Joey's Journal - August 29, 2006

Dear Father, thank You for watching over us last night and giving us good night’s rest. Thank You for protecting us from the evil that’s out there. I give You this day my joys, works and sufferings. May they be pleasing and acceptable to You. Father, send Your angels to watch over Joel while he is at school; on his behavior and attentiveness to his teachers and schoolmates. May Your grace be with him; control his flaring temper with the nannies and us while at home. May You keep my wife safe and protected from all anxieties and distraction caused by the enemy. May You show her that You are in control of her life and she submits to You. All these I pray in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

My reading - Psalm 27 - If the Lord is with me, whom shall I fear?

O Lord, You are my light and salvation, so why should I be afraid? The Lord protects me from danger, so why should I tremble? When my enemies surround me and people dare to destroy me, they will stumble and fall. For I am confident with the Lord beside me. The one thing I ask of the Lord is to live in His house all the days of my life delighting in His perfections and meditating in His Temple. Because this is the place where You can give me shelter when trouble comes. You will place me out of reach from the enemy’s clutches. I will praise You O Lord.

Lord, teach me how to live; lead me along the path of honesty, for the enemy waits for me to fall from his traps. Don’t let me fall to his hands and I am confident that I will see the Lord’ goodness while I am here on earth. Amen.

My reflection – It was not in God’s plan that I have an older brother; He gave me older sisters. I remember this childhood friend who had an older brother. The brother was five years older than my friend. When we got in trouble with other kids our age, my friend’s older brother would always be there to protect, defend and even retaliate for his younger brother. My friend was relishing the thought that he could bully his way with other kids of same age. One day, he was in a predicament after roughing up another kid at school. This kid had an older brother too and my friend got a taste of his own medicine. He wasn’t able to call his older brother because he had to do errands for their mother. He wasn’t there to see for his own eyes what happened to his younger brother and therefore, could not and did not do anything. I was happy to have older sisters unlike my friend because I didn’t have to rely on them in times like these; if I was able to, I just avoided the situation all together.

It is a different protection and defense that God does for us. He knows our weakness and that is, falling to the enemy’s traps and lies. And we are not able to avoid temptation and lies from the evil one that’s why we call on God for help. Unlike the older brother, God watches over us every time and He will respond and protect us from the enemy. And, when we have God in us, we fear no evil. Great is our God!

My prayer – Heavenly Father, I pray that You will always be by my side; to protect me from the enemy. May You always guide to live a godly life so that I can stand in Your presence, pure and holy. Lord, I will fear no evil when You are with me. Amen.

by : Joey B