Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 18:16-19
Ps 18:16-19
16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. 17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. 18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. 19 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
2 Cor 1:8-10b
8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us.
God can take the worst thing that we can imagine in our lives and use it for our good. When we trust him there is no end to the possibilities of how things can and will turn out for us. But our trust may not (and often will not) fit into our understanding of how things should be. God’s measure of what is good does not always fit our idea of good. His reaction time may seem slow to us but it is always perfect timing for what we need. Our suffering that seems to go on and on or even ends in death seems to have defeated us but in reality it is just getting us ready to be with him in eternity and was just what we needed at the time. Some of those in the Bible who are held as examples of faith were blessed with great wealth and what we call good fortune while others died for their faith.
The more we can have the mind of God in us and the more we can have a heart that is like his heart, the more we will be able to accept his will for us. It is the faith that comes from this attitude that opens our eyes to the things above and begins to ignore the things of this world. The more we focus on Jesus and being like him, the less we are concerned about “keeping up with the neighbors” or fitting into this world. Jesus said the world rejected him and they will therefore reject those who follow him. Our God is infinite in wisdom and in love.
Reverend and Holy God, I come before you with the utmost respect, knowing you are above all things and in complete control of all things. Increase my faith so I can accept things that I do not understand. Help me always use what happens in my life to make me stronger and more loving. Thank you for loving me. As your Spirit works in me, help me become more like you so your name will be glorified and others will be led to Jesus. Be with those who are suffering in so many ways and give them your peace and strength. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
