Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 48:1-7
Ps. 48:1-7
1 Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. 2 Beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth, like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King. 3 God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress. 4 When the kings joined forces, when they advanced together, 5 they saw her and were astounded; they fled in terror. 6 Trembling seized them there, pain like that of a woman in labor. 7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish shattered by an east wind.
Eph 1:18-21
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
What a comfort to know that God cares about you and me as individuals and his love is not lost in his greatness or his majesty. In Jesus Christ we have a Savior who loves us and has given his life for us. But much more, he now intercedes on our behalf before the Father. As he sits at the right hand of the throne on high, he pleads our case from our vantage point. He has been here and has lived in our shoes. He has been tempted in every way as we have, and he understands.
As we try to think about God, our minds are overwhelmed by who he is, his power, his wisdom, his majesty and his glory. But what is really hard for us to believe is that he knows each of us by name, he knows the thoughts of our hearts, the joy we have but cannot share or the pain we suffer but keep to ourselves. In this, he rejoices with us in our joy and he feels the pain of our suffering.
We serve the God of all comforts and we can turn everything over to him. We can rejoice in Christ our Lord and have a peace that surpasses understanding.
Heavenly Father, I am so thankful for your tremendous love for me. As I process the loss of my mother, there are times that I feel so empty and sad but also times that I feel such joy because I know she has gone to be with you. As I live each day I am reminded that my life is not about this world but is simply daily preparation to receive that glorified body in eternity. Help me not be so self-absorbed that I forget others and their needs. Use me to help others as they face their trials, pain and suffering. I humbly pray in the name of Jesus my friend and brother.
Robert
