Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 27:1-3
Ps 27:1-3
1The LORD is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. 3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.
John 6:18-21
18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. 20 But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
There are nine times (in the NIV) that either Jesus or an angel tells someone to not be afraid. Each time the message is the same: there is no reason to fear because God is in control and is working his plan. When we trust the Lord with all our being, there is no reason for us to live in fear. God is in control.
But we do live in fear. We fear what will happen to us tomorrow or how we will do on our new job or what someone will say about us and the list goes on. But why do we fear? Usually it is because we think we are in control of our lives. If we look around us and be honest, there is actually very little that we can control. The crazy driver that causes a wreck, the random disease, the market crash, our friend turns against us for their own selfish reason and there is nothing we can do about any of these. These and others are beyond our control.
What we can do is trust God to take care of us. We can use his word to help us be stronger because of what we face. We can use whatever happens to us to prepare us to help others when they face similar circumstances. We can thank God for the opportunity to learn and grow instead of indulging in a pity party. The promise of God is that he will never allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear but with every temptation will provide a way of escape. This requires that we use his strength and we look for his way out of our trial. God is always faithful.
O Lord my God, I stand in awe before your majestic throne of grace as I approach you in the name of Jesus your Son and my Savior. Thank you for all the trials I have faced in life. Increase my faith and give me wisdom to use each one to be more like you and to be able to help others. There are times that I get depressed and afraid. Please forgive and strengthen me. Thank you for all the friends who have given me examples of faith and have shown me how to trust you more. Be with all who seek to serve you. I pray in the name of Jesus my Lord.
Robert
