Author: William Douthwaite

Posted in dogs, Life

He never saw it coming

Posted on by William Douthwaite

On a recent walk with my Great Dane, I shocked a young man back to reality.

Our two mile loop isn’t far from the community’s middle school, and on this day we were walking right around afternoon dismissal time.

I would guess the young man was in 7th grade, weighed down with a substantial backpack, head buried in his cell phone. As we closed the gap, I shook the leash to jingle her Dane bling, her large metal prong walking collar. He didn’t look up, absorbed in digital conversation.

We stopped, waiting for him to pass by, but he didn’t notice us until he was one foot in front of us. But then he did notice and jumped a foot up and back when he saw the beast staring at eye level, tail whipping back and forth, excited to greet a new friend. He was terrified, nervous, and shouted, “Whoa, I didn’t see you!”

It’s hard not to notice that 115 lb. of dog from 50 feet away. Whatever was on my phone would have to be amazingly absorbing to isolate me from every other reality surrounding me.

When he jumped, I couldn’t help laughing out loud. Sometimes we really worry about who’s watching us and what they think about us. Guess what? They aren’t watching you, they’re not thinking about you, and they don’t even know you’re there.

Not until they come nose to nose with that nose!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Another look at the most familiar psalm

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by hani Pirzadian on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Psalm 23.

Here’s a few reflections on what may be the most well-known chapter of the bible.

“The Lord is my shepherd.” In an ancient culture, the job of shepherd was considered the lowest of occupations. It was the bottom rung, similar to an entry level position in the mailroom of a large corporation

That’s the job the Creator chooses to identify with. He chooses the minimum wage position in a world where everyone is scrambling to get ahead.

“I shall not want.” That could be confidence in God’s provision. Or it could be a choice, to be content with what God has provided. It’s not easy to put coveting aside in a world that continually markets new products.

“He restores my soul.” Soul restoration isn’t easy. It’s not just feeling better about yourself or about life. It’s about confession, repentance, and forgiveness. A restored soul is one drenched in God’s grace, covered in Christ’s blood, and restored to wholeness.

“For his name’s sake.” He doesn’t do this because of your performance or potential. He does it purely out of Fatherly goodness and mercy without any merit or worthiness in you or me.

“Through the valley of the shadow of death.” Death is not a destination. It’s just part of the journey. It’s not the end of the road. By the grace of God, it’s the doorway to life.

“I will fear no evil.” Evil will always be present. Fear will not be, not when we know the one who is with us.

“Your rod and your staff.” These are the weapons of the shepherd. They ward off predators. They also discipline us sheep when we get off the path.

“Goodness and mercy shall follow me.” The shepherd leads us, but his goodness and mercy bring up the rear, too.

“I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” That’s our home. There’s a place for us.

No matter how many times I read this psalm, there’s always something new to meditate on.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Facial recognition

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com

You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
    “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” (Psalm 27:8)

As a newborn’s eyes begin to develop, he or she will seek out the face of a mother or father. Their eyes will fix on your eyes. It’s is an amazing moment when our eyes meet for the first time, and we both smile.

I’ve been going to a lot of my grandson’s basketball games lately. I love it when one of the players gets the ball and looks into the stands to see if mom and dad are watching. Of course they are, and they’re shouting, “Shoot the ball!”

Some cell phones come to life with facial recognition. The phone sees your face and grants you access to all your apps. It’s an amazing part of the technology.

I was always taught to look at the person who was speaking to better understand what they were saying. It’s just part of being an active listener.

So it makes sense to seek God’s face. We want to feel connected, we love to know he’s watching us, it feels good to know that he knows us, and we don’t want to miss anything he has to say.

So if you feel your heart telling you to seek his face, do it! Listen, look at what he’s doing all around you, and connect with his promises.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

The apple of his eye

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Ion Fet on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Psalm 17.

“Keep me as the apple of your eye” (Psalm 17:8).

I’m sure I’ve glossed over that phrase dozens of times. I kind of know what it means, but I really don’t know what it means. Do you know what it means? Let’s find out.

It is actually a reference to the pupil of your eye. It’s small, round, and of great value. Your eyelids reflexively close if anything comes near your eye, protecting the aperture that lets in light. It is valuable, protected, and a treasured part of your body.

So if you’re the apple of God’s eye, you are treasured, valuable, and something that he’ll protect no matter what. This is one of the ways David pleads for God’s surrounding presence and powerful protection. Isn’t that a poetic way of submitting yourself to God’s loving protection in the presence of enemies?

How do we protect those things most valuable to us? We lock them away. We insure them. We keep them close to us. We install cameras and an alarm system. We ask someone to keep an eye on it. We put a chain on it, like a wallet. Or we just don’t let it out of our sight.

So this is like praying, “God, don’t let me out of your sight. Protect me like the most precious part of you.” God sees everything. Nothing escapes his eye. His eyes go way beyond the miracle of sight that we know. So the pupil, or apple, of his eye, is precious beyond measure.

And so are you and I. God treasures us as the apple of his eye, his most valued possession. He never lets us out of his sight. Nothing is getting close to us unless he allows it. He’s our personal bodyguard, security system, and guard dog all in one.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Night school

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Shane on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Psalm 16.

This is my favorite psalm, so I could write lots of devotions on this, but this time I’ll focus on the words, “In the night my heart instructs me” (Psalm 16:7).

I recently read this insight: “Our spiritual life doesn’t go on hold when we sleep.” That makes sense. We breathe and our hearts beat. We move around a lot when while we sleep. Mentally, our brains sort out all the information we’ve taken in, sometimes causing us to dream.

