Verse of the Day 2/26

Verse of the Day 2/26

Deuteronomy 8:2-3  And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. ³ So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.     New King James Version (NKJV)

In his devotional for today, Pastor David Jeremiah shared a little bit of the story of Sydney Cox.  You may never have heard of him before, but many of you may remember some of the songs that he wrote and that you sang week after week as a child in Sunday School.  Songs like "Deep and Wide" and "I Love Him Better Every D-A-Y".  As I read the names of those songs I couldn't help but sing them out in my mind.  I'm sure they'll be with me for the rest of the day or longer.

For many of us, we may feel like we're in the wilderness right now, dealing with health issues, perhaps long term illnesses or being in the midst of a long term recovery.   Today's verses remind us and challenge us.  They remind us of how He has led us this far, brought us to where we are in faith.  They also challenge us to live by faith as we live "by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.  By doing so, we can have confidence that He will bring us through this wilderness, this desert place.

One of my personal favorite Sydney Cox songs was "My Lord Knows the Way Through the Wilderness".   Perhaps you know it.  If so sing it in your mind or out loud.  Don't worry that someone may hear you, they may need to hear it.  "My Lord knows the way through the wilderness. All I have to do is follow…. Strength for today is mine all the way, and all that I need for tomorrow…. My Lord knows the way through the wilderness. All I have to do is follow." Sydney Cox

  "Even if you don't know the song, perhaps you know the experience. If you're in the wilderness today, remember your Guide and follow Him all the way."  David Jeremiah    If you don't find yourself in the wilderness today, perhaps you know someone that is going through it.  Reach out to them, pray for them, perhaps encourage them with the songs that you remember from childhood.  Point them to the God who sustains us by "every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord."  

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Deuteronomy 8:1-4 New Living Translation (NLT)

A Call to Remember and Obey

8 "Be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. Then you will live and multiply, and you will enter and occupy the land the Lordswore to give your ancestors. ² Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. ³ Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. ⁴ For all these forty years your clothes didn't wear out, and your feet didn't blister or swell.