The Devourer

We've been home for just about 24 hours and already there have been moments when it is tempting to forget the joy and blessing of the last weeks and focus on the moment.

The Bible calls both Satan and sin by the name of "the one who devours"...the reality is we live in a world that is decaying due to sin even as Satan attempts to devour the good that is beyond the reach of decay. Ok, that was my moment of theology... :-)

Already, we've been faced with a car that is missing horribly, a dryer that is dying rapidly, and several other items such as a broken paper shredder that aren't a big deal unless combined with the annoyances of the bigger things.

I'm rarely one to give satan credit for everything bad that happens (and won't give him credit for these mechanical pains in the butt), but he and his cronies definitely exploit opportunities like this to devour joy, memories of blessing, celebrations of God's amazing faithfulness, and every other good and perfect gift that have come from above. Mark (in chapter 4) shares Jesus' parable of how the enemy swoops in to steal seeds of God's Word spoken to us if we aren't careful to make sure our hearts stay cultivated and tender to His voice.

I fully expect other events, people, and moments to give me "opportunity" to harden my heart and allow my joy and the depth of what He has spoken to me recently to be stolen away. I am determined to stay focussed on my Provider...whether it's dryers, cars, electronics or people, I know that they are ultimately His and He will take care of each in an amazingly faithful manner. (Jere. 29:11, Malachi 10:11-12)

The most difficult challenge, and I hesitate to write this, will be people I think. Well meaning people who will want me to know all the things that have gone wrong while we were gone. Well meaning people who may be subconsciously (or consciously) bothered by us being gone for so long and they were not.

My prayer this week, based on Psalm 103, is that we would be a means of bringing joy, health, and freshness instead of the reverse.