Healing Flood August 2, 2018

Read: Psalm 107:1–16, 35–36 Bible in a Year: Psalms 60–62; Romans 5 He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs.—Psalm 107:35 I’ve always loved a good thunderstorm. As kids, whenever a storm was truly incredible—with booming thunder and buckets of heavy rain pounding down—my siblings and I would make a mad dash around the outside of our house, slipping and sliding along the way. When it was time to go back inside, we were soaked to the bone. It was an exhilarating taste—for just a few minutes—of being immersed in something so powerful we couldn’t quite tell whether we were having fun or terrified. This picture comes to mind when, as in Psalm 107, Scripture compares God’s restoration to a barren wilderness transformed into “pools of water” (v. 35). Because the kind of storm that transforms a desert into an oasis isn’t a gentle shower—it’s a downpour, flooding every crack of parched ground with new life. And isn’t that the kind of restoration we long for? When our stories feel like tales of aimless wandering because we are “hungry and thirsty”—starving—for healing that never seems to arrive (vv. 4-5), we need more than a bit of hope. And when deep-rooted patterns of sin leave us trapped “in utter darkness” (vv. 10-11), our hearts need more than a little change. That’s exactly the kind of transformation our God can bring (v. 20). It’s never too late to bring our fears and shame to the One who’s more than able to break our chains and flood our darkness with His light (vv. 13-14). —Monica Brands Father, help us turn to You with our burdens, trusting Your love and power to write a new story of healing and transformation. God’s power transforms. INSIGHT: Following Christ gives us a hope that is both present and future. Paul said, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19). This present/future hope—rooted in Jesus’s resurrection—reminds us that whether today is good or bad, we have confidence in Him for a better day to come. Bill Crowder Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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