Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 31:19-24
Ps 31:19-24
19 How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you. 20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them from the intrigues of men; in your dwelling you keep them safe from accusing tongues. 21 Praise be to the LORD, for he showed his wonderful love to me when I was in a besieged city. 22 In my alarm I said, "I am cut off from your sight!" Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help. 23 Love the LORD, all his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full. 24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.
Acts 27:33-36
33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. "For the last fourteen days," he said, "you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food-you haven't eaten anything. 34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head." 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.
Paul had to go through a terrible storm, so bad that even the sailors thought they were all going to die. As if this were not enough, he then endured a shipwreck and had to swim to shore on an unknown island. Here, while helping the natives of this island build a fire, he was bitten by a poisonous snake. Yet, in it all, he was secure in the hand of his God and faced it all with the utmost optimism and assurance that he would come out of it all safely. God was with him and saved him.
We all face our storms in life and we may have our shipwrecks. We may even get bitten from time to time but no matter what we face we can put our trust in God and know that we will arrive in the calm too. We can live every day in joy and peace with the assurance that God is with us. The Lord preserves the faithful so we must be strong and take heart as we put our hope in him. The Lord is our God and not just a god or figment of the imagination. He is your God and mine!
Lord God I am so thankful that I know you as my God and I know Jesus as my Lord and as my Savior. What a blessing and joy to be able to live in assurance that you are with me every moment of every day and that you are bigger and stronger than anything I face in life! Give me patience to endure whatever comes my way and give me wisdom to know what to say, when to say it and when to keep my mouth shut. Keep my mind focused on Jesus and on things that are lovely and are good and on my eternal home in heaven. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
