Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 71:9-15
Ps 71:9-15
9 Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. 10 For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together. 11 They say, "God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him." 12 Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me. 13 May my accusers perish in shame; may those who want to harm me be covered with scorn and disgrace. 14 But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. 15 My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure.
John 10:14-17
14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me- 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father-and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life-only to take it up again.
The Lord is my shepherd, I have all my needs supplied… But who is this Lord, who is this shepherd? Jesus said he is the good shepherd. Not just a shepherd, not a hired shepherd but he is the good shepherd. He knows our every need and he will supply them for us. He will look out for our safety, our health, and our well-being as we go through life. We must rely on him and trust him in all things.
No matter where we are in life, young or old or somewhere in between (which of us knows how long we have to live?) we can trust our shepherd. But we may say that we do not see the green pastures or the still waters. These conjure up the idea of everything being calm and no turmoil but this is the opposite of what we see in our lives most of the time. In the rush of life, there seems to be no peace.
The peace we receive from trusting and serving Jesus is not always an outward peace that can be seen. As we look at the life of Jesus, we see him often being in a state of turmoil as his enemies accosted him. But he was at peace with himself and he was at peace with the Father. We too can have this peace in our hearts.
O Lord God I am thankful to know that you are in control and you are the God of peace. As I put my trust in you and seek to obey you in all things, I find a peace deep within my soul, even when I fail to be all you want me to be. I know you have forgiven me and continue to do so. What a joy to be your child and to be the brother of Jesus, my dearest friend! As you know, this world is filled with turmoil, pain and sickness, especially during this pandemic. Use this virus to show your glory and to turn many hearts toward you. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
