Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 77:1-9
Ps 77:1-9
1 I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. 2 When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted. 3 I remembered you, O God, and I groaned; I mused, and my spirit grew faint. Selah 4 You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak. 5 I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; 6 I remembered my songs in the night. My heart mused and my spirit inquired: 7 "Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? 8 Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? 9 Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?" Selah
My wife was lying in a bed in NICU and I was walking the floors of the hospital as I prayed to God for his mercy and his healing. The doctor had come in and said there was nothing he could do for at least twenty-four hours but wait. She had a bleed in her brain and there were too many spasms to try to do a scan and get a clear picture. So I walked and I prayed, sitting by her side when allowed to do so.
In a time like this, there are so many questions and there is a choice to make. Do we turn to God and trust him or do we turn against God and blame him? This is what Job faced and he chose to put his lack of understanding aside and trust God because he is God. His wife, on the other hand, said he should just curse God and die. The response of Job was what we must remember in times like this: “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord!”
The Lord was merciful and my wife was able to heal without any lingering side effects. Even though this was many years ago, when we face challenges in our lives, we are reminded of this and other times the Lord has been so good to us and has shown his power in healing. This is especially true when it seems the healing does not come or the trial is not removed or the heartache lingers. He is sovereign and he knows what is best in every situation we face in life.
Romans 8:37-38
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.
Heavenly Father I am so thankful for your love and your grace that you show to me in so many ways. I need new strength every day as I seek to be like Jesus and to open my heart to your Spirit and let him guide me. Forgive me when I fail. Use me in your service to help others in this world and to lead them to Jesus. Give your peace to those who are struggling today. I pray in Jesus name.
Robert
