Devotionals for the Heart: Believe

What do you believe?
A devotional by Susan Lindstrom

In the book of Psalm there’s a verse that has seeped into my soul and woven its way into my heart. These words of our Heavenly Father have deepened my faith as a believer in "the reason for the season," maybe it will do the same for you. It’s the 14th verse of Psalm 91.

Let's read Psalm 91:14 (NLT): The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

I love that we are the “those” and the “them” in this verse. Have you ever tried making a bible verse personal? I’m not talking about claiming one as your own, I mean inserting your name to make it personal like this;

The LORD says, “I will rescue Susan who loves me. I will protect Susan who trusts in my name. When Susan calls on me, I will answer; I will be with her in trouble. I will rescue and honor her. I will reward Susan with a long life and give her my salvation.”

Wow! For me, that’s better than the security of money in my bank account, that may not always be there, or a comforting hug from loving arms which may not always be with me. But the Lord’s protection and never-ending compassion He assures, will always and forever be there for me.

Try inserting your name (fill in the blanks):

The LORD says, “I will rescue _____ who loves me. I will protect ______ who trusts in my name. When _______ calls on me, I will answer; I will be with ___ in trouble. I will rescue and honor ___. I will reward ______ with a long life and give ___ my salvation.”

Do you feel it? Do you feel the power of His Promise?

Reading through the Bible, from the Old Testament showing Jehovah’s heart breaking wide open when his beloved children turn away from their God, to the New Testament that speaks loud and clear of His love as he sets a new covenant in motion with Jesus Christ being the ultimate love gift. But even though we read it, hear about it and even sing of it, do we believe it? Really and truly? It is an amazing amount of love to deal with after all. 

Maybe you need to pick up one of those "Believe" signs. I see them everywhere, especially this time of year. To the worldly way of thinking it’s suggesting you believe in the "magic" of Santa Claus. But we know it’s really a life-saving urging to believe in the miracle of a virgin’s birth and a love like non-other. A love so full of compassion that He came to earth to be the sacrifice for our sins.

In this season of celebrating our dear Savior’s birth, I hope you can celebrate a love so real that you believe without a doubt that He will rescue, honor, and protect you. Celebrate that He hears your prayers, and that above all else celebrate the gift of salvation with an assurance of everlasting love.

It’s what you can believe!

“And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.” ~1 John 5:11-13 (NLT)

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Author Bio:

Susan Lindstrom is NOT an award-winning writer yet unless you count that ‘best story’ award in third grade but stay tuned to see what God has planned!

Writing has always been a passion but raising a family, running her sewing and design business, involvement in Women’s Ministry and teaching Sunday School kept her plenty busy.

Now a retired empty-nester, she trusts in God’s amazing timing and has jumped in to embrace this new adventure of writing.

Her first book, Emmie Jane and the Yellow Fuzz, is for children and is now available for purchase on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. It's the first in a series of real-life adventures focusing on the Fruit of the Spirit.

Susan grew up on both the East and West Coasts and now calls the beautiful state of Wisconsin home. She is a wife, mom, and grandma to 10 children.

She enjoys a wide variety of music, loves live performance and believes that laughter is the best medicine. When she is not indoors writing, reading or pretending to clean the house, she’s outdoors enjoying the beauty of God’s Creation.

Susan is a proud member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).

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Connect with Susan:
Website - www.susanlindstrombooks.com
Facebook - www.facebook.com/susanlindstrombooks/