No, today's devotional is not about train safety, or rail-yard protocol. Too very often, my spirit, my trust in the Lord, my peace and hope in Him... are derailed by giving too much attention to temporal things; be it financial woes, family concerns, or even the never tiring political & social struggles. I just end up in a puddle of worry, or tending toward hopelessness, and worse, that ugly feeling of solitude and abandonment (where's God?).
But back to derailing, because my train-of-thought wanders through a pathetic myriad of 'woes of tomorrow' that just keep me from wholly experiencing His peace... in each moment through the day... as the Lord gives me a series of 'divine appointments'. Feels almost helpless to keep from being derailed. The hope though, comes from John 16:33, which admonishes; "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." That is to say, the temporal things on this earth will cause trouble... get use to it... but stop being owned by it... stop giving it undue time and attention... stop letting it derail your walk, your focus on the Lord, and your progress of faith.
Psalms 105:4 reminds us that we are to; "Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore." Getting our strength (discipline to focus) from the Lord. Sure, we must attend to matters here on earth. Naturally, we are going to be compassionate and responsibly supportive to those around us... it's just the 'getting derailed' part that we keep at the forefront of our thoughts, our discipline, our lives.
In no way is it easy, not by any little bit... without His peace! John 14:27 clarifies that with; "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." His peace gives us that sharper mind, the quickened heart... giving us a very keen sense of attention to things that derail our calling, our hope in Jesus, our very joy.