does… for always loving us and having our back. Praise God for being available to us 24/7, and thank Him for always giving good gifts. Rest in the knowledge that you can run to Him anytime - with everything… joys, sorrows, accomplishments, dejections, excitements, fears and concerns… and He will always be there to respond.

©2011 Debbie Robus

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