What about our spiritual lives?

Maybe you’ve had this experience. You went to bed with a lot on your mind. You may have tossed and turned with thoughts about what you had to deal with the next day. But in the morning, things didn’t seem so bad. Life seemed manageable. The new day was filled with new possibilities.

Here are some awesome lessons to learn here:

  • Fill you heart with solid truth. Make sure it is infused with God’s Word. If your heart is going to be your instructor, make sure it went to a good school. Before you close your eyes, read God’s promises.
  • Just go to sleep. I believe one of the most faithful things a believer can do is go to sleep at night, trust God to take care of everything, and look forward to a new day in the morning.
  • When you wake up, take inventory of how you feel. Does the day ahead feel overwhelming or manageable? I usually experience the latter. God has indeed been faithful!
  • Did you dream? Write it down! Immediately. If I don’t, I forget it. Will it mean something? Who knows?

God’s up all night taking care of things. I can rest securely in him.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

A mindful God

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Lesly Juarez on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Psalm 8.

“What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:4)

Mindfulness. It’s a buzzword. It’s a noble goal in a world where everyone is competing for my attention. With phones in our hands we’re distracted from the people or the traffic around us. We walk into a store and buy a cart full of end-cap items, forgetting the one thing we went there for. With minds full of noise, we have to ask the person across from us, “What did you say?” Ten pages later, we don’t remember what we just read. Somehow you got distracted, performed an assortment of mindless tasks, and didn’t get anything from your to-do list done.

It takes a lot of effort to be mindful. I have to deliberated turn off everything to concentrate on one thing. I have to do one task at a time rather than trying to juggle several. I have to make a list and stick to it. I have to recognize what is important rather than what appears to be urgent.

The bible ascribes many attributes to God, but here the psalmist marvels at the mindfulness of God. In a creation so vast that I feel insignificant, he’s mindful of me, he notices me, he cares about me, and he grants me with significance.

Mindfulness begins with God. What do you notice about his creation? What do your senses tell you about your Creator? You can learn much about him from creation (Romans 1:20). What’s going on with your body? Every breath, every heartbeat points us to the God who gives us life and breath and all things.

What about all those people around you? They aren’t paying attention are they? Blocking the store aisles, drifting into your lane, not moving when the light turns green.

Don’t be that guy or gal. Decide in advance to pay attention. To notice. It’s an art. It’s a discipline. And it’s part of being created in God’s image. You can be mindful and notice.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Therapeutic prayer

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Psalm 6.

When David begins his prayer, he’s physically and spiritually troubled (Psalm 6:2,3). His nights are filled with grief and weeping (v6,7).

But by the end, he’d confident that God has heard his prayer and will take care of all his enemies (v10). His prayer has transported him from anguish to assurance.

How did that happen?

That is the power of prayer. It may or not change a situation, but it will always change us.

Prayer connects us with God. We may feel alone, scared, worried, or disconnected, but prayer refocuses us on his presence, protection, and power. It brings to mind his promises, puts everything into perspective, and powerfully calms our minds. It’s kind of like saying, “Amen,” nothing has changed, and yet everything has changed.

So even if it’s a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, just pray. Just tell God how you feel. Let the process open the door for him to do his thing and create a new spirit in you.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Passion, confidence, and anticipation

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Psalms 3, 4, and 5.

There’s passion, confidence, and expectation in the prayers and songs of these psalms.

  • “I cried aloud to the Lord…Arise O Lord! Save me, O my God!” (Psalm 3:4, 7).
  • “The Lord hears when I call to him (Psalm 4:3).
  • “O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch” (Psalm 5:3).

In these psalms, David audibly voices cries for help. After falling asleep, he rises with anticipation of God’s presence and steadfast love. His tone of voice is different than I typically hear in prayer. It’s different from my typical prayers.

Think about it. How much passion do you hear in prayer? Confidence? Anticipation? Not much. Certainly not much compared to David’s words. You may disagree, but most prayer sounds rote, listless, timid, vanilla, and generic. Too often my own sound that way.

First of all, that’s okay. In Romans, Paul admits he doesn’t know how to pray. Thank goodness for the Spirit who intercedes for us, who translates our awkward words into powerful prayers. (Romans 8:26,27).

Next, I believe we worry too much about what others will think of our prayers. Don’t. It’s not about them, but the Lord. You don’t need to infuse your prayer with a doctrinal statement. Just speak from your heart.

Finally, just read some psalms. They have a way of spawning the passion, confidence, and anticipation we may have lost somewhere along the way. Imagine sitting there with David as he sang about his experiences.

You’ve got the words. Just sing along. And then add your own stanza here or there.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Are you kidding me?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jonathon Burton: https://www.pexels.com

A “through the bible” devotion from Psalm 2.

There is always a clash of kingdoms going on in the world.

  • Abram faces an alliance of kings in Genesis 14.
  • Saul faces off against David.
  • David fights off a lot of Philistines.
  • Israel finds itself at odds with Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, and Rome.

The psalmist wonders why the nations rage and the kings of the earth set themselves against the Lord. None of this concerns God in the least. It’s one of the few places in the bible when the Lord chuckles and reminds everyone, “I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill” (Psalm 2:6).

Jesus said that nations would rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. That’s just the way this world is. Always has been. always will be.

He’s not worried. All authority on heaven and on earth has been given to him (Matthew 28:19). The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of the Lord (Revelation 11:15). Nothing happens outside of his control or permission. Everything is in good hands – his hands.

So we shouldn’t be worried, either. “Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (2:12).