Today’s Reading
Are you raising children alone?
One marriage expert says a single mother sent him a story that helped explain the loneliness and stress often faced by those raising children alone. She said she was looking out of her window one drizzly day and saw a mother robin and her little ones perched in a nest. As the rain poured down, the mother bird covered her chirping chicks beneath her extended wings. Then the hail began to fall. Instead of tucking her head safely in the nest, the mother robin raised her head upward and took the blows to protect her young. All of the chicks made it safely through the storm. What a graphic illustration of the challenges of single parenting! The responsibility of raising kids alone is unrelenting, requiring a mum or dad to earn a living, cook, clean, supervise homework, take care of sick kids, and so on. Beyond these day-by-day duties, they must figure out how to meet their own personal and spiritual needs. Taken in context, this may be one of the toughest assignments on earth. Single parents, whether mothers or fathers, need our continued support and prayers. To those who are taking the blows on behalf of their children, be assured that better days are coming. The storm you’re in won’t last forever. A beautiful rainbow will soon appear. When the job has been completed, and a brood of healthy little birds has been raised, there will be sweet benefits for the parents who don’t fly away. God’s Word promises: ‘Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.’
SoulFood: 2 Kings 18:17 – 20:21, Matt 25:1-23, Ps 115, Pro 8:1-3
Renungan Hari Ini [The Word for Today] is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©
Not hopefully but surely
‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.’ Psalm 23:6 NKJV
The psalmist doesn’t lead with words like maybe, perhaps, possibly, or hopefully. No, he says, surely, which is a term of certainty. Surely means absolutely; without a doubt! There are a lot of things in life you can’t be sure of. You go for a physical check-up and discover you have a cancer growth. You work in the same company for years believing your job is secure, then they downsize, and suddenly you’re unemployed. You pray for your children, live an exemplary life before them, and teach them what’s right, then you find yourself down at the police station trying to get them out of the watch house because they were arrested for drunk driving or doing drugs. As a redeemed child of God, you can be sure of God’s goodness and mercy. What’s your concept of God? That’s an all-important question, so think about it before you answer. Your concept of God will determine your confidence in Him. David was far from perfect. Indeed, some of his antics would have made the front pages of the tabloids. But he never doubted God’s goodness and mercy towards him: ‘This I know, that God is for me’ (Psalm 56:9 NASB). Jesus said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’ (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV). His goodness guarantees every need you have can be met, and His mercy guarantees that every sin you commit can be forgiven. Just as sheepdogs drive strays back into the fold, so God’s goodness and mercy will drive you back into His loving arms every time.
SoulFood: 2 Kings 16:1 – 18:16, Matt 24:29-51, Ps 26, Pro 7:26-27
Renungan Hari Ini [The Word for Today] is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©
Renungan Hari Ini (The Word for Today) online edition is available in the following translations English, Indonesian and Tetun.
The printed edition of Renungan Hari Ini is available in Indonesian only.
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