praise

Week #8: My Shelter, Sovereign One

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Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—the Most High, who is my refuge— no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. (Psalm 91:9-10)

Our testimony is more than a way to bring the lost into the saving grace of Christ. It is also more than our “salvation” story. It is a constantly changing expression of how the Lord is working in our lives. Our testimony is a continuous narrative of our faith journey filled with valleys of sadness and peaks of joys. These times can be Godly intercessions for us personally and professionally, and may also include family, colleagues and/or patients. Whether our family is protected from an accident, our patients are healed from an illness and/or a colleague finds cancer in the early stages. The Lord’s will intersecting in our day-to-day events is opportunities to share. When we tell others the mighty deeds of the Almighty we build up their faith and encourage their spiritual growth (Psalm 145:4; 1 Corinthians 1:4).

I encourage you to take time and reflect on these most recent events and how the Lord has strengthened and/or encouraged you as a Christian nurse. Next, pray for the opportunity to share with a colleague how “my Shelter, the Sovereign One” has worked in your nursing practice. Like the writer of the 91st Psalm, we can use our life journey of living in the refuge of the Lord as a teaching tool for our patients and colleagues.     

Write out and memorize: Psalm 91:9-10

Reflect: Who will you shared your experience with this week?

Prayer: Oh, Lord, I will praise You for all your wonderous deeds and tell others of Your great salvation and mighty works for those who love You! Amen

Praise You in this Storm by Casting Crowns You Tube Video

NCFI Cares: A Miracle Lullaby

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I was recently at a hospital attending a conference where a brief, beautiful lullaby played every time a baby was born. The short 10 second tune notified all the staff, visitors, and patients on the mother/baby unit that a miracle, our Creator had breathed his life-giving Spirit into a new child. As I sat in the conference, this beautiful lullaby would attempt to interrupt the speakers with the brief proclamation of life.  I kept thinking that each time the song played, possibly 3 or 4 times that morning, how many times do we take note of the miracles in our lives? Do we notice when the Lord has miraculously intervened on our behalf? If we happen to notice the Lord’s hand in our life, do we stop our actions to pause and recognize with amazing wonder? Better yet, do we praise God for his unending grace that extends to each one of us personally throughout the day?

We can take untimely interruptions and praise God for his everlasting miracles in our world. We can celebrate his continuous abiding in our community and for his life-giving presence in each one of us. Let’s also give the Holy Spirit permission to interrupt our lives, day or night, with opportunities to praise our Creator who works miracles every day!

p.s. During the writing of this devotion, I was reminded of Michelangelo’s fresco on the Sistine Chapel ceiling “Creation of Adam”–enjoy!

NCFI CARES: Hands

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Hands

Guided by two strong arms they collaborate together, yet work independently. Each hand contains 4 bones for each finger and 3 bones for the thumb. Along with bones in the palm and the intrinsic bones of wrist we have 29 bones in each hand.  A mesh of tendons and muscles provide dexterity for the multiple functions of gripping, fanning, and arching. Tough for manual work, yet sensitive to interpret dots on a line for reading braille. Gentle to caress and touch, yet quick and responsive for pianists and guitarists. The ridges on the fingertips have unique signature loops and curves that create individual prints precise to each human. A hand can create a fist for fighting, hold a cup for drinking and gently cradle an infant’s head. Hands can be raised in worship, clasped in prayer and extended to one in unity and collaboration. (Psalm 134:2, 143:6).

As nurses we frequently wash our hands to prevent infections, hold patient hands for comfort and strength, and bring many hands together to share our workload. We have wiped tears, cleansed wounds, applied ointments, and assessed temperature. With the increasing complexity of computers and devices, we use our hands to program pumps, manage devices, document medical care and connect with colleagues through cell phones and computers.

Praise God for his wonderful, creatively designed hands. Thank him for the blessing to have hands that can fulfill many functions for we know of people around the world who lose hand(s) and/or the many functions of their hand(s) due to congenital, trauma, illness, or disease.  Take a moment to care for your hands…they work hard and are an important nursing tool!