July 10, 2019 Psalm 119:73-80 The Message (MSG) It is really good to be back from vacation; however, John and I completely enjoyed the mountains of Georgia and the solitude of our little log cabin in the woods. Interestingly, before arriving to our restful cabin, we endured a major traffic challenge. The traffic in Atlanta was horrendous, but eventually (note, we endured for a period of time) that tremendous traffic “blockage” caused us to change our planned course of travel. Jesus brought us a lesson. We got off the main highway and headed along a new route; an uncharted route for us. This route was exponentially better than the original path we had planned to take and still delivered us to our cabin of rest. That which we initially saw as extremely negative—traffic mayhem—actually served to help us see the working of the Word in our behalf. Jesus surprised us and made a Way of escape. It reminded me of how God rewards his children by bringing beauty out of chaos. Don’t you just love the faithfulness of Jesus to love you in every way? We can always rely on the Word to work toward our good! Jesus cares about every aspect of our lives and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him (Heb. 11:6). We would have seen God as good no matter what, but he chose to bless us and take us out of the mayhem. Praise God! If we want to see the goodness of God, we must be willing to live through some contrasting times. How else could his goodness be revealed? How else would we begin to recognize the work of righteousness? The world as a whole is a mess. We live in this world, but according to Scripture we are not of this world (John 17:16). Because of evil, chaos is the world’s norm, but we belong to Jesus and he is the Peace and Wisdom of Almighty God. So, the next time you find yourself stressed and in the midst of earthly chaos—challenges of any kind—with no sign of escape, please stop and pray. Ask Jesus to open your eyes to his sovereign control over the world. Invite Jesus to love you, hug you, and deliver you beyond the chaos you face into something good. But, please don’t forget, you may need to allow him to change the route you have planned. And, oh, you may need to put positive praise of God’s goodness on your lips, so you can get beyond the power of the world’s negativity. Choose to live for God’s glory! Psalm 119:75-76 I can see now, God, that your decisions are right; your testing has taught me what’s true and right. Oh, love me—and right now!—hold me tight! just the way you promised. Prayer: Lord, love me right now! I know your decisions are right and you will lead me in every area of my life to that which is true. My day to day experiences are eternally important to you. Holy Spirit, help me to see as you deliver me moment by moment into the promises and provision of God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.