Anticipation and Preparation
by Tanya Person
Recently I had travelled with my flute, and when I got to where I was going, I put it together as I always do. I picked it up to play it as usual, and it would not play. Air went through and with difficulty I could make a sound, but not the note I was trying to play. I was horrified. I looked at it and everything looked fine. I questioned myself whether I was suddenly doing something wrong. Then I decided there must be something terribly wrong with my flute, and I would need to take it to a repair shop when I returned home.
But I decided to do some research. I looked on the internet and found the advice to check the springs, because probably one key was not closing on a hole. As I looked again at my flute, with that in mind, I saw that one key was indeed up, keeping the hole open. I looked and found a small wire that was sticking out slightly, rather than being tucked behind a metal pin. I carefully put it back in place and suddenly my flute worked again. I was so relieved.
This made me think about our lives. Sometimes it seems as if everything has gone wrong, and we have no hope of fixing it. We feel it is such a big problem. But God wants to encourage us to look to Him. He has the solution for our problem, and it is only a small thing for Him.
So, the next time you start to worry or feel anxious, (maybe that is right now), I encourage you to remind yourself of today’s verse, and cast your cares on Jesus. He tells us that His yoke is easy, and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30), and that when we give Him our cares, He will replace them with His peace.
The apostle Paul writes, ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:6-7).
You may like to pray this prayer:
Tanya Person Tanya and her husband, Jim, were missionaries to Hungary for over 18 years. They have worked with Ellel since 2005. After serving in various positions with Ellel in Central and Eastern Europe, God led them back to the United States, where they are now serving with the Ellel USA team. They have a passion to see leaders restored, the church discipled and walking in God’s fullness of life and freedom, and for mentoring the existing and developing team. Tanya also enjoys crocheting and knitting in her free time and has written some children’s picture books.
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.
