Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 44:17-26
Ps 44:17-26
17 All this happened to us, though we had not forgotten you or been false to your covenant. 18 Our hearts had not turned back; our feet had not strayed from your path. 19 But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals and covered us over with deep darkness. 20 If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, 21 would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart? 22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. 23 Awake, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever. 24 Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression? 25 We are brought down to the dust, our bodies cling to the ground. 26 Rise up and help us; redeem us because of your unfailing love.
Rom 8:35-39
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God has and does use all kinds of bad things in our lives to warn us, to train us, to punish us and a host of other reasons. But the Psalmist says he does not see any of these in his circumstances, yet he is being faced with all kinds of bad things from every direction and it seems God has forsaken him. Why is it so?
One thing we often overlook is what happened with Job. He was facing all kinds of loss of his possessions and even his family but it was not for any of the above reasons. Job faced these things because of his faith and his righteousness. But in it all he never charged God foolishly and he never lost his faith. Did he understand why? No, he did not. In fact, God never explained to him what we know that was going on behind the scenes of his life. We must have the faith of Job.
O Lord God I am so thankful that I can know for sure that you will never leave me and your love will always be with me. Increase my faith so I will have patience like that of Job and always trust you. Give me a pure heart so that all I do and all that I say will show my love for you and your love for others. Be with those who are sick and those taking treatments. Help your children to remain faithful to you, even in the face of adversity. Fill me with your joy and your peace. In Jesus name.
Robert
