Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 146:5-10
Ps 146:5-10
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, 6 the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them--the LORD, who remains faithful forever. 7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free, 8 the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. 9 The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. 10 The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD.
Eph 1:3, 7-8
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ… 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
There is a song that we sing occasionally that says “Because he lives, I can face tomorrow.” While this is true, it is because he lives that I can face today. Several years ago my wife had a bleed in her brain and for several hours we did not know if she would live and then for several days we waited to see how much (if any) damage had been done. Thank God, she did not seem to have any permanent damage. On the way home the above song played and she began to cry as she (and I) realized what Paul meant when he said that he was what he was because of the grace of God. We face each day with thanksgiving and trust in God.
In more ways than we can possibly count, we are blessed by God. There are times in our lives when we face real trials as we deal with all that the devil throws at us and causes to happen to us and it is easy to wonder if God really does know what is happening. For many the question of “why” causes real concern. In all of his pain and suffering, Job responded with “the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord” and this should be our response also.
Heavenly Father, I praise you today for the many physical blessings I enjoy but even more for the great spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus my Lord! It is such a comfort to wake each new day and know that you are in control of all things but also to know you are watching over me. Help me open my eyes to see what you do for me and then use every opportunity to live for you and serve you. As I look over my life I see so many times I have failed you in things I have done and things I have said. I need your wisdom to know where I can best serve you and your strength and motivation to do what I see that needs to be done. I ask your peace for those who are troubled, suffering and struggling. I pray in Jesus name.
Robert
