A Journey of Healing and Faith
Cast Away....Psalm 55John 4: 43 - 54
As for me, I call to God,
and the Lord saves me.
17 Evening, morning and noon
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.
18 He rescues me unharmed
from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.
19 God, who is enthroned from of old,
who does not change—
he will hear them and humble them,
because they have no fear of God.
20 My companion attacks his friends;
he violates his covenant.
21 His talk is smooth as butter,
yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,
yet they are drawn swords.
22 Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.
A Thought From the Pastor
We continue to be in awe of the works of Christ in our church and community. One of the beautiful aspects of being a pastor is the spiritual wisdom and throughts that people share with me each day. After last week’s service of leaving our brokeness “in the bucket” at the cross, a member shared this devotional with me.
Let the timeless words of King David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, sink deep into your soul…
“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.”
Psalm 55:22 ESV
The word cast in Hebrew means to throw, hurl, shed, or fling. To propel something as far as possible. To sling something out of your sight. We know that the author, King David, had plenty of burdens to cast off. Not only did he carry the weight and responsibility of being King of Israel, but he also had an explicitly muddy record. Yet and still, even with David’s downfalls and heartaches, he knew where to cast his burdens. He knew who to turn to for help. He knew how to humble himself, repent of his sins, and cling to God’s mercy and grace.
So, what about you? What burdens are you carrying? The big ones, the little ones, and everything in between. The everyday worries, the soul-crushing fears, the agonizing shame. Did you know that you can surrender all of them to the Lord—rather than crumbling under their pressure? God wants to carry your burdens, but you have to cast them off.
Don’t just half-heartedly set down your burdens or passively give them to God; cast them at His feet. You can trust that He will sustain you and know that He will make you stand.
Prayerful Planning
- Thank you to everyone for coming out and supporting the giveRecovery Spaghetti Dinner. We continue to seek God’s providence and blessing for a ministry that is so dear to our PCoC family. A huge thanks for all the donations for the food pantry ministry that were generated by this event.
- We will be having a “Fall Potluck” after church on Sunday, October 25th. Please mark your calendars for this fun and festive event. Start collecting gloves, hats, and coats.
Plans and Events at PCOC
- 10/12 - Community Kitchen @ 11:30 - 12:30 @ PCoC.
- 10/14 - Women’s and Men’s Bible Studies @ 6:30 pm @ PCoC.
- 10/15 - Church Prayer Group @ 10:30 am @ PCoC.
- 10/16 - Bridge Street Service @ 6:00 pm @ Bridge Street Church.
- 10/18 - Food Pantry @ 12:30 -1:30 @ PCoC.
What the Food Pantry Needs
- Boxed Cereal
- Canned Peaches
- Canned Soups - Any variety except tomato and cream of mushroom
Coming Up at PCOC
- Winter Clothing Drive for Bear River HealthSunday, October 25 · 10:30 AM
- Fall Potluck & Hat, Glove and Coat DriveSunday, October 25 · 12:00 PM
Purpose For This Week
- Pray that we would be willing to have our plans interrupted for Christ.
- Pray that we surrender our lives to Jesus and his purposes
- Pray that we would trade shame and guilt for the truth and testimony of our God in Heaven.
Praise Reports & Prayer Requests
- Please cover Tyler and Ashleigh in your daily collective prayers and that God would work in their family reunification. Pray for patience and that decisions would be made for the best of Ashleigh’s two boys.
- Please continue to cover Jim and Alice Mort and their son Steve in your prayers. Please pray for physical healing and spiritual uplifting and comfort during this difficult time for their family.
- Please cover Trip and Lori Jones in your prayers iand their recovery journey. Trip and Lori are getting stronger through the acknowledgement of their weakness.
- Please continue to pray over Joe Soper and his continued desire to find answers to his health issues.