Daily Devotions for Caregivers

I came across an interesting scripture this morning during my devotions. Since I wasn't sure where to start reading I let my Bible just fall open. It landed in Ezekiel 35. In the 5th verse, God is upset at a group of people because they attacked others  in the time of their calamity.  That sparked a short study on calamity and trouble. At first I saw a lot of scriptures talking about why and when the Lord brought calamity on groups of people in the Old Testament. I'll be honest. I got a bit worried that He had brought this calamity on me and my family. But like Job who faced calamity for no fault of his own, I found peace knowing in my heart I have not turned away from Him even in this calamity. So I continued my short study. I found a passage in Obadiah where God was condemning another group for mistreating their "brothers" in the day of trouble and calamity. I began to take heart again as it seemed God was upset with those who took advantage of those who were

Psalm 57 has been a passage that I have held on to for many years now. I was sick in 1987 with a mystery illness that none of the many doctors ever figured out. All we know is everyone thought I was going to die and then one day I started slowly getting better, obviously touched by His hand. During that time I discovered Psalm 57:1 - Be merciful unto me O Lord, be merciful unto me for my soul trusts in You, and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until these calamities are past. Well, eventually the calamity passed but in the process I did learn much about trusting Him and hiding in His shelter.  The other verse in this Psalm that sticks out to me is verse 7. David (hiding in the cave from King Saul) starts out by talking about hiding in the Lord's shelter and in this verse it seems to me that he is making a declaration about his own heart. The hiding king states: my heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast...I will sing, yes, I will sing praises! To me he is

Psalm 57 has long been a favorite psalm for me. I found the first verse back in 1987 when I was ill. I was taken from doctor to doctor and no one could find anything specific, we were all left wondering why I had no appetite and had shriveled up to nothing. I did not have the energy to walk across the room. I would crawl across the floor, then lay and rest for a moment before being able to continue...lots of questions without any answers.  That's where I was when I discovered the first verse of this psalm. I didn't have the strength to hold my Bible up but I could usually read one verse before having to lay it back down. I would hold my Bible up and read this verse before strength ran out again. Eventually, I memorized it. It says this: Be gracious to me. O God be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I take refuge until destruction passes by... The old KJV says until calamities have passed. I have held on to this scripture t

I stumbled on Psalm 57:1 when I was ill with a mystery illness in 1986. Since that time it has been where my heart runs when trouble strikes. It's the first thing (after my children) that went through my mind as I was regaining consciousness after my car was hit by a bus in 1990. And it was close to my heart when I got the call about my son's accident. The days of caregiving can be up and down - and that swing can be back and forth in just moments. It can be going along smoothly and bam! out of nowhere comes something that catapults the emotions to the other side! When you are already carrying a heavy load the smallest thing can weigh you down. That's when I run back to this scripture. The first part is of course asking for His mercy, but the end of verse one is a statement - a profession. Maybe it's even one of those phrases like what I use to convince myself sometimes! But the psalmist declares in the shadow of Your wings I will stay until calamity has passed. I