The Umbrella in the Storm-Monday Devotion
The Umbrella in the Storm
Our ministry, Haskell LIGHT, is located at the Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas. We have a somewhat transient fellowship, but we also have a core group that regularly attends services and events, plus a variety of students who filter in and out of our doors, and others still who we meet on campus and have yet to step into the Haskell LIGHT House.
Our ministry is very intentional. We invade campus with social events in the freshmen dorms, guest speakers and concerts hosted on campus, participation in intramural games, and Christ-like service to the university staff during their events. We plan accordingly, with the future (bigger picture) in mind.
However, planning does not prepare us for the personal issues that come with a campus ministry: a student facing family troubles, financial upheaval, relationship problems. In the midst of the week one loses a job, another contemplates abortion, and yet another struggles with self-hatred and suicidal thoughts.
The tough situations we encounter daily have one solution and that is the Creator, God. We must have assured reliance in the character, ability, strength, and truth of who the Creator is. He will come through for us, just as He will for you.
This ministry, and life in general, causes us to contemplate what drives us to our knees in prayer. Is it failure that drives us to our knees? Is it success that drives us to our knees? It should be a combination; prayers of petition, confession, and thanksgiving all have a place in our day.
The Lord is my strength and my shield, and often times He also acts as an umbrella! We choose to praise the Lord even in the midst of the storms that life will throw at us, and we take shelter under that umbrella.
Lord, we pray to you this day. You are not surprised by any of the storms that blow in; you have created us to seek your face whether we are in lack or in abundance, so we pray to you today for strength in the storm. We trust in you, Lord.
Amen.
The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. Psalm 28:7 (NLT)