Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 106:24-31
Psalms 106:24-31
24 Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his promise. 25 They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the LORD. 26 So he swore to them with uplifted hand that he would make them fall in the desert, 27 make their descendants fall among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands. 28 They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods; 29 they provoked the LORD to anger by their wicked deeds, and a plague broke out among them. 30 But Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was checked. 31 This was credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come.
With many miracles showing his power, God took his people to the new land he had promised to give them. When they arrived, they decided they could not go in and conquer it. They agreed with God that it was “flowing with milk and honey” and it was a wonderful place but they did not trust him to help them win the battles they would face.
They said that there were giants in the land and they were right. They said that many of the cities had high and secure walls around the cities and they were right about this too. Many of the current residents were mighty warriors, had weapons and iron chariots. The odds were against them and it was obvious. But God had already told them he would give them the victory. Instead of trusting him and obeying him, they refused to go into the land and take it. For this unbelief, they were made to wander until the next generation was ready to go in.
This makes us wonder what we may be missing when we fail to trust God and follow his will! What blessings does he have in store for us that we never will see or enjoy? How much aimless wandering is caused in our lives by our lack of faith and unwillingness to trust the strength of God instead of our own?
We, like Phinehas, can stand up for God even when others do not and we can be counted as righteous – even in a wicked world. This took courage and it took commitment to God. God told Joshua to be strong and courageous and he would be with him and when we stand for him he will be with us today.
O God, thank you for your care for me each day. I know that I fail to be what you want me to be in so many ways so I ask you to continue to forgive me. Give me wisdom to see your plans in my life and then give me courage to step out in faith to trust you for the victory. Lord, I offer a special prayer for your people in China who do not always have the freedom to worship you. Give them faith to stand. I pray that your gospel can be spread there even more. Use me to do your will wherever I am. I pray in the name of Jesus my Lord.
--Robert
