• A young minister and a seasoned pastor were talking about serving the Lord. "When you were first beginning your ministry and were my age, what was your greatest desire?" he asked.
• "To know the Scriptures and understand them to the best of my ability. If I could accomplish that," said the seasoned servant, "I knew that I would know the Savior better and be able to serve Him more effectively."
• Our Lord wants each of us to have that same desire - to know Him personally, intimately. God is anxious to speak to each of us individually as He has always done. He called Abraham personally, wrestled with Jacob and addressed Moses from a burning bush. He spoke through prophets and priests, preachers and psalmists. Through inspired writers He gave us words of wisdom and volumes of knowledge. He even carried on a direct dialogue with David.
• "I have seen violence done to the helpless and heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rescue them!" God has a special place in His heart for those who are poor and helpless. He heard their cries and promised to send a Messiah to rescue them from their oppressors - and He did. No one, even those who see themselves as insignificant, is beyond the eye or reach of the Lord.
• Daniel was cast into a den of lions. Howl and cry as loudly as they could, they were not able to harm a hair on his head. As with Daniel, so with us. God will never allow His beloved to be destroyed by an oppressor.
• Prayer: Lord, if we ever feel unimportant to You, help us to recall Your Word and know that You will rescue us. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
• Scripture for Today: Psalm 12:5 "For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, Now I will arise," says the Lord; "I will set him in the safety for which he yearns."
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