Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 56:1-4
Ps 56:1-4
Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack. My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride. When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
1 Peter 1:5-7
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
When I was a kid and someone would say something bad about me, my mom would remind me that “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me”. While I understand that words do not do physical harm as do sticks or stones, words can hurt deeply and they can ruin relationships, they can destroy friendships, they can bring nations to war, and too often it is words that divide churches of God’s people. But we can keep words from harming us.
I can overlook gossip about me. I can dismiss slander towards me. I can pray for my enemy who is seeking to harm me. I can forgive them all and let the words go into the wind. We can do like David and turn them over to the Lord and let him take care of things. By doing this, we are not harmed, no matter what happens.
When we think about faith and when we think about grace, we usually think about when Paul said we are saved by grace through faith. While this is good, we must also remember that same grace and that same faith is what sustains us all day every day. When we trust God to get us through whatever we face, it is by his grace that he gives us strength, changes our circumstances, heals the sick, stops our accusers, fills our hearts with joy, and gives us peace in our storms.
Since God loves us enough that he gave his special Son to die for us so that those who believe in him will have eternal life, how can he not now feel compelled to do whatever we need, and deliver it for our good? Jesus is our friend and is with the Father on our behalf. He knows and understands all we face; he has been here.
O Lord God, what a joy to trust you all day, every day! What a blessing to know that nothing is too big for you, nothing is too difficult for you to accomplish, and nothing is beyond your recognition and your ability to know. Help me never doubt that harm can only come to me when you allow it for my good. I ask you to be with those who are taking treatments for cancer. Give healing to those who have had surgery. Give deliverance to those who are being abused. Give freedom to the addict. Give your peace to all of your people. In the name of Jesus I pray.
Robert
