March 5th

Loneliness, defeat, despair, doubt, and other negative feelings and attitudes have no part in the life of a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. How can we be lonely with Jesus’ presence in us through His Holy Spirit? How can we say we are defeated when “we are more than conquerors” in Him? How can we yield to despair when God says, “I am Thy shield,” or “I am a shadow in a weary land?” How can we doubt when we read in God’s Word, “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the children of God?” (John 1:12) How can we be negative when the Apostle Paul wrote from his prison cell just before he was martyred, “Rejoice. And again, I say, rejoice?”

GONE ARE THE DAYS
Gone are the days of deep despair,
The times each effort met defeat;
One day my heart became aware
That hope is found at Jesus’ feet.

Gone are the days of stubborn will,
The headstrong thoughts of a wayward child;
Walking with Him to Calvary’s hill
I yielded up self, so sin-defiled.

Gone are the days of loneliness
And nights that never seemed to end;
I know the Master’s sweet caress,
For I have Jesus as my Friend.

Gone are the days of doubt and gloom,
Those days before I knew His way;
My soul has broken from death’s tomb
And flies towards eternal day.

Prayer: Dear God, help me to see hope and forgiveness, to realize sweet fellowship with You, and to recognize Your path through all the difficulties of life.