Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 105:23-27
Ps 105:23-27
23 Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham. 24 The LORD made his people very fruitful; he made them too numerous for their foes, 25 whose hearts he turned to hate his people, to conspire against his servants. 26 He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen. 27 They performed his miraculous signs among them, his wonders in the land of Ham.
Matt 16:21-23
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
God had foretold that the descendants of Abraham would go into Egypt and would be hated and become slaves. He had also said they would become a great nation of people and he would bring them out as his special children. But Jacob did not realize how God was working at the time he moved his family to this land to escape the famine. Treated as royalty when they arrived, how could he have known they would later be feared and despised as possible traitors?
Peter had given up his business as a professional fisherman and had followed Jesus for three years. He had seen the many miracles and heard his marvelous teaching. In our passage above, he had just confessed that Jesus is the Son of God and thus recognized him as the promised and long awaited Messiah. Yet Jesus was now saying he would be rejected, suffer and die! Peter did not understand so he rebuked Jesus for even saying such a thing. He did not know the plan of God.
As we submit to God today and seek to live by his will, we will not always know or understand how God is working in our lives. How can the death of a loved one be what we need? How can some dreaded disease be in the plan of God? So many things we will never be able to know in this life but we can trust always God.
O Lord God, ruler of all things and creator of the universe, I thank you for your love for me and your constant care for me, my family and my life. While I cannot see what you see or know what you plan, I ask you to give me greater faith to be what you want me to be and keep me from ever doubting you or your goodness. Use me in your will to serve others and to lead others to you. Give me courage to speak when needed and wisdom to say what needs to be said and then to be quiet when best. Forgive me when I sin. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
