A Devotion May Be Someone's Only Bible

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Busted Down the Middle

And I will praise Your name continually, fulfilling my vow of praising You each day.  Psalm 61:8 TLB

The ceramic wall hanging, featuring colorful birds, caught my eye.

I gravitate toward songbirds. They seem happy, and their flashes of red, yellow, or blue often wow me. Sometimes even their names entertain: American goldfinch, indigo bunting, black-capped chickadee.

The uplifting lyrics from an old hymn on the wall décor clinched the deal: “This is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long.” I put it up in my kitchen where it added a cheerful personal touch . . . until our roof needed replacement.

There was no mistaking the roofers had arrived early that first morning. I was still in bed when I heard kerplunk, drag, kerplunk, drag. Then pound, pound, pound. I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter. The kerplunking was the worst. The workers dropped big sheaves of packaged shingles on our housetop. The house shook with each thud. As the morning wore on, we became accustomed to the noise and periodic shaking . . . until we weren't.

The new sound was a shattering, but of what? The noise came from inside the house—the kitchen. My plaque lay broken on the granite countertop. An ugly jagged crack split it diagonally into two pieces. The imaginary chirping of my vivid birds and singing of my cherished lyrics had been silenced.

As I tossed the broken pieces into the trash, the irony came to me. Can I still praise my Savior all the day long when a favorite possession is ruined? How about when a hope of mine is busted down the middle, or when a promising relationship fractures? Can my heart still whistle a happy tune?

When such things happen, God’s character has not changed, our salvation is still amazing, and God’s love is not lessened. Because of those truths, we can choose to praise Him.

Ask God to help you praise Him all the day long, in the good and the bad. 

(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)

(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)


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Lauri Thompson

A Wisconsin native, Lauri Lemke Thompson enjoys living with her husband in the lovely Ozark mountains in Branson, Missouri. She is active in the Ozarks Chapter of the American Christian Writers and Christian Women’s Connection and volunteers for the local hospital. She authored a book called Hitting Pause, a collection of her articles and devotions. Her articles also appear in the Branson Tri-Lakes News.