Daily Devotional for June 6, 2010

June 6 ~ 2 Chronicles 20:17
You won't even have to fight. Just take your positions and watch the LORD rescue you from your enemy. Don't be afraid. Just do as you're told. And as you march out tomorrow, the LORD will be there with you.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

In 1994, a classmate of mine died of breast cancer. Following her death, more than one person said to me, “I didn’t know what to say or do, so I just didn’t do anything.” I told them that they really didn’t have to say or do anything… they just needed to give the family members a hug or a handshake and let them know they cared. I vowed that someday, I was going to write a book called, What to Say and Do… When You Don’t Know What to Say and Do. When I experienced firsthand the warmth and love of so many friends and family members – and the distance of a small handful - following the deaths of my brother and my dad, God guided the thoughts and chapters, and I wrote this very book!

I realized that the reason so many people back away from this type of situation – or many others – is fear. They fear they will say the wrong thing – or act inappropriately – or they fear that no words will come to them whatsoever. The truth is that all we have to do is ask God to guide us, and whatever we say will be right. Really, all we have to do is stand back, so to speak, and let God do the walking and talking for us! He will bless our efforts and give those who receive our compassion a kind ear toward how we present the message. All we have to do is march out and do as God says.

So the next time you hesitate to greet someone at church – or to invite someone to worship with you – or you see a friend in the store who you know is in need of a friendly smile or a hug – or someone you know loses a loved one – step up and out in faith. God will do everything else. All you have to do is show up and be ready. When was the last time you marched out and let God use you for His purposes? Isn’t it time you did just that?

©2010 Debbie Robus