Great Plains Daily Devotional for 8/24/2020

Psalm 18:2-32

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
    my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
    my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
    so I shall be saved from my enemies.

The cords of death encompassed me;
    the torrents of perdition assailed me;
the cords of Sheol entangled me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called upon the Lord;
    to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
    and my cry to him reached his ears.

Then the earth reeled and rocked;
    the foundations also of the mountains trembled
    and quaked, because he was angry.
Smoke went up from his nostrils,
    and devouring fire from his mouth;
    glowing coals flamed forth from him.
He bowed the heavens, and came down;
    thick darkness was under his feet.
He rode on a cherub, and flew;
    he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering around him,
    his canopy thick clouds dark with water.
Out of the brightness before him
    there broke through his clouds
    hailstones and coals of fire.
The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
    and the Most High uttered his voice.
And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
    he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them.
Then the channels of the sea were seen,
    and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
    at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

He reached down from on high, he took me;
    he drew me out of mighty waters.
He delivered me from my strong enemy,
    and from those who hated me;
    for they were too mighty for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity;
    but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out into a broad place;
    he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
    according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.
For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
    and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For all his ordinances were before me,
    and his statutes I did not put away from me.
I was blameless before him,
    and I kept myself from guilt.
Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
    according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

With the loyal you show yourself loyal;
    with the blameless you show yourself blameless;
with the pure you show yourself pure;
    and with the crooked you show yourself perverse.
For you deliver a humble people,
    but the haughty eyes you bring down.
It is you who light my lamp;
    the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.
By you I can crush a troop,
    and by my God I can leap over a wall.
This God—his way is perfect;
    the promise of the Lord proves true;
    he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

For who is God except the Lord?
    And who is a rock besides our God?—
the God who girded me with strength,
    and made my way safe.

I recently bought a new car and I will admit it is too fancy for me. I have never owned or driven anything with so many features and I am trying to learn them all. One of my favorite features so far is a light on my side mirrors. Anytime there is a car in my blind spot it flashes at me to let me know there is a car there.
 
Perhaps you have this feature in your car and know how useful it is. I think even when we are off the roads, we also need a flashing light in our personal lives. We need to find our blind spots: those ideas or experiences of others we do not see. In my drive to seek justice and compassion, I often fall short and miss what is going on around me. I am so focused on my path and the journey I am headed on I forget about the others around me. It is so easy not to check our blind spots or simply want to ignore them.
 
However, God calls us to check those blind spots. God is there as a flashing light saying, “Look over here!” “Look toward your neighbor and see them!” “Look to what is going on the world and hear the voices which are crying out!” Sometimes we must look beyond our own path and experiences to see more.
 
I love the flashing light on my car because it helps keep me safe. But I also have the choice to take the warning or ignore it. So, are you checking your blind spots? Do you see the flashing light of God? And how will you respond?

Prayer for Reflection

Exodus 1:8-2:10
Psalm 124
Romans 12:1-8
Matthew 16:13-20