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Listen while you read: "Yield Not To Temptation"1 (Lyrics) |
A member of our church called me one day in September to ask if I could help her. She was born in the Netherlands and followed her Canadian soldier fiancé to Canada shortly after the war. They married and had five children. Her husband died 31 years ago.
She was recently told that one of her daughters has a suspected brain tumour and was scheduled for more tests. Needless to say, they are all worried.
Our friend told me that when she was a little girl, her mother used to recite a poem to her about needless worry. She tried for days to come up with the words, but they just would not come. Then one day while she was doing her morning devotions, she suddenly remembered the words. We concluded that this was divine guidance.
She knows that I had worked and lived in the Netherlands for six years, and she suspected that my knowledge of the Dutch language was better than hers. She asked me if I could translate it for her so that she could perhaps share it with her family. I looked up the verse that she remembered and saw that there were actually two. It is a nice poem, and I translated it as follows:
- We human beings often suffer most
From problems we may fear
Which never may appear.
Thus we may carry a heavier load
Than God gave us to bear.
Problems which come our way
Are often less than we had feared.
However, if they do come
Then God is always there
To give us strength to bear.
Most of us have reasons to worry. Perhaps, we have been told that we ourselves or our loved ones have serious medical problems. It may be that we worry about our children or grandchildren. Some of us in advanced years may be worried about the things which we face on a daily basis.
Whenever I am faced with or share the problems someone else is experiencing, I quite often cite the following Bible verses:
Psalm 46:1-2a – God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear. (NIV)
Psalm 121:1b-2 – Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. (NIV)
Matthew 11:28 – [Jesus said,] "Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest." (GNT)
Whatever situation that we find ourselves in, whatever worries that we have, "God is always there to give us strength to bear."
Prayer: Our Father in heaven, there are times when the burdens of our lives seem almost too much for us to carry. But we know, Lord, that You are always with us and will give us comfort during those times. We offer this prayer in Jesus' name. Amen.
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Yes, indeed Joel, thank you.
Thanks for the encouraging word, Joel.
Amen Joel, so very true. Worry robs us of our joy as well as faith.
Amen and thank you for these encouraging words for us all. Blessings.
Thank you for helping us bear our loads — taking them to God in prayer.
Great post, poem and bible quotes, Joel. May God bless you and your friend!
Joel, your devotional today spoke to my own need for healing. Thanks for sharing. Blessings.
Thanks so much both for these verses and the lovely history of how they came to you. Helps me too.
Joel, this was a lovely message and l loved the poem. Do you happen to know the title of it and who wrote it?
Blessings.
Hello
Thank you for this encouraging devotional. The poem sure tells it like it is also.
God bless.
Thank you, Joel, for your many devotionals over the years.
Your words have been a blessing to many.
May the Lord continue to keep you and bless your ministry!
Dear Joel,
Thank you for your encouraging words. The Scriptures, the poem, and everything paint a beautiful picture of God’s graciousness and love.
Blessings,
(BC)
Joel, Just yesterday a friend emailed about prayers for his wife who is living in an assisted living facility as he can no longer take care of her as she needs.
This reflection was perfect, and I sent it to him.
Blessings,
(CA)
Dear Joel, Thank you for the reminder to trust in the Lord and not dwell on useless worry. Being thankful for the smallest of things that God provides me each and every day helps me to remember he is walking with me. May many more blessings come your way, and may you always be inspired to write devotionals for others to learn from.
Really appreciated your Devotional Joel. I have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder recently and have found myself off work on Injury on duty leave. I struggle often with feeling that I have let my family down and with the hidden disease that people can’t see. This devotional meant a lot to me.
Thanks.
Thank you for your excellent devotional. My grandparents all came from the Netherlands, and although I never learned to speak Dutch, I did learn Psalm 42;1-2 sung in Dutch. Later I learned to cherish verses 5 and 11 where we are instructed to put our hope in God. I will share this with my sister and a friend who has been troubled with a bad memory with her sister.
Thank you, Joel, for your encouragement and the verses you gave. They don’t always come when needed so I wrote them down. At almost 95 I enjoy excellent health. I continue to drive, go to all of my events, sing, etc. my main concern is for the kids when I have to throw in the keys and all of our freedoms are gone. The Lord is always so good at guiding my steps each day and always will. I look forward to your devotions.
I have been feeling unsteady due to reactions to barometric pressure.
Twice this week I came across scripture which said, in essence, “I will not allow your foot to slip.”
So when I feel unsteady, I have been saying this out loud. I think it is assurance from the Lord.
Thanks for sharing your inspiring insights.
Dear Joel,
I very much appreciated this devotional. I’ve heard it said that fear and greed rule the world. How true it is that we often are overly fearful about things that may or may not transpire. I Cor. 10:13 is my personal “go-to” verse, assuring me that nothing will come my way that will be more than I can bear, and that He will provide a way out (or through!).
Joel,
I appreciate the blessing from your devotion. Yes, sometimes we are inundated by worries, but then we can call on the eternal presence of our God.
Thank you, Joel, for this devotional. I always enjoy your writings. Always relevant.