Stolen thoughts

How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? — Psalm 13:1                        

When my wife and I were traveling in another state, someone broke into our car after we stopped for lunch. With one look at the shattered glass, we realized that we had forgotten to put our GPS (global positioning system) out of sight.

With a quick check of the backseat, I concluded that the thief also got my laptop, passport, and checkbook.

Then came the surprise. Later that evening, after phone calls and hours of growing worries, the unexpected happened. When I opened my suitcase, tucked between my clothes was what I thought I had lost. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Only then did I recall that I had not put the items in the backseat after all. I had stuck them in the suitcase, which had been safely stored in the trunk of our car.

Sometimes, in the emotion of the moment, our minds play tricks on us. We think our loss is worse than it is. We may feel like the songwriter David who, in the confusion of the moment, thought God had forgotten him.

When David later recalled what he knew rather than what he feared,his sense of loss turned into a song of praise (Ps. 13:5-6). His renewed joy foreshadowed what is now ours to recall: Nothing can rob us of what is most important if our life is “hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). — Mart De Haan                          

When sorrows assail us or terrors draw nigh, His love will not fail us,

He’ll guide with His eye;

And when we are fainting and ready to fail, He’ll give what is lacking and make us prevail. — Anon.

READ: Psalm 13; Colossians 3:1-4

Rest your assurance on God’s love in your heart — not on the fear in your mind.