Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 55:16-23
Ps 55:16-23
16 But 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 ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me. 19 God, who is enthroned forever, will hear them and afflict them --- Selah --- men who never change their ways and have no fear of God. 20 My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant. 21 His speech 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 fall. 23 But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption; bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you.
2 Tim 1:11-12
11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
Sometimes things happen to us because of wicked people who seek to do us harm or because they do not love God, submit to Christ or follow his will. At other times bad things happen to us because we make foolish decisions. And at other times it is because of our circumstance and a certain amount of chance. It doesn’t really matter why as much as what we will do with it or allow it to do to us. Every bad thing that happens is another opportunity to learn to trust God in a greater way than before and thus to build our faith, our perseverance and our hope. In these we truly recognize God as our Father who loves us.
We, like Paul, can face every trial in life without shame and with assurance that God will not forsake us. We know whom we have believed and we know that he is able to keep his promises to us. The more we submit to him, the more he will empower us to overcome. The closer we live to him, the more he will live in us; in our hearts and our lives. We rest in knowing his love for us is forever.
O God, my heavenly Father, I thank you for all you do for me and have done for me in more ways than I can count. You have blessed me so abundantly and I praise you for it and ask for your wisdom to use what I have to bring glory to you and to help spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know I have failed to be all you want me to be in so many ways and I ask for your continued forgiveness and your strength to become more like you. Use me to help and encourage those who are sick, hurting and struggling to live for you. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
