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Key Bible Verse: Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall (Psalm 55:22). Bonus Reading:Psalm 37:1–40

A friend of mine who owns a large sailboat invited me to join him one evening for a short voyage. When we arrived at the dock, he offered some basic instruction: "Remember two things. First, this boat can't tip over no matter what your senses tell you." He explained something about the relationship between the area of the sail and the size of the boat's keel. "The second thing to remember," he continued, "is that this boat can't sink." I didn't really understand his subsequent explanation about the construction of the hull—and it wasn't really important to me. But the fact that my friend, with his thorough knowledge of his boat and the sea, had made the no-tipping-over and no-sinking assertions was.

A friend of mine who owns a large sailboat invited me to join him one evening for a short voyage. When we arrived at the dock, he offered some basic instruction: "Remember two things. First, this boat can't tip over no matter what your senses tell you." He explained something about the relationship between the area of the sail and the size of the boat's keel. "The second thing to remember," he continued, "is that this boat can't sink." I didn't really understand his subsequent explanation about the construction of the hull—and it wasn't really important to me. But the fact that my friend, with his thorough knowledge of his boat and the sea, had made the no-tipping-over and no-sinking assertions was.

Later, when the wind began to blow vigorously and the boat leaned so far over that the gunwale was almost in the water, every bone in my body told me we were about to capsize. But I mastered my natural instinct to panic because my friend told me that the boat can't tip over. And when a wave crashed over the bow and bathed me and the deck with water, I refused to worry because my friend also assured me that the boat can't sink.

—Gordon MacDonald in Forging a Real-World Faith

My Response: Do assurances God has spoken shield me from worry or panic?

Thought to Apply: Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.

—Corrie ten Boom (Dutch speaker, concentration camp survivor)

Adapted from Forging a Real-World Faith (Nelson, 1989) by permission.

Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

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Prayer for the Week

Sovereign Lord, when my situation looks shaky, help me to rest secure in Your solid character, loving care, and wise purposes.

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