Devotional/Prayer for Mike 4/24-by Gloria Barotta

The Joy of the Lord Is My Strength

Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

When our hearts are heavy, how can our hearts leap for joy and give thanks to God in song? Our passage tells us that the LORD is our strength and our shield. When we put our trust in the Lord Jesus, we tap into the same power and strength that raised Jesus from the dead. The same strength that resisted Satan’s tempting. The same strength and power that wiped Sodom and Gomorrah off the map. That’s some strength!

The psalm (song) also says the Lord is our shield when our hearts trust in him and He helps us. The imagery of a shield is not as vivid for us as for those in Biblical times. Think of it as a force field—like on Star Trek—“shields up, Scotty.” Are we shielded from pain, from bad circumstances, or even physical death? No. But our hearts are shielded when we place our trust in Jesus. Our hearts, our souls, the eternal part of our being is protected by the ONE who is sovereign and controls all things. That is unfathomable! And it gives us the same hope Job had in the midst of his circumstances. Job 13:15 says “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.”

And not only does He protect us, He HELPS us. We have evidence of this in our family as people have been calling, sending emails, praying, offering help, guidance, resources, even financial support. We are setting up a trust to accept donations because people are asking to give!!! The Lord is working in the hearts of people we don’t even know to pray for Mike, Lisa and Gracie. Do you see the Lord’s promise of help? I sure do!

Before we pray, I must ask a question. What do people do in situations like this who don’t know and trust Jesus? I can’t even imagine walking through something like this without the blessed assurance that the King of the Universe holds my family, my nephew and my sweet nieces in His hands! If you know people who don’t know Jesus, would you pray that you would be bold and tell them the story of who God is and what He has done? Finally, I ask you to not lose hope that God is shielding Mike from harm, even though it has been over a week. Stranger things have happened. Ravens fed Elijah.

“Lord, you are our portion, our shield, our strength. Our hope lies in you alone. Please strengthen and protect Lisa and Gracie and Mike. We hold onto your promise to meet all our needs. Please meet Mike’s needs as he is “out there” somewhere. Minister to him through your Spirit and your angels. Minister to Gracie as she goes about her daily routine. Thank you for her successful belt test last night and the joy in her spirit as she showed us her red belt. Minister to Lisa as she begins this new day. Meet our family’s need for wisdom, discernment. Make us of one mind with you. Guard and protect us from the evil one. In Jesus name, amen.

Thank you for your prayers and support. Please visit helpfindmike.blogspot.com for updates.