Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 66:8-12
Ps 66:8-12
8 Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; 9 he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping. 10 For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver. 11 You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. 12 You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.
1 Peter 1:6-8
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Who among us does not have problems? We all have them in various ways and in varying degrees. As long as we live we will face trials, problems, sickness and all kinds of heartaches. This is just a part of living. Being a Christian does not prevent us from facing these things in life. What it does do for us is give us motive for doing what is right. Even more, we have the help of God our father, of Jesus our brother and friend, and the Spirit who is our Helper as we face these things.
We can know that God is aware of each problem we face in life. He will never allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear (but that is not true if we try to face them alone – on our own strength) but with every temptation he provides a way of escape so we can remain faithful to him. Along with each trial, he gives us the opportunity to trust him more, to grow in faith and to become more like him. Every problem and hardship can be a step toward heaven.
Abraham faced all kinds of problems in his life. He was even told by God to go and offer his only son as a burnt offering on an altar. He never doubted God but just obeyed him. We also see that he built an altar every place he lived (and as a nomad, he moved a lot) so he could worship God. Because of his trust and desire to be obedient, he is referred to as the friend of God and the father of all the faithful. We too can be faithful as we face the trials of life.
O God, my heavenly father, thank you for all you give me in life. Thank you for being with me when I face trials, problems and temptations. Thank you for the assurance you have forgiven me and continue to do so as I live for you in Jesus Christ. Give me wisdom, greater faith and strength to always be faithful to you in all things. Give me a pure heart and greater desire to be just like you. Thank you for the material things I enjoy in my life. Help me be willing to use them to your glory and never be selfish or greedy. Use me to share your gospel and to lead others to you through Jesus, your Son. I pray in his holy name.
Robert
