Just What I Needed!

By Dr. Michael Peck

Ever say, "That's exactly what I needed!"? We all face many of the exact same situations. We all face times of discouragement. We all face decision-making days. We all face days that demand courage. We all have adjustments in life that we are making. We all just have those days when we feel unwanted and unneeded. It's a word from God that many times is what we need.

 

Michael Peck has been writing Dr. Mike's Daily Prescriptions for over ten years. Allow God's Word to work a blessing in your life as you read Mike's short daily devotionals from the Bible. Dr. Mike served for many years as a pastor, and he has a great love for and knowledge of the Word of God. Join him on a spiritual journey of encouragement through these daily inspirational thoughts written as a narrative. It will be "just what you need!"

• Language: English
• Publisher: Baptist Church Planters
• Release date: Nov 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781936285112

Book preview

cover.jpg

Published by Baptist Church Planters

36830 Royalton Road

Grafton, OH 44044 USA

[phone]

http://www.bcpusa.org/

[e-mail]

Copyright 2023 by Baptist Church Planters

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

First published 2023

ISBN-13: 978-1-936285-10-5 (pbk)

ISBN-13: 978-1-936285-11-2 (ebk)

All Scripture quotations are from the Authorized (King James) Version of the Holy Bible, unless otherwise noted.

Cover design by Marilyn Martin, Register Graphics

Showing God’s lovingkindness in the morning and His faithfulness every night.

—Psalm 92:2

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

I. Breathtakingly Awesome

II. Help Is on the Way

III. Look Around and Be a One Another

IV. Be Watching! They Are All Around You

V. Highly Favored and Greatly Privileged

VI. Yes, Indeed! This Is Just What I Needed Today

VII. Heaven! Are You Going There?

About the Author

Also by Dr. Mike

Preface

Welcome to Just What I Needed!

It is my joy and privilege to write Dr. Mike’s Daily Prescriptions and email them to subscribers. These often are forwarded on to family and friends.

I often lovingly remind my readers that these brief daily devotionals must never replace their Bible reading. Rather, the Daily Prescriptions are like a spiritual vitamin to encourage believers along the way.

It is my prayer that this little booklet will be used by the Lord to bless, help, and strengthen your walk with Him through His Word.

So come with me on a spiritual journey of encouragement. I pray that God’s Word will work a blessing in your life as it has in my own.

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I of course want to thank the Lord for His blessing and the opportunity He has given to me in writing and communicating His Word.

Thank you to Ginny Sebok, the executive administrative assistant of Baptist Church Planters and my editor. Ginny’s outstanding editing and her meticulous work as she pored over the manuscript multiple times are so appreciated. Thank you so much, Ginny.

Thank you to Debra Reimer, who also proofread this manuscript and made wonderful suggestions in the rough draft production. Thank you, Debbie, for your encouragement.

Thank you to Holly Monteith for her wonderful work in copy editing and formatting for printing. You are greatly appreciated, Holly.

Thank you to Steve Sebok for his work in photography for the cover of this book. Steve, your time and work in photo production are wonderful.

Thank you to Marilyn Martin from Register Graphics for her artistic gift in designing the cover of the book.

I

Breathtakingly Awesome

Think of the Precious Lord Jesus Christ! He Is Our Wonderful Savior!

Showing God’s lovingkindness in the morning and His faithfulness every night.

—Psalm 92:2

#1 Remember God’s Hands

Regardless of the situation, we really need the Lord. In the best of days, we need the Lord. In the most difficult of days, we really need the Lord. Two verses that have especially spoken to my heart personally as I have experienced days of hardship and grief are these:

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness. For I the

LORD

thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. (Isaiah 41:10, 13)

Think about this! We need to remember God’s hands. God promises to hold us with His right hand (Isaiah 41:10). God promises to hold our right hand (Isaiah 41:13).

