Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 116:1-7
Ps 116:1-7
1 I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. 2 Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. 3 The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. 4 Then I called on the name of the LORD: "O LORD, save me!" 5 The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. 6 The LORD protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. 7 Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.
2 Cor 1:8-9
8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.
The Psalmist refers to himself as being simplehearted. This may sound like an insult or a putdown but in reality, it is an admission that he is dependent on God and on God alone. True faith is simple. We know that we cannot live life on our own but we must depend on God to take care of us. It is he that can carry us through our troubles or he can calm the storms of life. We trust him.
To put our faith in God means we do not worry – about anything. We do not live in fear of the virus. We are not consumed with the state of our nation or the way it seems things are going. We are not having a nervous event because of our finances (or lack thereof). We trust God in everything and petition him in prayer to take care of us and of our loved ones. We pray for our country and our leaders and then we leave it up to God. We can be at rest and have peace of mind.
God is big enough to take care of our nation and give (or allow) us to have leaders that will eventually carry out his plan for us. We need to trust him and teach our children to do the same. God can heal any disease or prevent us from getting it in the first place – if he chooses to do so. He can see our needs and keep us safe, even when driving on the busy highways. Nothing is impossible with God!
Heavenly Father I thank you for your loving kindness shown to me every day. You have blessed me and protected me so many times and I praise you for this. Open my eyes to use what you have given me and the opportunities to do your will and to be a blessing to others. Help me remember that I can do all things through him who gives me strength. Increase my faith so I will not depend on my own abilities or my own wisdom but will always rely on you and follow your will. Perfect me in your love so all fear will be gone from my heart. I pray in Jesus name.
Robert
