Daily Devotional for June 22, 2022

Yesterday, as Ellie, Melissa, Allison, and I sat in the breakroom eating lunch, Melissa’s phone received a message.  It was a picture from Ms. Amanda, Annalee’s MDO teacher.
 
Just know Annalee will someday be either the President of the United States or the head of an organized crime syndicate.  It could go either way.
 
There on the phone was a picture of Ms. Amanda’s hand holding a hunk of Annalee’s hair.  Apparently, during art class, five-year-old Annalee had decided to give herself a haircut.
 
This just goes to show being the parent of an imaginative little girl is a life filled with surprises.  But if you think about it, isn’t all of life filled with surprise and the unexpected?
 
While you may not have a daughter or granddaughter who decides to turn her head into a piece of contemporary art, there is something that will catch you off guard.  And when it happens, all the safeguards, and contingencies you have planned for will not be enough.
 
In a world filled with the unpredictable where you have to take out a loan to put gas in your car, houses become unaffordable, a heat dome dries up most of our country, while Yellowstone suffers catastrophic flooding, and whatever political party is in control at the moment caters to their own agenda instead of what is best for the entire nation, and the possibility of war seems more and more likely, where can you find peace and security?  
 
There’s only one place.
 
There is One who is an unmovable fortress in the midst of the storm.  This is the One who will never allow evil to pull you out of a loving embrace.  This is the One who will sacrifice anything and everything to ensure you live forever.  This is the One who wants you know your soul is safe and secure.
 
Horatio Spafford was a very successful attorney and real estate speculator who lost a fortune in the great Chicago fire of 1871.  Then, his four-year-old son died of scarlet fever.  None of this was expected.
 
Trying to do what was best for his wife and four daughters, Horatio arranged for his family to sail to England, but some pressing business meant he would have to follow later.  
 
On the cruise across the Atlantic Ocean, the ship was involved in a collision and sunk.  All four daughters drowned.  His wife survived.
 
Upon reaching England, she sent Horatio a telegram that began: “Saved alone.  What shall I do?”
 
Learning this tragic news, Horatio immediately boarded a ship to England.
 
The captain, understanding Horatio’s horrific loss, let him know when the ship passed over the place his daughters died.
 
At that moment, when the worst thing a father could ever experience began to overwhelm him, his mind and soul were suddenly flooded with words of peace and comfort.  These words have become one of the most important hymns in Christendom, “It Is Well with My Soul.”
 
When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll-
Whatever my lot, though has taught me to know
It is well, it is well with my soul.
 
I pray with all my heart; you never experience the pain and heartache Horatio Spafford endured at the loss of all his children.  But if you do find the unexpected turns of life are more than you can bear, remember, it is well with your soul.
 
Prayer:  Dear Gracious Heavenly God, in this unpredictable life, remind me your love and grace will never change or fade.  Help me to trust.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.
 
Life can be good, bad, or both.  God is good.  God will never change.
 
The author Hebrews said it best: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”  (Hebrews 13:8)
 
Trust God.
 
Also, just for the record, a few months ago, five-year-old Juliana, Annalee’s best friend, cut her own hair.  She became an abstract art project.  I think this may be a new trend in our church.  God help us. 
 
I pray your day is filled with joy and laughter.
Tom Robbins