Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 88:1-7
Ps 88:1-7
1 O LORD, the God who saves me, day and night I cry out before you. 2 May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry. 3 For my soul is full of trouble and my life draws near the grave. 4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like a man without strength. 5 I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care. 6 You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths. 7 Your wrath lies heavily upon me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. Selah
Matt 27:44-46
44 In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him. 45 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"-which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
We have a Savior and a Redeemer who knows what it feels like to face the world and to feel forsaken – even by God. Without going into all that is behind his statement on the cross, we will accept his feelings of extreme loneliness and even desperation as he faces death without holding the hand of his Father.
There are times in most of our lives that we feel this loneliness and wonder if even God is still seeing our plight. We are told by Peter that Jesus faced this by entrusting himself to the one who judges righteously and we can put our trust in him too. The wonderful part of this is that we do not have to be perfect for God to see us and know our situation. While we may not see him or at times, even feel his presence, we can be assured that both he and Jesus are aware and are at work on our behalf. We also have the Spirit who is the great Comforter living in us!
The Psalmist reflects the poorest in his society, the outcast and downtrodden. We must be like God and feel compassion on them and share the good news of Jesus with them. The love of God is just as strong for the lonely misfit as it is for those of us who serve him. He will save them when they turn to him just as he saved us when we did so. Jesus said the world hated him and would also hate his disciples because we are not of this world but belong to the world to come.
Heavenly Father I ask you to help me be filled with compassion toward those who are oppressed and those who are down and out in their circumstances. Fill me with your love for those who are homeless and those who are faced with extreme burdens. Help me always be willing to lend a helping hand to those in need and to bring glory to you with all I have. Keep me from being judgmental or feeling pity from an attitude of superiority. It is by your grace I am what I am and I have what I have and never let me forget this. I humbly pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
