Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 18:11-19
Ps 18:11-19 No more devotionals this week.
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him--the dark rain clouds of the sky. Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning. The LORD thundered from heaven, the voice of the Most High resounded. He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies, great bolts of lightning and routed them. The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils. He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
Put yourself in the place of David as he tried to get away from King Saul. For close to twenty years, David was the “most wanted” person in Israel and the king used unlimited resources to try to capture him or to kill him. On one of the recorded manhunts, there was an army of three thousand soldiers who were pursuing him, with the King himself leading them. During this time, David lived in foreign towns, in caves, in the woods and anywhere else he thought he could survive.
On at least two occasions, Saul was close enough to David that either one could have killed the other, but with the help of God, David was spared. He had the opportunity to kill Saul while he was asleep both times but refused to do so because he was the Lord’s anointed. He reasoned that God would kill Saul when it was his will to do so, even though he had been promised he would be the next king over Israel. He trusted God and patiently kept doing what was right.
Often in our lives we take things into our own hands instead of waiting on the Lord. We need to be like David and focus on the plan of God for us and let him have his way in his own time. In the process, we may have to go through some rough times while he is getting us ready. (It may be like David and it takes twenty years or like Moses who took forty years to get ready.) Whether a day or two or if it is years, we need to focus on doing what is right and let God lead us.
My Father who is in heaven, holy is your name in all the earth. You alone are God over all and I do trust you to lead me and to control my life. Help me yield to you, to your word, and to your bidding as your Spirit works within me. Forgive my shortcomings, strengthen me where needed, increase my faith, and help me be more self-controlled and patient. Help me see the opportunities you give to help others and move me to unselfishly do so. Give your healing to those who are sick and those having surgery and those taking treatments. In Jesus name.
Robert
