Standing Firm in Unsettling Times: A Five-Day Devotional by Skip HeitzigSample

Our Response

In view of God's presence, peace, and power, how should we respond to attacks on our security and sense of stability?

Stillness and Surrender

In the midst of siege, the Lord through the psalmist wrote, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). When we are overwhelmed, unsure, and panicking, God's Word tells us to pause, shift our focus from our circumstances and ourselves, remember who He is, and trust Him with our lives. Jesus modeled this for us when He was taken prisoner in the garden of Gethsemane. While His disciples struck out at others and fled in fear, Jesus stood firm, remained calm, and surrendered Himself to God's plan (see John 18:4-11).

Repentance and Prayer

I heard a historian say that no American president had faced a crisis like 9/11 since Abraham Lincoln faced the Civil War. Perhaps there's a reason for the parallel. In March 1863, President Lincoln addressed our nation with these words: "We have been recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand that preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us.… We have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God who made us."

The psalmist wrote, "The Lord of hosts is with us." The question we must ask is: Are we with Him? Our nation has again turned from God. We have essentially said to Him, "We don't want You with us in our schools, our courtrooms, or our public buildings."

So, how should we respond when we have fallen away from God? God Himself said, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14). We must humble ourselves and pray for God's forgiveness.

For many of us, our attention has been summoned and our need for God sharpened by various world events. How will you respond? Have you truly made Him your refuge? Have you chosen to drink from His stream of satisfaction and receive His peace? Have you laid down your arms and surrendered your life to Him, the Ruler of all? If you haven't, now is the time. Armed with His presence, peace, and power, you can face whatever lies ahead.

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