Oakwood Church Fresh Start Women's Devotional Encouragement for Today Hartland Delafield

A Sense of Urgency
By Susan Klein

“Hasten, O God, to save me; O Lord, come quickly to help me.”
Psalm 70:1

Do you feel it? It’s all around us these days. Everywhere you turn...a sense of URGENCY! For some, it’s the urgency to get our troops back safely on American soil. For others, it’s the urgency to find a solution to our economic crisis and steadily falling stock market. And there are those who feel an urgency to find ways to combat pollution and fix the depleting ozone layer. Just open any newspaper or turn on any news broadcast and you will sense it: We need to do something, and we need to do it NOW!

Most of this urgency can be related to fear or panic. People fear things will not get better, or may even worsen, if our elected officials and designated task forces do not find a quick solution to the problems at hand. This is a human fear, or panic, dependent on man’s ability to fix things, not God’s.

Those of us who know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and trust in the Almighty God who created the earth and everything in it, don’t have to experience this type of fear-related urgency. We have the confidence of His spoken and written Word, which is full of promises for those who believe. We know He is sovereign, He is in control, and He has our best interests at heart. He also promises to provide for all of our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Jesus tells us in Matthew that we should not worry about our life, what we will eat, or drink, or wear.... He says if God cares enough to feed the birds of the air, will He not care for us, who are much more valuable?

There is one sense of urgency that we should take to heart, however. I have felt it myself at times. It is the urgency to impact lost souls by telling them about Jesus. Someone you come in contact with today might not know the Lord personally, and may not have the guarantee of eternal life with Christ. Since we do not know when our Savior will come to take us home, be it shortly or many years from now, those who don’t have a relationship with Him could perish as soon as tomorrow! Our Spirit-inspired urgency should be to share the love and the truth of Jesus Christ with them. They need the eternal hope that we have in order to face these urgent and fear-filled times.

Let us not be caught up in the fear-related urgency of this world, rather let us hasten to be obedient to our God and to be a light to those in darkness.

GOING DEEPER:
1. What is your urgency today? Is it of a worldly or a spiritual nature? Is it panic-driven or purpose-driven?
2. Are you prepared to share with someone today why you have the hope that you do?

FURTHER READING:
Psalm 119:57-64; Philippians 4:6-7, 19; Matthew 6:25-34

Susan is a wife and mother of two. She leads a small group and teaches for Tuesday a.m. Bible Study.