Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 42:1-11
Ps 42:1-11
1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" 4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. 5 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and 6 my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon--from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. 8 By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me--a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?" 10 My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?" 11 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
There are times in the lives of most of us that we ask deep within our souls if God has forsaken us or where is he when we feel we need him. Our soul pants for the Lord as the thirsty deer pants for water. How can we live without him? But just as the Lord feeds and provides water for the animals on the hillside, he is always near those who draw near to him. Jesus has promised that he will never leave us or forsake us. The problem is that we need to open our eyes and see him.
Life can be hard. We face pain or we face suffering. We have mental anguish and our hearts are filled with grief when we part from those we love. Watching the suffering of one we love is often as difficult as if we were the one suffering. It is in these situations that we are to pray about everything with thanksgiving and worry about nothing as we rejoice in the Lord. Jesus suffered for us, more than we can imagine and his promise is that he is near to us, every day.
Precious Lord, hold my hand, lead me on, let me stand. I am weak, I am tired, I am worn. Through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light. Precious Lord lead me on. Open my eyes to see you Lord and by faith to reach out and hold your gentle hand through the storms of life. Forgive me when I falter or fail to put my trust in you. Thank you for your love, for your mercy and for your grace; not just the grace that saves me but the grace you give every day to help me deal with the problems of life. Help me show your love to others. In Jesus name.
Robert