The right hand is the emblem of our awesome God being precious and powerful. But wait! When my Karen was still alive, we loved to walk and hold hands. I would use my right hand to hold her left hand. What is the beautiful picture of God holding our right hand with His right hand? The answer is that He puts his arm around us, gently pulls us close to Him, and with His right hand He holds our right hand. This is a beautiful picture of the Lord promising to be near to us. He promises to hold and help us. I think of this picture often and thank the Lord for His amazing grace.

Just what I needed. So, my friend, is it the best day of your life? Wonderful! Celebrate the fact that if you know Christ as your Savior, with His right hand He holds your right hand.

Is this the most difficult day of your life? Have sorrows and hardships gripped you? I’m sorry. However, in the midst of this, don’t lose sight of the fact that with His right hand He holds your right hand. You are held in the arms of the One Who loved you and gave Himself for you.

That’s just what I needed for today. How about you?

#2 You Are on His Mind

You might not feel very important.

You might not think that you have much to offer.

Stop! Think about this. You are important to the Lord. In fact, the Bible says that you are on His mind.

When I consider Thy Heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained;

What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? (Psalm 8:3–4)

Bill, Mary, and their boys loved to go camping. It was a chilly summer evening when the fire was crackling, sending sparks from the firepit. Dad led his family in their evening prayer time by reading from Psalm 8, and the timing was incredible.

Just as he read about the Heavens being the work of God’s fingers, the moon and the stars which God ordained, a meteorite streaked through the skies and made quite an impression upon the entire family.

Little Frankie said, Wow, Dad! How did you do that? The rest of the boys giggled as Dad tried to assure them that he’d had it all timed out just perfectly.

Then he spoke quietly to his family and reminded them that the same God who put on such a marvelous show for them in the vastness of the night skies really cares about each of them. In fact, Dad said, when the Bible says ‘what is man, that you are mindful of him?’ it actually means that God thinks about us and that we are on His mind!

How awesome is our God.

Just what I needed. The Lord might not send a meteorite to demonstrate His power for you today, but just remember that you are in His thoughts and on His mind!

#3 You Are of Great Worth, Even If You Don’t Feel Like It!

We put on a happy face and head out the door as we go about our day. How often is there a nagging thought as we catch ourselves wishing we were better at something or that we could do something successful, like others seem to be doing?

Come with me to three situations where wonderful teens felt worthless. Three conversations with young people were occurring at the very same time across that particular state. Let’s listen in.

Conversation 1. Mom! You don’t understand. I am so clumsy. I dropped my books in the hall in front of everyone. Then at lunch I spilled my milk all over my sweater. I’m so worthless.

Conversation 2. Dad! I’ve flunked my driver’s test. How am I ever going to tell my friends? Everyone else in the entire universe has passed, except for me.

Conversation 3. Mom and Dad, you won’t believe it. I just got an email from Judy. She told me that she wouldn’t be my friend if I were the last person on earth. It’s all because I said I couldn’t support her as candidate for president of our class.

Like these three teens, perhaps you have some things that seem pretty big to you going on. Something or someone has made you feel, let’s be honest, worthless.

Here is something these teens and you need to hear and believe. Your value comes from the Lord saying to you,

I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. (Jeremiah 31:3)

Just what I needed. What you say and do are important. However, who you are is the most important. Beyond how we feel about ourselves, the Lord Himself declares, I have loved you forever and want you to be mine. That’s true value! Immeasurable value! Incredible value! Now think about that today as you graciously mingle among people on your journey.

#4 In Whom Makes All the Difference in the World

When you stop to think about it, everything about our life as believers truly is an outflow of our glorious position in Christ. Scriptures speak about our position by using the encouraging and precious words in Whom!

I have several verses for us today in our Daily Prescription that start with the words in Whom. I know these verses will be a blessing. Just think of these.

In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. (Ephesians 1:7)

In Whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him Who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will. (Ephesians 1:11)

In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. (Ephesians 1:13a)

In Whom also after ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. (Ephesians 1:13b)

When you read these verses and really consider once again the amazing Savior Who gave His all for us, like me, you will be deeply touched and want to love Him more and more.

Wonderful Savior is Christ Jesus my Lord.