Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 127:1-5
Ps 127:1-5
1 Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. 2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat--for he grants sleep to those he loves. 3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. 4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. 5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
James 4:13-17
13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
One of the lessons we learn from the Old Testament stories is that without God working for us, we do not win. On several occasions the Israelite army went to battle without the presence of the Lord and every time they lost. Moses, and later the prophets, warned them of doing this but they would not listen.
Jesus said he came to do the will of the Father. This is to be our goal also. This is true in the work of the church. We are to do the things that God has given his approval and leave off those that he has not authorized. This principle also applies in our homes. Our relationship as husband and wife is to be guided by the will of God and not our own thinking. God has given his way of raising our children and we are to follow it as well. And so the list goes on as it applies to our relationships with the government, our school systems, as employees and as employers.
So we pray that God’s will be done. This is not just a disclaimer we add to the end of our prayers but is an attitude that is deep in our hearts. This causes us to seek the will of God from his word and then pray for wisdom and strength to live it.
Lord God, creator and ruler of all the earth, you are all wise and above all. It is with humility that I ask you to help me study your word more, understand it better and then live it every day and in every relationship. As I read of and see the storms that ravage so much with such great power, I realize you are in control. I ask for your mercy on those that have been displaced and lost so much. Be with the families of those who have lost loved ones. Help me be willing to do whatever I can do to be of help. Thank you for your love. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
