Daily Devotion: March 20

Psalm 29:11
The Lord gives his people strength.  The Lord blesses them with peace.
 
Wow, pretty straight forward verse!  In an ever-changing world this is one of the verses that comforts me.  Who else would I ever want strength and peace from, who better than to give me and fill me with what I need but Jesus.  He knows how much strength I need on a daily basis, there is strength needed for tending to my family and all that it entails, strength to handle different situation, strength needed for all that life throws at me.
 
Our Source of strength is not limited in how much He can give, He gives it freely and abundantly.  It’s when we are weak that we are made strong, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak,” Isaiah 40:29. Our strength comes from the Lord.  I truly believe this is just not a physical strength but a spiritual one as well.  How do we gain this strength, how do we find it? In His word, by knowing Jesus through scripture we find strength and peace.

This peace God gives is unexplicable, it surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7), it’s a peace that no one understands and you can solely explain, that it comes from the Lord.  When the world around you is going crazy, when there are a mountain of things to get resolved and you don’t know how that will fall into place, when a tragedy has occurred and you have peace – that peace and strength that sustains you, is from God.
There are no certainties in life, our personal lives change, our work situations change, relationships come and go, the unexpected occurs – our lives are lived in seasons.  Some seasons are experienced on mountain tops while others are in deserts and valleys, but the one constant ALWAYS, is God. I love the way John Courson put it; God’s peace is not dependent on outward circumstances, even in the midst of the storm, the Lord blesses his people with peace (and strength).

I encourage you, look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always (1Chronicles 16:11; Ps 105.:4)
 

QUESTIONS
1.      When have you experienced this peace from God? Did others notice? If so, how did they react?
2.      Do you feel you limit God in what He can handle in your life? How can you reassure yourself that God is strong enough to handle it all?
3.      If you have never experienced God’s peace, what is keeping you from it?   Prayerfully bring it to the Lord.


FOR YOUR KIDS
Get to Know Your Kids

1. If you suddenly had the means to go back in time, what would you do?
2. If you could meet anyone from history, who would it be and why?

Devotional Questions

1. Teach your kids synonyms and antonyms.
   Synonym - a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language, for example shut is a synonym of close.
   Antonym - a word opposite in meaning to another.
2. Think of Synonyms for the word peace and talk about those words.
3. Now think of Antonyms for the word peace and talk about those words. The Goal is to help your kids understand the meaning of peace.

Pray
Take time to pray with your kids. Have them think of one thing they need peace for and pray for that.

Have Fun
Play "Crazy, Calm!"
It’s like Red Light/Green Light but… crazy!

1. The kids line up, side-by-side at one end of the playing space facing the parent.
2. The parent stands opposite the kids, facing them.
3. When the parent shouts “crazy!” the kids move toward the parent but they have to do a crazy dance

When the parent shouts “calm!” the children stop where they are.
First kid to make it to the parent wins!