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Listen while you read: "Master The Tempest Is Raging"1 (Lyrics) |
Mark 12:30 – Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. (NIV)
I felt the slightest whisper of its touch as it lit on my arm. A mosquito! Instead of swatting it, as I normally would, I blew it away. This happened three or four times as I was walking my dog, Sparky, along our favourite trail beside a thick, wooded area near our home. As strange as it seemed, it appeared to be the same pesky mosquito every time. I watched it circle around then return and light on my arm again, as if it were trying to get my attention. Well, now it definitely had my attention with its weird behaviour, but if it didn't quit annoying me, it would eventually get swatted.
As I stepped into a sun-drenched area of the trail, the strangest thought occurred to me: Could these continuous, whispery touches of that mosquito lighting on my arm somehow be a message from God, spiritually speaking? He often spoke to me while I was walking on this trail. Yet, would God use a tiny, insignificant, detested creature like a lowly mosquito to get my attention?
I despised mosquitoes, but the Scripture suddenly came to my mind that God "chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things" (1 Corinthians 1:28a NIV) to teach us His magnificent truths. It seemed kind of silly, but the thought persisted, and try as I might, I couldn't shake the idea out of my mind.
If this were the case, by the strangest stretch of the imagination, what was God trying to say to me?
As I stood in that sunny spot, it seemed that the light of His Word began to shine into my mind, and I didn't like what it began to reveal.
Lately, when I had been busily immersed in an exciting writing project that was important to me, I had to admit that I had gradually been starting to cut time from what was important to God. I had not been giving sufficient attention to meditating on His Word, prayer time had shrunk, and even people who used to hear from me on a regular basis had been neglected. Perhaps God had been trying to whisper these facts into my ear for some time, but in my busyness, I had blown His whispers away, just as I had that persistent mosquito, and continued to work on my project. But the Whisperer was persistent. God, in His loving patience, continued to try to get my attention by any means. Had I not taken the time to ask Him what He wanted me to hear, He might have had to resort to more drastic measures, which I knew I would not have been happy with.
As I stood there, deep in thought, pondering these strange insights, I felt very convicted, and I hung my head in shame. My precious Lord had given me countless blessings, and I was so self-centred that I did not even take time to hear His tender whisper: "What about Me? Where do I fit in?"
No, I didn't kneel down on that rocky trail, I simply bowed my head, and this time, it was my turn to whisper those all-important words of repentance: "Dear Lord, forgive my selfishness. You are first in my life, now and always. Help me never to forget that vital truth again."
And God smiled, as a gorgeous monarch butterfly lit gently on my shoulder.
I believe that sometimes, we are all guilty of being too busy with our "stuff" to give God the time and honour due His name.
Perhaps the next time a mosquito tries to light on your arm, you will be reminded of my story and check out this possibility in your life.
Prayer: Lord God, forgive us our unconscious and unintended trespasses against You. And when we stray, please whisper very loudly in our ears. Amen.
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Tuesday, April 16, 2024 – In Peru — Please pray for this summer season at our beach-town home to be a blessing to the little Fellowship we have started and that the Lord would "add to our numbers those who are being saved".
Housing: "Update April 14, 2024; Please pray extra fervently for tomorrow when she and her son will be going..." 
Thanks for a good reminder Sharon.
Lovely devotional Ellen. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your message today. I really needed it!
Wonderful! Thank you for the very definite reminder.
Thanks for sharing this God-moment! Have a blessed week.
Loved the article–but you always tease me about cutting words.
Thank you for your devotion today, a great message, one I’ll remember.
Happy Sunday morning Sandy.
Thanks for a delightful devotional.
Blessings.
A good one Sharon, can also be applied to God giving a message to those who choose to spend time on their various technical devices when family or friends, especially children are trying to have face-to-face time with them. Thank you.
Dear Ms. Greer,
Thank you for this most meaningful message. The way I have been feeling the last few day…well… I guess I needed that mosquito to remind me of all the blessings God has given me. I shall remember this lesson, and remember.
Thank you, and thank you for all your devotionals.
Blessings.
Hi Sharon,
Thank you for this very timely word concerning spending time with the Lord and putting God first today. The Lord used your devotional today as a reminder to always make time for the Lord in every area of our lives, in summary, to put Him first.
Blessings.
Good morning. Thank you for this VERY timely devotion this morning. God is amazing. I may going to share your devotional as it confirms exactly what I am trying to say but you have such a clear way of expressing it. Thank you so much and may God continue to bless you as you write these inspiring devotions.
Good morning Sharon
I’m uncertain that I will still be able to resist swatting a mosquito…..but I heartily agree that God uses various ways to get our attention. HIS whispers are there, if we would only learn to shut out the noise to hear them. As any child, our hearts, ears and minds recognize the voice or whisper of our Heavenly Father after all.
When we ask, HE is there to surround us with HIS love, to guide us, to help us. And HE provides us with the things and people that we need for what we need to do. I am daily reminded of this during my current health situation. I tell God every night that I am so thankful that when I do not have any immediate family, HE instead has provided me with the wonderful, supportive, caring friends with which HE has surrounded me. They pray for me, call/email, ensure I have food, are helping me get some household things done, etc. I feel truly blessed.
Do continue to write for we need reminders to listen for God’s whispers.
God bless!
Thank you Sharon. Your words have lifted my spirit.
Sharon, your devotional writing is a breath, or maybe a whisper, of fresh air for my discouraged soul. Thank you for writing. Blessings.
Thank you Sharon for that wonderful devotional. It is so different but very practical and really appreciated.
Please keep sharing.
Dear Sharon,
I liked your butterfly better than your mosquito, not that the mosquito didn’t afford a fine part of the devotional.
And God uses “mosquitoes” to prod me to do his will too, and “butterflies” to reassure me of his approval when I follow his will more closely.
Thank you, Keep writing.
Sharon – I loved this devotional. Your writing style and your spiritual application. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
God bless.
This is awesome! It is so easy to get fought up in worldly things to the extent that Jesus has to be moved over a bit. We even feel proud of ourselves for being so devoted and focused, and all the time The Lord is weeping at the thought that we have forgotten that all our accomplishments have come from and through Him. Thanks for this reminder of just how pernicious self-centredness is! We will never be free from it, but thanks be to God, when we call upon His name He Himself will help us to set self aside and bring HIM closer.