Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 74:1-11
Ps 74:1-11
1 Why have you rejected us forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture? 2 Remember the people you purchased of old, the tribe of your inheritance, whom you redeemed--Mount Zion, where you dwelt. 3 Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins, all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary. 4 Your foes roared in the place where you met with us; they set up their standards as signs. 5 They behaved like men wielding axes to cut through a thicket of trees. 6 They smashed all the carved paneling with their axes and hatchets. 7 They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of your Name. 8 They said in their hearts, "We will crush them completely!" They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land. 9 We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be. 10 How long will the enemy mock you, O God? Will the foe revile your name forever? 11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!
1 Cor 10:11-12
11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!
We live in a world today that does not want to be told they must submit to God who made them. People want to hear about and believe in heaven but don’t want to have any part of the Bible teaching on hell. People will applaud the teaching that God is love but will mock and turn away when we talk about the wrath and the vengeance of God, saying they don’t want to hear these things.
This is nothing new. As we study the Old Testament, and we see God dealing with his people and those around them, it is easy for us to focus on the blessings of God and all the wonderfully good deeds he did for his own. But do we learn from the times his people failed to obey him and were punished and taken captive? He sent plagues and withheld the rain from their lands until everything was dried up.
Our Father in heaven, open my eyes to see your majesty and the beauty of your creation all around me. Open my heart to hear your word and to follow your will in all things. Open my mind to understand your wisdom and give me strength to apply it in my life. Send your Spirit into my heart to mold me into your image as his fruit is produced in my life. As I study your Word, help me look at my own life and how I can serve you instead of always looking at how it can apply to others and their lives. Lord, I ask your blessings on those who devote their lives to the physical safety, to law and order and the many freedoms we enjoy in this nation. Be with our nation. Even more, be with your church. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
