Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 18:16-24
Ps 18:16-24
16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. 17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. 18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. 19 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. 20 The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. 21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God. 22 All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees. 23 I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin. 24 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
I have never seen God. I have never been touched by Jesus to have my illness cured. The Spirit of God has never spoken some new revelation to me. But I see God every day in all of his creation. I see God in the wisdom of his word. I have felt the tender hand of Jesus on my shoulder and I have walked with his hand in mine when my world crashed in on me and when I could not go alone. When I am praying to the Lord, I often hear the voice of the Spirit in my conscience, pushing or pulling me from that which is either right or wrong. God is real!
But is God real? He is only as real to each of us as we allow him to be. We can block him out of our minds and we can refuse to listen to him and in so doing we make him only an imagination we cannot see or know. Paul says this is what the Gentiles did, even in the face of the evidence of his reality. In so doing, God let them go their own way and become more and more involved in sin.
By faith, we must open the eyes of our hearts and see God plainly. We reach out and take the outstretched hand of our Lord and allow him to help us in life. Jesus touched the leper to make him whole and he will touch you and me to take away our fear and our troubles if we reach out to him in faith. Yes, God is real and the more we open our hearts by faith, the more real he becomes to us, until one day we will see him face to face in all his glory. Praise be to Jesus and to God.
Heavenly Father I am so thankful for all the times you have lifted me from the mire of this world. You have given me healing when I have been sick and even more you have healed my broken heart and mended my broken spirit when I wanted to just give up. There are those who read this each day who are filled with grief and anxiety and I ask your healing on them. Help them to reach out and take your gentle hand and by faith to feel your presence in their heart and life. Be with those who are taking treatments and give your healing. I pray in Jesus name.
Robert
