Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 34:17-22
Ps 34:17-22
17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all; 20 he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. 21 Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. 22 The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.
1 Peter 5:7-11
7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
God does not promise that those who serve him will be free from all trouble and cares in this life. In fact, the opposite is true; we will have to suffer at times for many different reasons. What he does promise is that as we serve him and seek to be like him, he will make us strong, firm and steadfast. In his strength we will be able to overcome the wiles of the devil and win the battle against sin. In the midst of these trials, we can cast all our anxiety on him.
One of the things that we are assured of is that the devil will seek to lure us from God to serve him and do his bidding. His roar is great but his power is limited when we trust God to give us the victory. Satan will seek to instill our hearts with discouragement and make us want to just give up but we must use the self-control that God gives to defeat him and his schemes. We have the promise that no one will be condemned who takes refuge in the Lord.
Lord God, as I live on this earth from day to day, it is so easy to get overwhelmed with all the troubles, the trials and the temptations that surround me. Help me keep my eyes focused on you, my heart on your word and my hope on the things eternal. Open my mind to the glories and beauty of eternity with you and to your majesty. Give me wisdom to be able to see the deception of Satan as he seeks to make that which is sin to appear as being acceptable. Use me and all you have given to me to help others and bring glory to you. Please be with those who are sick and give healing as you know best. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
