June 27, 2021 8:00 pm
Needles, milk, mushrooms, elevators, births, bees, and bees in blenders—these are just a fraction of the many phobias attributed to Mr. Adrian Monk, detective and title character of the TV show Monk. But when he and long-time rival Harold Krenshaw find themselves locked in a car trunk, Monk has a breakthrough that allows him to cross at least one fear off the list—claustrophobia.
It’s while Monk and Harold are both panicking that the epiphany comes, abruptly interrupting Monk’s angst. “I think we’ve been looking at this the wrong way,” he tells Harold. “This trunk, these walls . . . they’re not closing in on us. . . . they’re protecting us, really. They’re keeping the bad stuff out. . . . germs, and snakes, and harmonicas.” Eyes widening, Harold sees what he means and whispers in wonder, “This trunk is our friend.”
In Psalm 63, it’s almost as if David has a similar epiphany. Despite being in a “dry and parched land,” when David remembers God’s power, glory, and love (vv. 2–3), it’s as if the desert transforms into a place of God’s care and protection. Like a baby bird hiding in the shelter of a mother’s wings, David finds that when he clings to God, even in that barren place he can feast “as with the richest of foods” (v. 5), finding nourishment and strength in a love that “is better than life” (v. 3).
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Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.
Today's reading, titled God's Protection, was written by Monica LaRose. Needles, milk, mushrooms, elevators, berths, bees, and bees in blenders—these are just a fraction of the many phobias attributed to Mr. Adrian Monk, detective and title character of the TV show, Monk. But when he and longtime rival Harold Crenshaw find themselves locked in a car trunk, Monk has a breakthrough that allows him to cross off at least one fear from his list—claustrophobia. It's while Monk and Harold are both panicking that the epiphany comes, abruptly interrupting Monk's angst.
I think we've been looking at this the wrong way, he tells Harold. This trunk, these walls—they're not closing in on us. They're protecting us, really.
They're keeping the bad stuff out—germs and snakes and harmonicas. Eyes widening, Harold sees what he means and whispers in wonder, This trunk is our friend. In Psalm 63, it's almost as if David has a similar epiphany, despite being in a dry and parched land. When David remembers God's power, glory, and love, it's as if the desert transforms into a place of God's care and protection. Like a baby bird hiding in the shelter of a mother's wings, David finds that when he clings to God, even in that barren place, he can feast, as with the richest of foods, finding nourishment and strength in a love that is better than life. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is Psalm 63.
You God are my God. Earnestly I seek You. I thirst for You.
My whole being longs for You, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands.
I will be fully satisfied, as with the richest of foods. With singing lips, my mouth will praise You. On my bed, I remember You. I think of You through the watches of the night. Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings. I cling to You.
Your right hand upholds me. Those who want to kill me will be destroyed. They will go down to the depths of the earth.
They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals. But the King will rejoice in God. All who swear by God will glory in Him while the mouths of liars will be silenced. Let's pray. Loving Creator, Sustainer, and Nourisher, thank you for the miraculous way Your love seeps into our heart even in the most difficult places, transforming them into the shelter of Your wings. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-09-26 12:01:29 / 2023-09-26 12:03:11 / 2
