Sally I Kennedy

One Year of Weekly Devotions

Watering Hole

“.... how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him." Luke 11:13

Watering Hole

At the tiptop of the coconut palm trees out back, squirrels build their nests down in the fronds. One morning I watched one of the squirrels scramble down the palm tree trunk, and make its way over to the wood deck in the back yard. On the decking, there used to be a defunct jacuzzi under an old canvas. The covering was so worn and stretched it had pockets where rain would pool. Around dusk most days, both doves and squirrels would come to this place on the deck, their watering hole.

Winter that year had been delightfully sunny, cool, and clear. However it had been dry with less than average rainfall, so the watering hole was slim pickings. This particular morning, as the little squirrel approached, he peered into what was a pitiful tiny bit of a pool. He bent over and drank what he could, then left, perhaps in search of water in some other spot.

In our country we are fortunate to usually be able to access water in our homes. Occasions such as hurricanes, water mains bursting and bacteria entering, have all brought to my attention how precious drinking water becomes and how it can’t be taken for granted.

We can live without food, but not without water. Jesus said we can have ‘living water’ (John 4). Spiritually speaking, we can’t live without that kind of water, either. How fortunate we are to have free access to that ‘water’, the gift of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ.

Yes, I am grateful for the unmatchable gift of this wonderful watering hole of living water, that our loving heavenly father has provided for all of us. And yes, that is good news.

When Reality Changes

For I am the LORD, I do not change. Malachi 3:6

When Reality Changes

It is holiday time, and with more than one friend going through, well, basically - the pits, I’ve had some extra things on my mind, and prayer list. There was something else prepared to send out this week in Irish Thursdays messages, however I felt impressed to say a few words about this instead. Unfortunately, these friends are, no doubt, not the only ones going through a crisis, tragedy, or tough situation right now. Reality has been changed as people, situations, and things out of our control have changed. Just because it is the Christmas season does not mean it is Pollyanna time.

One has a sibling whose unexpected diagnosis is an advanced cancer, another has had both mother and father pass away this past month. A third has recently been served divorce papers, and yet another, with a young family to support, did not get the hoped-for job after being out of work for over nine months. Their feelings, and thoughts, are running the gamut of grief, fear, separation and loss, and rejection, to name a few.

What about the ‘Ho ho ho’ season? Certainly there is never a good time for tragedy or crisis, but if ever there is no good time it is at Christmas. When our reality changes, we can become frozen, and temporarily forget everything we know about God like that He is still faithful, that He still loves and cares about us, that He is in the midst of the situation. Yet, He is in the midst of our situations.

Just as the sun rises and sets, as certain as anything ever could be, so is God who He says He is – faithful, constant, caring, and present with us. Skies get cloudy, we have wind and storms - from mild showers to all out raging hurricanes – but the sun comes up every morning. In the first chapter of the book of James, the Bible says that God who is “the Father of the heavenly lights..does not change like shifting shadows.” That is truth, and a reality you can take to the bank, because ‘the Lord does not lie or change his mind. He is not a human being, he does not change his mind. (1 Samuel 15:29)

No matter what your reality, be encouraged today. GOD is the Reality that never changes. That is good news, at Christmas time or any other time.