Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 65:1-7
Ps 65:1-7
1 Praise awaits you, O God, in Zion; to you our vows will be fulfilled. 2 O you who hear prayer, to you all men will come. 3 When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions. 4 Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple. 5 You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, 6 who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength, 7 who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.
Titus 3:4-7
4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
There is no way for any of us to know what God has done in our lives or how he has blessed us and given us so many wonderful opportunities. We can accomplish a lot of things with our skills, our knowledge coupled with wisdom and with old fashioned hard work but these are nothing unless God has given his approval for our success. But one thing we cannot do on our own is to remove the guilt of sin in our lives. This only comes by the grace of God and through his Son.
God does not just forgive us and then forget about us. He is with us every day of our lives and he is involved in all that happens to us. He answers our prayers with what is best for us and what we really need – not just what we think we want. It is from his love for us that he often tells us “no” or makes us wait. But (at least for me) waiting is not a natural trait and is not fun. So he gives us patience through his Spirit who lives in us. Watching God work in our lives is more beautiful than the ocean waves or the trees changing colors in the fall. Our God is awesome!
O Lord God, what a joy to know that you hear me when I talk to you. What is even better is knowing that you will always answer me with what is best for me. Give me patience to wait on you and give me self-control to do what you want me to accomplish. Help me keep my focus on Jesus and on things above where he is seated at your right hand so every thought and action is designed to honor you and to bring glory to your name. Keep me from being selfish or being judgmental but instead, fill me with your love and compassion. I pray in Jesus name.
Robert
