Christian Reflection and Prayer

Put on the whole armor, and take up your shield. Prepare
for battle, and come to my aid.
Psalm 35:2 NLT

Security is our nearness to God, not our distance from
danger.   Kenneth R. Hendre

In the gun sights

When Ira Sankey was at the height of his ministry, he was
traveling on a steamer in the Delaware River. Some passengers
had seen his picture in the newspaper and knew he was
associated with evangelist D. L. Moody. When they asked him
to sing one of his own compositions, Sankey said he preferred
a hymn by William Bradbury, "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us."
One of the stanzas begins, "We are thine, do thou befriend us;
be the guardian of our way."

When he finished, a man stepped out and inquired, "Were you in
the army, Mr. Sankey?"

"Yes, I joined up in 1860."

"Did you ever do guard duty at night in Maryland, about 1862?"

"Yes, I did."
"Well, I was in the Confederate Army," said the stranger. "I saw
you one night at Sharpsburg. I had you in my gun sight as you
stood there in the light of the full moon. Just as I was about the pull
the trigger, you began to sing. It was the same hymn you sang
tonight," the man told an astonished Sankey. "I couldn't shoot you."
I. M. Anderson in Moody

Life is filled with near misses. We know only a fraction of the many
situations in which God preserves us from severe physical and
emotional injury.

Adapted from Men of Integrity Devotional Bible with devotions from
the editors of Men of Integrity, a publication of Christianity Today
International (Tyndale, 2002), entry for May 14.

ANY ONE CAN COUNT THE SEEDS IN AN
APPLE.  ONLY GOD CAN COUNT THE
APPLES IN THE SEED!

GOD IS COUNTING YOU!

The Lord who created you says: "Do not be afraid, for I
have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you
are mine. When you go through deep waters and great
trouble, I will be with you."
Isaiah 43:1-2 NLT

Two Margarets

Margaret MacLachlan and Margaret Wilson, Covenanters
in Wigtown, Scotland, were tried for their faith on April 13,
1685, for refusing to take the Oath of Abjuration, which
stated that the Church of God is a department of the State.
Found guilty of rebellion, attending field meetings, and
worshiping in places other than a church, they were
ordered to receive their sentences on their knees. When
they refused to bow before anyone but God, they were
forced down to their knees and then were sentenced to
death by drowning.

On May 11, 1685, the two faithful Margarets were tied to
posts and staked in the sea as the tide was rising. The
older Margaret (MacLachlan) was farther out. They were
given many chances to recant their beliefs, but they stood
firm and resolute.

Margaret MacLachlan remained silent, her eyes closed
throughout the ordeal, communing with Christ until death.
As the tide rose eighteen-year-old Margaret Wilson began
to sing a Covenanter rendition of Psalm 25:7. Then, she
recited from Romans 8: "We are more than conquerors
through him that loves us.…"

After the waves washed over her head, the soldiers pulled
her out, pleading with her one last time to "pray for the king!"
She prayed, but her pray was, "Lord, give him repentance,
forgiveness, and salvation, if it be Thy holy will." The angry
soldiers threw her back into the water, and she joined
Margaret MacLachlan before the throne.

We may never face the rising tide of the sea, but the deep
waters of trouble and loss can be just as overwhelming.
How do you react when you feel you are about to drown in
the rising tide of your own troubles?

Adapted from The One Year® Book of Christian History by
E. Michael and Sharon Rusten (Tyndale, 2003), entry for
May 11.