There are so many things coming at us from each and every direction. The world is in chaos and change is happening so fast. As I look around me, I see the effect that one crisis after another is having on people’s thinking, emotions, relationships, finances, health…you name it. Every area of life is affected. I stop often to take a breath and whisper a prayer to the Lord that centres me in Him. I call these “As for me” moments. No matter what is happening around you, no matter what is coming at you today, may I just encourage you to stop and take a breath and have as “as for me” moment.
May we take many ‘As for me’ moments, as many as we need — minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day to help us keep serving God in these hard times.
As Christians we made the decision that no matter what: As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. In Joshua 24:15 we are challenged to make this choice. Choose this day whom you will serve. What does that mean? What does that look like in these days when it seems easier to say that we have chosen the Lord, than to live it out?
When we wake up to a day ahead that has already started with trouble and conflict, we take an ‘As for me’ moment and go to God in prayer. We declare, “As for me, I cry out to you, O Lord: in the morning my prayer confronts you.” Psalm 88:13
When there are voices calling to us to give up our faith or to tell a lie to save our jobs or reputation or to gossip about someone, we take an ‘As for me’ moment and declare, “As for me, I shall walk in my integrity…” Psalm 26:11-12
When we feel our strength slowly being sucked out of us, and need a place of safety, we take an ‘As for me’ moment and raise our voice to say “As for me, I will sing about your strength; I will praise your loyal love in the morning. For you are my refuge and my place of shelter when I face trouble. You are my source of strength! I sing praises to you! For God is my refuge, the God who loves me” Psalm 59:16-17
When it seems as though we are moving farther and farther away from God as a society or community, even as the church and body of believers, we take an ‘As for me’ moment and make a choice like Mary to choose to sit with Jesus “As for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord my Refuge…” Psalm 73:28
When everything is going wrong and it seems like we are losing everything, we take an ‘As for me’ moment choosing to trust God and declaring, “As for me…my hope is in the True God who will save me. My God will hear me.”
When negative people and things invite us to focus on them instead of the goodness of God, when we find ourselves complaining instead of walking in gratitude, we take an ‘As for me’ moment to remind ourselves how faithful God has been. “As for me, I will continually tell what you have done; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob!” Psalm 75:9
When in our sadness, disappointment or disillusionment we would rather go insular and stop gathering with believers, we take an ‘As for me’ moment and choose once again “But as for me, because of your great faithfulness, I will enter your house; I will bow down toward your holy temple as I worship you.” Psalm 5:7
When it feels like all hope is gone and there is nothing to live for, we take as ‘As for me’ moment and remind ourselves: “As for me I will always have hope,” (Psalm 71:14) because “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives…” (Job 19:25).
May we take many ‘As for me’ moments, as many as we need – minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day to help us keep serving God in these hard times. There are many more opportunities and many more we can take. No matter what is happening around you, take one now. Stop and breathe and take God’s truth in. You deserve an ‘As for me” moment. God wants to give you what you need to keep moving.
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