Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 146:1-10
Ps 146:1-10
1 Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. 2 I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. 4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. 5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, 6 the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them--the LORD, who remains faithful forever. 7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free, 8 the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. 9 The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. 10 The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD.
Acts 16:23-25
23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
If there was ever a time for a pity party, this was it for Paul and Silas! The only thing they had done was to heal a girl who was afflicted with an evil spirit. They had not violated any laws nor caused any commotion. They were not a threat to society but were only trying to help others with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul said later that it was a true privilege to be able to be counted worthy of sharing in the sufferings of Jesus Christ. His Lord had been mistreated and killed because of his teaching. If anyone understood persecution, it was Paul. He had been the ringleader in persecuting Christians. But that was his old life. Now he belonged to Jesus and whatever the cost, he sang praises to God. No matter how unfairly he was treated or how severely he was persecuted, his faith was solid and his hope was in the Lord. Nothing could separate him from the love of God.
Thank you, heavenly Father, for taking care of me and providing me with all I need in life. Use my lips to praise your name as you use my life to help others and to share your gospel. Lord, sometimes I get down and out and feel sorry for myself or get grumpy or just want to quit. Then I remember all you have done for your people through the ages and for me in my life and feel so ashamed of the way I am acting. Use me to lift up others who are down and out. Thank you for those who are always around to lift me up when I need it. I pray in Jesus name.
Robert
