Security in Troubled Times

by Nivine Richie

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne,

high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.

– Isaiah 6:1 (NIV)

The call went straight to voice mail. I was on my way home from an overseas trip and I tried to call my husband at his office, but I couldn’t reach him. Normally the receptionist would have answered; it was the middle of the day after all. Instinctively, I knew something unusual was going on.

When I finally reached my husband, he told me the whole story. The partners of his firm had arrived at the office unexpectedly that morning and announced that the firm would be closing its doors. He and a few other employees would be offered transfers to California, but the rest would be offered severance pay.

I was stunned. We lived in south Florida, and California was a universe away. In one 10-minute phone conversation, my world came to a standstill. As a stay-at-home mom with two children in diapers, I immediately began running through scenarios of how we would make ends meet once my husband’s paycheck came to an end. My comfortable, secure life was about to change. Suddenly nothing seemed permanent. 

In Isaiah 6, Isaiah’s world had suddenly come to a standstill too. King Uzziah died after having reigned for 52 years. Everything was upside down. But in spite of the upheaval Isaiah and the rest of the country would experience, Isaiah describes God seated on His throne in full splendor. A great contrast between a dead earthly king and the Heavenly King, alive and unshaken.

We all have earthly kings: jobs, homes, families, friends. Our sense of security is disrupted when we discover these kings are unreliable or fleeting. But just as the people in King Uzziah’s day were reminded that the Lord was still on the throne, we can be encouraged when we remember that He is our King as well. Others come and go, but our King of Kings never fails. 

                                   

The day my husband’s job went away, my young family was shaken. Isaiah 6:1 reminds me that I can take comfort knowing that when earthly “kings” die, my God is still seated on His throne and He has my future safely in His grip.

Can you identify any earthly kings in your life that pale when compared with your living King of Kings?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About the author:

Nivine Richie is a women’s Bible study teacher in Wilmington, N.C., where she lives with her husband and two teenage children. A university finance professor, she is actively involved in the Christian faculty association on campus. Nivine has participated in and taught many small group studies over the years. She seeks to help others launch their own small group studies and is available to speak at women’s events.

Her new book, Enduring Faith: An 8-Week Devotional Study of the Book of Hebrews, is available from

Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/1941103111/

or

Barnes and Noble at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/enduring-faith-an-8-week-devotional-study-of-the-book-of-hebrews-nivine-richie/1119840476?ean=9781941103111

Visit her at www.unfoldinghisword.com to find tools to help you grow as a small group leader.

Contact her at nivine@unfoldinghisword.com

on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/UnfoldingHisWord 

or on Twitter at @UnfoldHisWord

Stormy Night

By Mirjami Budarz

 Middle of the night

I wake up to beating rain,

water hitting at my windowpane.

My room, so dark,

long shadows, scary sounds,

my heart starts to pound.

Lightning, roaring thunder,

I pull up the blanket,

tuck my head under.

Where is my teddy bear,

the one with a loose eye and a little tear?

I search the corners of my bed,

just then I feel his velvety head.

Come here my teddy bear,

I need your hugs, comfort and care.

Again, lightning strikes, loud thunder.

Why don’t you speak to me bear,

are you awake, I wonder?

Mama, mama, I cry; come here,

I need you to hold me, to be near!

Mama, mama...

She walks into the room,

not a moment too soon.

I feel her warm hand on my cheek,

I hear a soft whisper; go back to sleep.

But first, we'll say a prayer,

for God watches over us,

always ready to comfort and care.

Dear Jesus, you calm the storm, the Bible says,

do it right now in the heart of your child,

cast away all fear and worry,

and do it soon, please hurry.

(Awana devotional by Mirjami Budarz - 10.1.1998)

When the stormy nights emerge, we, the children of God, young and old alike, are called to cast all our fears and worries upon God, for He cares for us.

Such precious knowledge, yet it's easy for me to pick-up the messy bundle of troubles again...and again, and then struggle stooped sorrowfully under the burden, unable to live fully the life God has for me.

During the inevitable storms of life I need to remind myself often that I have a privilege and instructions to drop-off my burdens by God and to leave them there. He wants me to trust Him completely and be a shelter in my storms and the comfort and peace in my heart and mind.

God yearns to talk and walk with me. I am neither forsaken nor alone in my mundane troubles. I am cared for and cherished by my creator. He loves me in spite of my shortcomings.

That motivates me to emulate the faith of a little child, to live with exuberance and look ahead with confidence, knowing that with God all things are possible, and that he holds the future.

The terrors of an unforeseen stormy night must yield to the light of a new morning, one brimming with promise of new mercies, hope and possibilities. For that I'm forever thankful. It puts a big grin on my mature face and dance into my step.

How about you?

...Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6

...Cast your cares on the Lord, and he will sustain you...Psalm 55:22 

...his mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning. Lamentation 3:22

Bio:

Author and artist Mirjami Budarz was born in Finland after WWII into a large displaced Karelian family. Later she moved with her family to Germany and eventually the United States retiring in Wilmington, NC, with her husband in 2008. A short story of Mirjami’s was published in Guidepost’s, Unexpected Answers and she has illustrated two children’s books.