Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 28:6-9
Ps 28:6-9
6 Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy. 7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. 8 The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. 9 Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.
James 5:13-15
13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
When we read about rejoicing in the Lord and we are told to rejoice, even when we are facing all kinds of trials, we have to wonder how this can be. The answer is found in our Psalm this morning. When our hearts trust in the Lord, we are helped and we have every reason to rejoice. This trust (faith) is much more than just saying the words that we trust in Jesus or we believe in God. It is making a deposit of our future, our lives and our existence in the Lord without reservation.
This kind of trust leaves no room for doubt. There is no more place for worry, fear or anxiety. Even when we know we are facing death, (“even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me”) we trust God with the unknown that we have never experienced and find joy and peace in him. The love of God perfected in us takes away all fear from us.
So what is left for us to do but rejoice? When we trust God, when we put our faith in Jesus, we can rejoice in him at all times and every circumstance. Nothing shows our joy more than singing praise to him. He is our shield to protect us from all we face in life. He is our strength so we can accomplish anything that is within his will for us. He is our fortress to hide us from evil. The Lord is our shepherd to guide us and feed us and protect us. And the best of all is that he is getting us ready to live with him in eternity where there is no sin or sorrow, no suffering or pain.
Lord God, what a blessing to be your child and to know that you are with me, no matter what I face in life. I am making a renewed commitment to you today to trust you more than I have ever done before. In doing this, I am asking you to not only be with me, but to come into my heart and motivate me and change me to be just like Jesus in every way possible. Guide me to do what you want me to do and to be what you want me to be. Use me to help others to find the joy in Jesus as they seek salvation in him. I praise you and pray to you in his name.
Robert
