Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 22:12-18
Ps 22:12-18
12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. 13 Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. 17 I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. 18 They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
Luke 23:32-35
33 When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals-one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen one."
It is not uncommon for the child of God to be faced with persecution. There are places where it is a very real possibility that worshipping God and proclaiming Jesus as Lord will bring physical abuse or cause one to be killed. For most of us it comes in the form of ridicule or being slighted in some way. How do we deal with this? Do we give up on Jesus or do we trust him to help us and keep us?
Paul says that on one occasion he was persecuted beyond what he was able to bear, even to the point of death. He then explains that this came on him so he would learn to trust in God who would deliver him and in fact, had delivered him from so great a peril. Peter says we are to count it joy when we face various trials because as gold is purified by fire, persecution will cause our faith to be refined and be made stronger. Testing brings perseverance.
No one has faced greater persecution in his life than did Jesus our Lord. All of the political and religious powers of his day worked together to destroy him and his work, but to no avail. Finally these same people had him killed. But God used their evil and wicked hearts to bring salvation to us and all who come to Jesus.
Heavenly Father I am so glad that you work all things together for good to those who love you and who are called to be yours. Thank you for never allowing me to be tempted beyond what I am able to bear but with every temptation you provide a way out for me. Thank you for the freedoms we enjoy in this country. Be with those who do not have these freedoms. Be with our leaders that we may live in peace and your word may be freely spread. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
