Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
May 22, 2022
Read Exodus 2:1-10
1 Now a man from Levi’s household married a Levite woman. 2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that the baby was healthy and beautiful, so she hid him for three months. 3 When she couldn’t hide him any longer, she took a reed basket and sealed it up with black tar. She put the child in the basket and set the basket among the reeds at the riverbank. 4 The baby’s older sister stood watch nearby to see what would happen to him. 5 Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe in the river, while her women servants walked along beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds, and she sent one of her servants to bring it to her. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child. The boy was crying, and she felt sorry for him. She said, “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children.” 7 Then the baby’s sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Would you like me to go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” 8 Pharaoh’s daughter agreed, “Yes, do that.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I’ll pay you for your work.” So the woman took the child and nursed it. 10 After the child had grown up, she brought him back to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her son. She named him Moses, “because,” she said, “I pulled him out of the water.”
Good Morning, Rejoice! Again, I say rejoice!
Our lives are filled with unexpected blessings. One day we are happily serving God as we have been called, and then suddenly things change and we are called to sing a new song.
As I have spent the last two years discerning God’s calling, I have come to realize that our calls change over time into new callings. God blessed me with a gift of music for which I am eternally grateful. I accepted this gift and have spent countless hours honing my gift so that I might share music with all those I encounter. Playing the piano is like breathing. When I feel as if I’m gasping for air, I sit and play.
When I am tired, overwhelmed, sad, happy, or excited, playing the piano helps me become centered. Some days this means I need to play my most challenging Beethoven pieces. Other days, I need the comforting effect found in hymns or even what you would classify as melancholy selections. Then, there are those days, I yearn for the silly, show-stopping arrangements that afford me the opportunity to use all 88 keys.
Two years ago, I began to realize that my life was going to change drastically. Lowell’s cancer seemed to be gaining strength, and though I didn’t openly admit this, he would be joining his Lord and Savior so much sooner than we had expected. During this time, I felt God calling me to sing a new song. I was being called to preach the Word of God.
I thought, “Oh God, I don’t know if I can do that! I would rather everything remain the same.” After spending many prayerful hours, especially in the wee hours of the morning, I began to listen and believe that God would give me what I needed. For the first sixty-two years of my life, the idea of preaching must have been very deeply buried within my soul. But God’s time is not our time. God said to me, “my child, it is time for you to share your love and joy of your Lord as a preacher. As you celebrate your gifts, light the way for others so that they too might find that joy and love.”
Hmmm, unexpected blessings await each of us! We must always keep our hearts and minds open to the next turn in our journey.
Loving and Gracious God, Thank You for loving us. We work to listen, but sometimes we get distracted. Make us into the beings that you created. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: I will follow God’s plans for me, even when I don’t know where they will lead.
Where you lead me, I will follow! Pastor Liz
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