Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 38:17-22
Ps 38:17-22
17 For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me. 18 I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin. 19 Many are those who are my vigorous enemies; those who hate me without reason are numerous. 20 Those who repay my good with evil slander me when I pursue what is good. 21 O LORD, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God. 22 Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior.
1 Peter 1:3-6
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
Life can be really hard at times. While in many ways the Christian is shielded from pain and sorrows as we live for God, this does not mean we are never faced with trials and hardships. In fact, we are told that we will suffer all kinds of trials and that we will be persecuted for our faith. The wonderful news is that God is with us and will protect us so that we are never tempted beyond what we can handle.
The reality of this is that the stronger our faith and the closer we are to God, the greater the trials we are able to bear. No one has been stronger and more faithful to the Father than Jesus the Son. Yet, he suffered all kinds of abuse and scorn in his ministry. He was despised and rejected, accused of working for the devil. Even his own family thought he had lost his mind and came seeking to take him home.
The religious leaders were jealous of the crowds that followed him and did not like his teaching because it condemned their hypocrisy so they sought to kill him. He was finally taken by them and then faced a mock trial and all kinds of abuse until he was nailed to a cross. All the while the Father was using them to fulfill the prophecies that had been made concerning him. He accepted all of this because he kept entrusting himself to the one who judges righteously.
O Lord God when I face trials give me the faith to trust you and the assurance you will always be with me and protect me. As I focus on Jesus and the things above, remind me that my life is not about here on earth but the greatest good for me is to be ready to live with you in eternity. I ask you to be with your people as we live in such a perverted and wicked world that no matter what we face in life we will look to you to lead us and guide us. Please give wisdom to the leaders of our land and other nations so that we will have peace. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
