Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 55:16-23
Ps 55:16-23
16 But I call to God, and the LORD saves me. 17 Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. 18 He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me. 19 God, who is enthroned forever, will hear them and afflict them—Selah-- men who never change their ways and have no fear of God. 20 My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant. 21 His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords.
22 Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. 23 But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption; bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you.
Sometimes small things are packed with a big punch! One of these is the word “but” because no matter what comes before it, there is a huge contrast. In our Psalm, the writer has been telling how bad things are in his life and how his dear friend has turned against him and now seeking his harm. “But” in spite of all this, he knows he can trust the Lord to take care of him and deliver him.
We all have problems in life and it seems that some are bigger than others. For sure, mine are bigger and worse than what anyone else faces – or at least we feel this way. “But” as for me, I trust in the Lord and as for you, you can too. This means that no matter what we face, no matter how big our problems, God is with us and he will take care of us. He will never forsake us or leave us.
The other day I saw a post on social media that said God did not remove the Red Sea for Israel but he did part the waters so they could get across and escape the army of Pharoah. God has never promised to take away all of our problems or heal all of our diseases or even remove all of our pain. But he promises to give us strength to handle each problem as it arises and he will give us grace to handle our sickness and our pain. It is up to us to use each of these (or whatever we face) to strengthen our faith and to draw us closer to God. So with thanksgiving, we can face today with the assurance that Jesus will walk with us and hold our hand.
O Lord God, what a wonderful day to be able to be alive and to know that you are with me every minute today. Keep me from messing up today with worries of what might be tomorrow or what has happened yesterday. Help me focus on the beauties and blessings of today and to sing praises to you all day long. I do have my share of problems in life BUT I trust in you for them all! Use me to help others bear their load and to encourage those who are down and out. Thank you for so many who have helped me with my problems in the past. In Jesus name.
Robert
