God will provide

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Devotions: Ps 12-14; 119:1-24; Jonah 1:17-2:10; Acts 27:9-26; Lk 9:1-17

May YHWH help me: the faithful have vanished and there are no godly people to be found. Lord, cut off flattering lips and lying tongues; defend the exploited poor. The wicked prowl on every side and vileness is exalted among the sons of men. Don't abandon Your people, Lord. I will trust in Your steadfast love and my heart will rejoice in Your salvation. God has dealt bountifully with me! Only fools deny God's existence; and the world is bulging with fools! YHWH is Refuge for the poor and powerless. Let His deliverance rest on His people. Blessed are those whose walk is blameless and who keep God's testimonies. Lord, may my ways be steadfast in keeping Your statutes. I will praise You with an upright heart. I will keep Your word and guard my path; I seek You with my whole heart, YHWH; don't let me stray from Your commands. I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You. I will focus on Your ways and strive to live by Your words. Deal bountifully with Your servant, I pray, that I may live and observe Your word. I am a pilgrim on earth, longing for You and for Your kingdom always.

Jonah prayed to God from the fish's belly, and God answered. From the roots of the mountains and the floor of the sea, he remembered his God and repented. And YHWH spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land!

Paul's ocean voyage to Rome began late and was further delayed. The apostle advised his captors: 'Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will bring injury and much loss—of the cargo and the ship; our very lives are in jeopardy.' But the centurion took the counsel of the captain and shipower; because their harbor at Fair Havens was not suitable to winter in, they set sail, seeking to reach Phoenix on Crete, a harbor that faced northeast and southeas, where they would spend the winter. A fair south wind lured them to set sail, coasting along Crete. But soon a tempest, called the Northeaster, struck down upon them and drove them offshore. They ran under the lee of a small island called Cauda. There, with difficulty they secured the ship, binding the ship with ropes. Still fearing loss, they put again to sea, violently storm-driven. The next day, the crew began to throw cargo overboard. The tempest persisted, and the people began to despair of their survival. When they had been long without food, Paul addressed the ship's company: 'Men, you should have listened to me and not set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. But I tell you now, take heart: there will be no loss of life among you—we'll lose only our ship. An angel of the God to Whom I belong and Whom I worship stood beside me this very night. He told me not to be afraid, for I must stand before Caesar. Therefore, God has granted to me all of you who sail with me. So take heart, men; I have faith in God that it will unfold just as I have said. We will have to run upon some island.'

Jesus called the Twelve together; He commissioned them with power and authority to cast out demons and to cure diseases; and He sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal. He told them, 'Take nothing for the journey: no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money. Take only one tunic. Stay wherever the door is opened to you, for as long as you stay in that town. Wherever you are not welcomed, when you leave that town, shake its dust from your feet as you leave, as a testimony against them.' So the Twelve went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. Herod the tetrach heard about all that was done; he was perplexed, because some said that Jesus was John raised from death; others said Jesus was in fact Elijah reappeared; and some said some other ancient prophet had arisen. Herod said, 'I beheaded John; but who is this I'm hearing such things about?' And Herod sought to see Jesus. When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. He led them apart to Bethsaida. When the crowds heard where they were, they thronged to Jesus. He welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who needed healing. As the day waned, the twelve said to Jesus, 'Send the crowd away, to go into the villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions, for we're in a lonely place here.' But Jesus replied, 'You give them something to eat.' They said, 'We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.' There were about five thousand men, plus women and children. Jesus said, 'Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.' Then apostles did this, while Jesus took the five loaves and two fish; He looked up to heaven, blessed and divided the food, and gave the portions to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied, and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces left over.