Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 48:1-7
Ps 48:1-7
1 Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. 2 It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King. 3 God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress. 4 When the kings joined forces, when they advanced together, 5 they saw her and were astounded; they fled in terror. 6 Trembling seized them there, pain like that of a woman in labor. 7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish shattered by an east wind.
1 Peter 2:9-10
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
How wonderful it would have been to be a part of the nation of God’s people and to be able to know that he was protecting against every enemy. No matter how great the enemy kings and their armies or how many of them joined together, the victory always belonged to the nation trusting in the Lord. After all, he had told them over and over again to not put their trust in alliances with other nations or in the might of horses and iron chariots but to trust in their God who brought them from Egypt and had made them a great nation.
As great as all that was, we as the children of God have much greater blessings and promises. We are a spiritual nation, separate from all the nations of the world but living among them. We are a royal priesthood so we can go to God at any time without going through any man or depending on the clergy of our day. We have been called out of the darkness of sin and as we live for God, we declare his praises. We are the people of God so let us rejoice in him.
These great blessings carry heavy responsibilities. We are to be separate from the world in what we love, in our priorities and in our behavior. We then share the good news of God’s mercy to those who do not know him.
O Lord my God, how majestic is your name in all the earth. Your glory is seen in all of creation and I praise you as the only God. You have redeemed me from the bondage of sin and given me a new life in Jesus Christ. I praise you and ask you to help me live in such a way every day that I show forth your love, your mercy and your compassion to others. Give me wisdom to speak of Jesus to those who do not know him. Please forgive me when I fail to be what you want me to be. Use me to help others as they serve you. I humbly pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
