Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 77:10-15
Ps 77:10-15
10 Then I thought, "To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High." 11 I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. 12 I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. 13 Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? 14 You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. 15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
2 Cor 1:3-6
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
To say that we believe God is in control of all things does not mean that we will blame him for all that happens. Much of what happens is because of the devil and his work in this world. After all, he is the prince of the power of the air and the god of this world. Paul said that the thorn in his flesh was a messenger of Satan and we know that Job faced his problems because of the devil. Suffering, pain and sorrow are the results of sin and sin is from Satan and not God.
Paul tells us that if we love God, he will use all things for our good, will never allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear (when we rely on his strength and not our own) and will always give us a way of escape. Peter and James both tell us to rejoice in our sufferings. We rejoice because God is working that which is for our good through the sufferings we face in life.
Paul compares our Christian life to a woman giving birth. In spite of the pain she is suffering, it is worth it and soon forgotten when the child arrives. So whatever we face now in this temporary life is nothing when compared to the eternal glory of being with our Lord in heaven. Then Paul says we can use our pain and our example of faith to help relieve the pain of others who are suffering.
Our Father who is in heaven, holy and reverend is your name above all the earth because you have created all things and by the power of your Son, all things are sustained. There is so much that I do not understand about life and why things happen as they do or are as they are, but I trust you in your wisdom and love to always do what is best for me. Lord, increase my faith! Use me to help others who are suffering; to relieve their pain when possible and to encourage them in faith as needed. Give me wisdom to be a good example. I pray in Jesus name.
Robert
